Senior sprinter Lendale Franklin preparing for race; junior sprinter Emerson Colins takes off in her race @sxu_xctf on Instagram
The mens and womens teams brought a select few athletes to represent Saint Xavier this past weekend at the 55th annual ‘Gina’ Relays. Hosted by Hillsdale College, the Cougars traveled down to Hillsdale, Michigan to show the competition why they aren’t a squad to mess with.
SXU Men’s Track and Field vs. Hillsdale College (Mich.) ‘Gina’ Relays: No Score
The guys got off to a great start at the meet as senior distance runner Jonathan Jacobo placed third in the 1500m Championship race. Jacobo finished with a new personal record (PR) of 3:59.13. He also competed in the 800m Championship race and placed seventh with a time of 1:57.91.
Also during the 1500m Championship race, junior distance runner Ben Morrey finished in fifth place as he posted a time of 4:02.24, setting a new PR.
Junior distance runner Rohindeep Bhattel also established a new PR in this event, finishing in seventh place with a time of 4:05.42.
Senior distance runner Luke Snedden performed well as he participated in two different events, the 800m Open race and the 5000m Championship race. During the 800m, Snedden placed in fourth with a time of 2:04.17 which is his second-best career time.
In the 5000m, Snedden set a new PR in dominant fashion as he beat his previous record by 45 seconds. Snedden finished in seventh place when he completed the Championship race at 15:31.86.
Senior distance runner Isaac Sytsma also participated in the 800m Championship race. Sytsma placed third in the race, finishing with a time of 1:54.39 which is his season’s-best. This was also his and the program’s third quickest time ever in the 800m.
During the 100m Dash Open race, sprinter Ryan McFadden placed fifth in the event as he ran for a season-best time of 10.90 seconds.
SXU Women’s Track and Field vs. Hillsdale College (Mich.) ‘Gina’ Relays: No Score
The girls came to Hillsdale looking to find success and compete. They did that and many more as the girls broke records and some even placed first in different events.
Senior middle distance runner Olivia Mathis had the best performance last Thursday as she hit the NAIA ‘B’ Standard after placing fourth in the 800m Championship race. Mathis posted a time of 2:12.08, breaking her own school record.
Junior middle distance runner and hurdler Yanira Deana Paninka participated in the 800m Open race and finished at first with a time of 2:19.55.
Mathis wasn’t the only Cougar to compete in the 800m Championship race, as senior middle distance runner Lexi Clarke held her own in the race. Clarke finished with an eighth-place draw when she completed the race with a time of 2:16.45, which is her second-best career time.
Junior sprinter and hurdler Emerson Colins was the only Cougar to not participate in any 800m events, but she competed in two different events.
Colins was a part of the 100m Dash Open race and she placed third in the race, crossing the line at 12.22 seconds which is her season-best time. She also took part in the 200m Dash Open race, where she placed seventh with a time of 25.68. Her second-quickest time of the season.
SXU Men’s Track and Field vs. Marian University (Ind.) Easter Throws Open: No Score
Last Thursday, the throws squad traveled down to Indianapolis to take part in the Easter Throws open. The guys wasted no time in dominating and performing at their best, breaking team and school records, and finishing in the Top 10 for each event.
Senior thrower Ayobami Arokoyo led the way on Thursday as he took over in Discus. Arokoyo took first place in Discus, throwing for a distance of 52.45m. Achieving this led to Arokoyo hitting the NAIA ‘A’ Standard, which is the third time he has done so this season.
During the Shot Put event, Arokoyo made a second-place toss of 16.00m. This is his second-best career throw and the program’s all time second-best throw.
Sophomore thrower Thomas Imburgia made himself known last Thursday as he placed in the Top 10 in both Discus and Shot Put. During Discus, Imburgia finished at ninth overall as he threw for a second-best career distance at 41.71m.
In Shot Put, Imburgia surpassed the 14.00m-mark for the first time in his collegiate career. He threw for a distance of 14.08m, which is a new PR and he became the fifth thrower from SXU to record a toss of 14.00m or more.
Sophomore thrower Connor Whalen was the only thrower from SXU to partake in the Hammer event. Whalen proceeded to break his team’s record for the third time this season, making a throw for 53.28m.
This throw placed him at first and made him the first thrower for SXU to hit the 50.00m-mark.
Both squads will take part in the four-day Relays hosted by Drake University (Ia.), which will begin on Wednesday, April 23. You can also catch the Cougars in the Outdoor Open hosted by Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) on Saturday, April 26.