BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Tiger men's and women's track & field teams began their 2023-24 indoor season at the BSC Icebreaker on Saturday.

Trinity brought a total of 20 team members to the meet – 11 women and nine men. The Tigers had six top-10 individual performances across 11 different events and broke numerous personal records for indoor track & field.

Junior CC Gray (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Notre Dame Prep) led off Trinity's 4x400-meter relay team that finished eighth in the final event of the evening, racing to the finish line in a time of 4:05.98 that is believed to be a school record for indoor track. She was joined by first-year Vanessa Garcia (Seguin, Texas / Navarro) along with seniors Hayley Huck (Prosper, Texas / Prosper) and Aliya Jackson (Houston, Texas / Shadow Creek) for the record-setting performance.

Gray also led a group of four women's runners in the 400-meter dash on Saturday, clocking in with a new indoor personal record time of 59.58 seconds to finish 13th. Jackson also set a new personal indoor record with her time of 1:02.16, while Garcia finished in 1:03.19 in her first collegiate event. Lillian Broussard (Houston, Texas / National Christian) was just behind Garcia in 1:03.39.

Junior Joy Areola (Tomball, Texas / Rosehill Christian) and sophomore Seth Jacobs (Santa Fe, Texas / Santa Fe) both tied for the highest finish for the Tigers today. Areola was sixth in the triple jump with her new indoor PR of 11.40 meters, while Jacobs also finished sixth and set a new personal best in the indoor pole vault after clearing 4.30 meters.

The triple jump was the most successful event of the day for Trinity as senior Justin Johnson (Houston, Texas / Manvel) and sophomore Bocar Diagana (Edina, Minn. / Edina) also earned top-10 marks. Johnson hit 13.62 meters to earn seventh place in the men's event, while Diagana was eighth after reaching 13.42 meters for a new indoor PR.

Sophomore Adrian Suarez (Carrollton, Texas / Greenhill) joined the top-10 party in the pole vault as well, finishing two spots behind Jacobs in eighth after clearing 4.15 meters. That is the third time in his career with the Tigers to hit his personal-best height. The women's pole vault had three new indoor personal records broken and three Tigers finishing in the top 25. Junior Maddie Wietstruck (Houston, Texas / Northland Christian) led the way with her height of 3.25 meters to earn a 17th-place finish. First-year Victoria Baker (San Antonio, Texas / Alamo Heights) and sophomore Kaelin Leishman (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) both reached 2.95 meters to tie for 23rd in the event.

In addition to her work in the triple jump, Areola was also 17th in the long jump with a leap of 5.07 meters on Saturday. Diagana smashed his personal record in the event with a mark of 6.23 meters – besting his own record of 6.15 meters that he set outdoors.

The meet began with the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles. Senior Danya Selber (Edinburg, Texas / Robert Vela) competed in both for the Tigers, finishing the sprint race in 8.29 seconds and the hurdles in 9.71 seconds for a new personal record. Huck also recorded a new PR in the 60 hurdles with a time of 9.68 seconds to edge out her teammate. Johnson finished 12th overall in the men's race, crossing the line in 8.70 seconds in the semifinals of the men's hurdles event.

Huck and Selber were joined by Broussard in the 200-meter dash later in the day, while senior Grant Bishop (Geronimo, Texas / Navarro) competed in the men's 200 as well. Bishop just missed an indoor PR with his time of 23.20 seconds, while Huck led the Tiger women with a time of 26.37. Selber came in at 26.65 seconds and Broussard finished in 28 seconds flat. Sophomore Kris Duggan (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) was the lone Trinity runner in the 800-meter run, finishing in 2:12.19.

First-year Price Schultea (Cypress, Texas / Cypress Christian) and Johnson both raced in the men's 400-meter dash. As well. Schultea finished 19th in 50.45 seconds for the fastest indoor time by a Tiger since 2021, as well as what would have been the third-fastest outdoor time by a Trinity runner last year. Johnson was close behind in 22nd place after finishing in 50.66 seconds in his heat.

Senior thrower Heath Schake (Wimberley, Texas / Wimberley) competed in both the shot put and the weight throw and was joined by first-year Jordan Ayala (San Juan, Texas / Edinburg) in both events. Junior Kate Ballengee (Albuquerque, N.M. / Bosque School) competed in the women's shot put and set a new indoor PR with a throw of 9.74 meters. Schake just missed his PR in the weight throw after reaching 11.83 meters, while Ayala had a toss of 9.72 meters. Schake did break his personal indoor record in the shot put after throwing 11.96 meters and Ayala was on his heels after reaching 11.70 meters.

Today was the one and only event for the Tigers during the fall semester, but the teams will be back for more indoor action at the FasTrak Meet at the University of Houston on Saturday, January 20.