AZUZA, Calif. – (April 20) While the Seattle University track and field team turned in an outstanding performance at the Bryan Clay Invitational Thursday and Friday, Olivia Stein competed at the prestigious Mt. SAC relays in Walnut, Calif. where she shattered the previous school record in the 10k and won her section.
Not only did Stein break the school record with a time of 35:21.65, but she did so by an impressive 40 seconds to win her section, in what head coach Kelly Sullivan called “an unbelievable performance.” This was also a new PR for her by a whole 2:10, which is an amazing feat itself. The meet has happened since 1959 and its motto is “Where the world’s best athletes compete.”
Stein wasn’t the only one breaking a school record this week. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Matthew Seidel broke the school record in the 5k; he ran it in 14:21.18, beating the old record by seven seconds.
Besides the school records, Sullivan was ecstatic with the meet and all the personal records set in the two-day meet. Eli Boudouris beat his PR by a second in the 1500m, running it in 3:56.79. Also in the 1500m but on the women’s side, Johanna Erickson came in 3rd in her section and beat her PR by three seconds with a time of 4:35.83, Shannan Higgins broke her PR by five seconds and came in 5th of her section with a time of 4:39.56, and Rachel Kastama set a new PR by two seconds at 4:53.52.
Elle Stein and Thea Foulk both set new PR’s in the 5k. Stein beat her old PR by 22 seconds with a time of 18:36.58, and Foulke beat her PR by 14 seconds at 18:53.79.
Two more women set PR’s. Michelle Newblom’s 15.60 in the 100m hurdles not gave her a new PR, but also won her section. In only her first running this event, Siobhan Rubio came in third place in her section of the 800m, setting a PR with a time of 2:13.59.
The Redhawks also had two great performances in field events. Caylah Lunning and Renee Soliman competed in the long jump, with Soliman jumping 5.42m, and Lunning reaching 5.41m.
On the men’s side, there were three more PR’s set. Kailan Claiborne won his section of the 400m, and his time of 51.76 set a PR. In the 400m hurdles, Steve Brown came in second in his section and also set a PR by 1.5 seconds with a time 54.95. The last PR of the meet was set by Janzen Aguilar-Nelson, who ran the 800m in 1:56.61.
“This was an outstanding track meet for Seattle U,” Sullivan said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better week from our student-athletes.”
The Redhawks have two more meets before the WAC championship in Lawrence, Kan. The next meet is Friday and Saturday at the OSU High Performance meet in Corvallis, Ore.