NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS- The Pirates' competed in the Icebreaker Classic, which was a two-day event hosted by UT-Tyler. This was the second outdoor track and field event for the Pirates this season, weather conditions were windy and chilly.
The cold weather definitely didn't slow down Brian Armijo though. Brian started off the 10k fast and finished even fast. He demolished the previous Southwestern school record by 42 seconds and finished with a time of 32:10.55. This is now the third school record that Brian has broken this year alone. Gannon Hall has done more cross-training than running due to injury for the past few months, but he got a Personal Best time for the 5k, in 17:34.38.
Coach Joe Sponsel had this to say about his distance runners, "The conditions were not ideal with chilly temps and wind most of the day, but the distance group didn't let that affect their attitude for their races. It was great to get Gannon back in races and see him rewarded with a good time after all the hard work he's been putting in on the stationary bike the last couple months. For the 10k group, I knew they could put down good times based on the great workouts we've been having, it was just a matter of remaining focused for the lonely stretches the 10k often creates. I'm looking forward to next week's D3 Challenge where we'll see some more conference competition."
Michael Parrish finished 3rd in the 400M hurdles 57.36. This mark moves him into 3rd place in the Men's 400M Hurdles in the SCAC at this point of the season. Jamal Maxey took 2nd in the Men's Long Jump with a season's best of 6.72M. He was 5th out of 22 competitors in 400M 50.42 and that moves him into 7th place in the Men's 400M in the SCAC at this point of the season.
Freshman, Michael Roper took 3rd in triple Jump 13.54M, and he currently sits in 2nd place in the Men's Triple Jump in the SCAC at this point of the season. Michael Roper was able to break Southwestern school record infront of the previous record holder and SU Assistant Coach, Daniel Tuttle (pictured above). "I knew it was only a matter of time before Michael got that record this year. Every time I've been on the track at Southwestern, I've seen him working hard and improving himself - even on the random impromptu times I've dropped by. I can't imagine how much farther his record will be by the time he's a Senior. It's really fulfilling to see him and the rest of this incredibly talented and focused team see the fruits of the work they've been putting in all year, and I'm excited to see what else they have in store this season," said Coach Tuttle.
Lastly, Head Coach Eboh had this to say about the fun and fast day in Nacogdoches, "I wanna give a major shoutout to Coach Sponsel and our distance crew! They're total pros at traveling and performing together, even when things get tough. Outside the distance crew, spring break, a short week of practice, and less-than-ideal weather conditions affected our performance more than expected. That being said, we saw some excellent marks and records set against the best field of competition we've seen thus far. Michael Roper has had an impressive debut as a first-year Pirate. Breaking any record is an event in and of itself. It was a special moment to have a school record broken in the presence of the record holder, current SU Hurdle/PV Coach Daniel Tuttle."
Full Meet Results Can Be Found HERE.
The Pirates have another week of practice before traveling to Seguin for the D3 Challenge at Texas Lutheran on March 25.