GAINESVILLE, Fla.— The Montreat men's and women's track & field teams set school and program records while capturing All-American honors in five different events on Saturday at the final day of the U.S. Marines NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
On the women's side, the Cavaliers registered their best indoor nationals finish in program history. Montreat concluded 10
th of 60 scoring teams thanks to its 27-point weekend. Meanwhile, the Cavs landed in 43
rd of 66 scoring teams on the men's side by totaling six points.
Saturday featured All-American efforts in five events, as well as four school records. Both
Dylan Garcia and
Heather Murphy ended runner-up with program-best times in the women's one mile and women's 5000m, respectively. Garcia placed second with a time of 4:47.29, which was more than eight seconds better than the previous top mark. Meanwhile, Murphy shaved 24.40 seconds off her school record with a second-place time of 16:33.25.
Ethan Stamey also bested the school's top showing in the men's 5000m. Like Murphy, Stamey trimmed more than 20 seconds off his best time. The Franklin, N.C. native ended third and scored all six points for the Montreat men with his 14:16.82 race.
The Cavaliers' fourth and final school record came from the women's distance medley relay. An 11:54.37 time from
Brooke Wiebe,
Kaylene Manternach,
Yessenia Castellanos and Garcia beat the program's best by more than 10 seconds and proved to be good enough for third overall.
Macy Parks also joined her teammates with an All-American nod thanks to her effort during the preliminary stage.
Garcia snagged her third All-American award in the women's 1000m. The senior ended fourth with her time of 2:54.49.
Jessica Gakeri also represented the Cavs on Saturday. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native fouled on all three attempts during the women's triple jump.
For a list of results from the U.S. Marines NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships, click
here.
Thanks to its 10
th-place finish, the Montreat women's track & field team concludes the year rated No. 10 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NAIA Women's Indoor Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI).
With indoor season officially over, the Montreat men's and women's track & field teams now turn their attention to outdoor season, which begins March 7-8 in Columbia, S.C.
