San Antonio, Texas- Both Men's and Women's Track and Field Teams traveled for the Trinity Invitational two-day track meet on March 3rd and 4th. It was the Pirates' first outdoor track meet of the Season and they started off with a combined 10 personal records being set!
In her very first attempt at the event, Rachel Chiella broke the Southwestern University school record in the 3k steeplechase with a time of 12:11.69, finishing 2nd. Rachel also competed in the Women's High Jump tying for 9th place with a jump of 1.40m. "Being in good shape can only get you so far if you can't execute a race plan. So that was the main focus for the distance group today. Whether it's avoiding going out too fast and fading, managing pre-race nerves, or knowing when to push the pace, everyone achieved the non-time related goals we set for ourselves this weekend. We can build on that through the season as we continue to practice getting the best performance from the fitness we do have and improving said fitness. This was a great first meet for us," said Coach Joe Sponsel.
Personal Records set at the Trinity Invitational:
- Emily Chaires - 800m - 2:39.55
- Dejahnae Thompson - 200 M - 27.7
- Lily McWhorter - 400MH - 1:11.93
- Lauren Penders - 400MH - 1:17.57
"We had a lot of solid performances to start the outdoor season. As a heavy first- and second-year athlete team, the meet gave us some live action to work on the mental side of competition prep. Seeing our new athletes and returners travel and compete well is very promising. Excited to see how we keep this momentum and build off this weekend throughout the season," said Coach Eboh.
Next up for the Pirates is the UT-Tyler Ice Breaker Invite (hosted on campus at SFA) March 17th 1:00 PM & March 18th 10:30 AM