LUBBOCK, Texas – The Tiger men's and women's track & field teams competed in the final indoor meet of the season on Friday, taking part in the Matador Qualifier at Texas Tech University.

Trinity's best event was the women's 3,000-meter run. Ellie Catron (The Woodlands Christian Academy) was the runner-up in the 3K with a time of 10:52.86. Just 10 seconds behind her was Tiger teammate Elaine Kaster (Lewisville, Texas / Founders Classical Academy) who finished fifth in 11:02.88. Maia Dykstra (Clarkston, W. Va. / Asotin) made it three Trinity runners in the top 10 with her time of 11:37.30 that wound up ninth.

The men's 4x800-meter relay team composed of Jared Gallagher (Ft. Worth, Texas / Southwest Christian), Marco Jonsson (Sugar Land, Texas / Dulles), Jesus Rojas (Houston, Texas / Ridge Point), and Sebastian Langer (Houston, Texas / Clear Lake) was also second with a time of 7:58.71.

Jonsson was also one of four Trinity men's runners in the top 20 of the 3,000-meter run, finishing 16th. Diego Flores (San Antonio, Texas / Great Hearts Monte Vista North) was 10th with a time of 9:06.45 to lead the Tiger contingent, while Eli Karg (Friendswood, Texas / Friendswood) was 14th and Logan Nasky (Irving, Texas / MacArthur) was 19th. Rojas and Langer both also finished in the top 25 of the men's 800-meter run.

Will Salony (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) continued a successful distance meet for the Tigers as he finished fourth the mile run with a time of 4:16.41. Three Trinity teammates also finished in the top 20, including 12th place by Ryan Rager-Aguiar (Spring Hill, Tenn. / Independence), 16th by Eli Greene (Sugar Land, Texas / George Ranch), and Jackson White (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) in 18th.

The women's mile also had a pair of top-10 finishes by Trinity, as Gianna Keena (Lakeway, Texas / Lake Travis) was eighth in a time of 5:36.74, and Josette Gurule (Santa Fe, N.M. / Academy for Technology and the Classics) finished in 5:44.12 for 10th place.

Kierra Francois (Angleton, Texas / Angleton) and Justin Johnson (Houston, Texas / Manvel) both earned sixth place in their respective field events on Friday. Francois threw 15.70 meters in the weight throw, while Johnson reached 14.05 meters on his third attempt in the triple jump. Johnson was also 19th in the 60-meter hurdles.

The 60-meter hurdles saw Azariah Anderson (Saint Charles, Mo. / Francis Howell North) led Trinity with a time of 8.14 seconds to finish ninth. He also was 17th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.04 seconds.

Casey Hampton (Houston, Texas / Westbury Christian) and Joy Areola (Tomball, Texas / Rosehill Christian) were both in the top 10 in the long jump. Areola finished seventh with a jump of 5.22 meters on her third attempt, while Hampton finished eighth after hitting 6.86 meters on his second attempt. Areola was also 27th in the women's 60-meter dash.

Johnson also teamed up with Grant Bishop (Geronimo, Texas / Navarro), Marco Bonilla (San Antonio, Texas / TMI Episcopal), and Kyle Anderson (Cave Creek, Ariz. / Cactus Shadows) for a 10th-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay, crossing the line in 3:29.00.

The women's 4x400 finished a place better in ninth with a time of 4:20.56. Madison Habeck (Lake Jackson, Texas / Clute Brazoswood) was the anchor leg behind Taylor Koftas (Blanco, Texas / Blanco), CC Gray (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Notre Dame Prep), and Hayley Huck (Prosper, Texas / Prosper) in the relay race. Habeck also finished 10th in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:26.06, while Gray and Kotfas were both in the top 15 of the women's 400-meter dash, and Huck was 18th in the 60-meter hurdles.

Emily Gnecco (Livermore, Calif. / Livermore) and Ethan Gilmore (Houston, Texas / Lamar) were in the top 15 of the 800-meter run and the 200-meter dash, respectively. Legend Grigsby (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek) had top-20 results in both the 60- and 200-meter dash events, while Danya Selber (Edinburg, Texas / Robert Vela) did the same on the women's side. Selber also finished 15th in the 60-meter hurdles.

Coach Speak
"This was defiinitely a really big step up in competition," revealed Head Coach Marcus Whitehead. "I thought we handled it really well. We had countless personal bests, including a 60 hurdle time from AZ that really moves him up the national list. I think overall the team is excited with how they performed, but also really looking forward to transitioning to the outdoor season."

Up Next
Both Tiger teams will turn their attention to the outdoor season, which begins with the Trinity Invitational on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4. Select individuals will await potential selection to the NCAA Indoor Championships, held in Birmingham, Alabama, March 10-11.