HOUSTON – The Tiger track & field team took full advantage of today's FasTrak Collegiate Classic at the University of Houston, showing last week's canceled meet didn't affect them one bit. With five new school records and a host of PR's across the board, Trinity looks primed for a big SAA meet at the end of the month.
School Records
Women's High Jump
Sophia Ortiz (Liberty Hill, Texas / Liberty Hill) posted a massive PR in the women's high jump, clearing a height of 1.65m to set a new school record in the event. With the mark, she breaks her previous best of 1.55m by a wide margin, set last year at this very meet. Before today's meets are updated, Ortiz now enters a six-way tie for 15th in DIII. She will be in heavy competition for the NCAA Indoor Nationals meet, as it took a 1.67m mark to get in last season.
Women's Mile
Gianna Keena (Lakeway, Texas / Lake Travis) smashed her PR in the women's mile, taking third with a 5:04.73 to set a new school record. Coming off her stellar fall season, it's no surprise to see her atop the Trinity record books once again, even before moving up in distance to her stronger events.
Josette Gurulé (Santa Fe, N.M. / Academy for Technology and the Classics) was just behind her in fifth with a time of 5:05.98. With the time, she misses her PR by two-tenths of a second but remains second in program history in the event.
Ciara Catton (Leander, Texas / Leander), in her collegiate debut in the mile, took sixth in 5:09.30, good enough to slot her third in program history, just behind Gurulé.
Women's 800-meter
Halle Hamilton (Craig, Colo. / Moffat County HS) broke her own school record in the women's 800-meter, set just last December, taking the win by only two hundredths of a second, in 2:17.74. Hamilton now owns the four fastest times in Trinity indoor history. She was followed in fourth place by
Emerson Voldan (Arlington, Texas / Mansfield Summit), who set a PR of 2:20.14, moving into second place in program history.
Carly Hunt (McKinney, Texas / Boyd) posted a big PR as well, taking 10th overall, and a convincing heat win, in 2:26.91. She moves into seventh all-time with the mark.
Scarlett Berthelot (Tomball, Texas / Tomball), who took 11th just behind Hunt, moved herself into ninth all-time with her 2:28.09 finish.
The Tigers took second, fourth and fifth in the SCAC 800-meter final last year, as
Annette Smith (Houston, Texas / Ridge Point) joined Hamilton and Voldan to claim big points in a very competitive field. Their early-season success bodes well for another huge year for the women's 800-meter squad.
Women's Long Jump
Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's) won the women's long jump going away, smashing the school record with a mark of 5.91m. In her first meet since returning from the Trinity volleyball team's deep playoff run, Lanik picked up right where she left off. Her mark puts her third in the NCAA this season, the same spot in which she finished in the event at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Men's Triple Jump
Bocar Diagana (Edina, Minn. / Edina) is beginning to treat the men's triple jump school record like Mondo Duplantis treats the men's pole vault world record. He has now broken the school record in all three meets so far this season, doing so this time with a second-place finish in 14.69m. With the mark, he moves up to join a three-way tie for ninth in the NCAA and looks like even more of a shoo-in for nationals in March.
Sprints
Nia Scott (Dickinson, Texas / Dickinson) took 24th in the women's 60-meter prelims in a PR of 8.07, which keeps her at fourth in program history.
Hudson McCulley (Katy, Texas / St. Pius X) took 27th in the men's 60-meter prelims in 7.10, good enough for third in program history. In his collegiate debut in the event, McCulley posted the fastest time by a freshman in Trinity history.
Charles Gooden (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) took 37th in 7.13, a time that puts him sixth in program history. Also in his collegiate debut, he becomes the second fastest freshman all-time behind McCulley.
Lanik took eighth in the women's 200-meter in a time of 25.64, just barely missing her school record of 25.57.
Orie Piken (Torrance, Calif. / West Torrance) took 17th in the men's 200-meter in 22.43, just missing his PR, currently third in program history, of 22.34. McCulley took 21st in a PR of 22.51, a time that puts him seventh all-time.
Brightly Thoning (Homer, AK / Homer) took 38th in the women's 400-meter in 1:05.20, her collegiate debut in the event.
Price Schultea (Cypress, Texas / Cypress Christian) took 20th in the men's 400-meter in 51.17. He is currently second in program history with a 49.14 PR.
Hurdles
Isabella Gaylord (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) took 10th in the women's 60-meter hurdles prelims with a PR of 9.60, moving her up a spot in program history to seventh.
Kris Duggan (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) was eighth in the men's 60-meter hurdles prelims in a PR of 8.46 to take the final qualification spot for the finals later in the day. Entering finals as the slowest seed, Duggan set a big new PR to take the win in 8.28, and move into third in program history.
Mid-Distance
Thomas Melina Raab (Austin, Texas / McCallum) took eighth in the men's 800-meter in 1:56.81, good enough for third in program history.
Jackson Gallagher (Ft. Worth, Texas / Southwest Christian) took 11th in a PR of 1:58.58, which moves him up to fifth all-time.
Jesus Rojas (Houston, Texas / Ridge Point) was just behind him in a PR of 1:58.78 for 12th, putting him at sixth all-time.
Bryce Williams (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) set a PR of 2:00.95 to take 17th and move him up to ninth in program history.
Kyle Fix (Wilmette, Ill. / New Trier) was fourth in the men's mile in a PR of 4:20.06, putting him at sixth in program history.
Long Distance
Anne Snider (Waco, Texas / Live Oak Classical) began the morning's festivities off with a bang, smashing her PR to take fourth in the women's 5,000-meter in 18:23.22, moving her up to sixth in program history.
Elijah Bliss (Garden Ridge, Texas / Davenport) followed that up with a nice race of his own, taking fifth in the men's 5,000-meter in 15:24.94. His time puts him fourth in program history and makes him the fastest freshman in indoor school history by over 45 seconds. After one of the best fall seasons ever by a Tiger freshman, Bliss is finding his natural place towards the top of the school's long distance rankings.
Jumps
Christian Mullaney (Palisade, Colo. / Palisade) was sixth in the men's high jump in a big PR of 1.90m, moving him into a four-way tie for third in program history. His mark is also tied for the highest jump in Trinity history by a freshman.
Ciandra Carrico (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) took sixth in the women's triple jump with a mark of 10.42m. Her PR of 10.85m currently puts her fifth in program history.
Mullaney took 17th in the men's long jump with a mark of 6.22m in his collegiate debut in the event.
Bridget Roth (Houston, Texas / Second Baptist) and
Addison Doss (Sugar Land, Texas / Logos Preparatory Academy) tied for second in the women's pole vault, both clearing 3.34m. A huge PR for Roth, she is now fourth in program history. Doss' PR of 3.40m ranks her second all-time.
Throws
Rachel Bell (Manvel, Texas / Lutheran South Academy) took ninth in the women's weight throw with a PR toss of 13.04m, keeping her at second in program history.
Madeleine Seabolt (San Diego, Calif. / Mt. Carmel) was not far behind in 13th, with a throw of 12.43m.
Aaron Chang (Fullerton, Calif. / Valley Christian) set a new PR of 14.11m in the men's weight throw to take eighth and move him into second in program history, just behind the school record of 14.18m.
Trinity Jefferson (Spring, Texas / Klein Oak) was 11th in the women's shot put with a PR throw of 10.91m, keeping her at fourth in program history. Her throw is the longest by a freshman in school history by over a meter. Seabolt was close behind in 13th with a throw of 10.64m.
Chang took ninth in the men's shot put with a throw of 13.30m, just missing his PR of 13.36m, which ranks him third in program history.
Caydon Ferrell (Beaumont, Texas / Hamshire-Fannett) was just behind, throwing for a PR of 13.12m to take 10th in the meet and move up to fourth in program history.
Looking Ahead
After their big showing, the Tigers will take a select group to their most competitive meet of the season thus far, the Howie Ryan Invitational on Feb. 13, back at the University of Houston. They will look to hold their momentum as they look to the SAA Indoor Championships, beginning on Feb. 27.
