Mandie Maddux came to compete.
Thursday, Maddux was the only participant from the Seattle University track and field team to compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho.
It was her day to shine. And shine, she sure did.
Maddux became a WAC Indoor Champion on Thursday evening as she won the pentathlon. On her way to becoming the champion in the event, she broke three indoor school records and set four indoor personal records.
After finishing in second place at last year’s championships, Maddux’s hard work has paid off.
“Her performance today was steady and focused,” assistant coach Chad Pharis said.
She finished the pentathlon with 3,508 points, breaking the indoor school record she set last season, and allowing her to keep her No. 1 ranking in the WAC in the event.
In the first event of the day, the 60 meter hurdles, Maddux ran a time of 9.36, close to her personal record in the event.
Next up, Maddux broke the six-year-old indoor school record in the high jump, and claimed first place in the event with a height of 1.67m (5’-5.75”).
Maddux kept the fire burning bright in the next event, the shot put, where the claimed first place with a throw of 11.92m (39’-1.25”), just barely breaking the indoor school record she had already set three times – twice this season alone.
“Setting (personal records) in back-to-back events was key to her success,” Pharis said. “Getting the win in high jump followed by making a big move to separate herself in shot put allowed her to relax and finish the (pentathlon) with a lot of confidence.”
Maddux closed out the final two events comfortably. She went a distance of 4.84m (15’-10.5”) in the long jump, then finished with a personal record time of 2:30.86 in the 800 meter run.
"Mandie has been focused for awhile now on having a great competition at the conference meet," head coach Trisha Steidl said. "Her focus, determination, and discipline showed today. I'm very happy for her to have won."
If Mandie Maddux is one thing, it’s a competitor.
And, as great as a Redhawk looks in red and black, the gold around her neck might just complete the look.