This past weekend, the University of Dallas men and women’s track teams competed in their fourth meet of the season at the Dan Veach Invitational in Magnolia, Ark., hosted by Southern Arkansas University.
“Last week’s meet was a mostly positive day,” commented senior runner Kevin McGuirk, from Front Royal, Va. “The weather conditions were not ideal, but it was better than what the forecast had been calling for all week. It was great distance-runner’s weather, but the rest of us would have liked something a bit warmer.”
It was a productive day for the Crusaders, who had several notable performances. However, there were a few members of the team who were not able to travel due to injuries and other personal reasons. For those who did attend, it was a record day for runners on both the men and women’s sides.
On the men’s side, Kevin McGuirk broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles for the third straight meet. He finished with a time of 57.61, shaving off 0.63 seconds from his previous record and finishing 3rd in the meet. Solomon Schroder from Coupland, Texas, set personal records in the 100 and 200-meter races. He finished with wind-assisted times of 13.88 and 25.60, respectively. Cecilio Huitron from El Paso, Texas, also set a personal record in the 100-meter with a wind-assisted time of 12.24.
On the women’s side, there were some impressive showings. Clare Hernandez from Dade City, Fla., won the 3000-meter steeplechase, with a time of 13:00.37.
“That is the first regular season event win in a running event since Emma Kate won the 1500-meter last year at this same track,” McGuirk said.
Another very impressive feat came from freshman Anna Wilgenbusch, who finished second in the 1500-meter and 5,000-meter races. She finished with a time of 5:17.06 in the 1500-meter and set a personal record in the 5,000 with a time of 19:27.36.
“[Anna] basically won both races, because the girl she lost to was Team USA Paralympian Kaitlyn Bounds. Anna finished 1st among all of the collegiate athletes there in both races, and it took an olympian to beat her.”
Other notable performers from the women’s side for Dallas included Athena Garnica from Phoenix, Ariz., as well as Brenda Mendoza from Dumas, Texas. Garnica recorded a personal record in the shot put, throwing 9.01 meters. Mendoza had a personal record in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:47.64.
The next meet for Dallas will take place at the East Texas Invitational in Commerce, Texas, on April 12-13.
