IRVINE, Calif. - Concordia University Irvine track and field took to the skies this past weekend and turned in some historic results in the Midwest.
CUI is on a roll with recent regional rankings tabbing them seventh and tenth respectively for the women and men. This is Concordia's highest rankings in the region this year.
CUI sent a group to Northwest Missouri State to compete at the Bearcat Invitational for three days. The invitational was quite the success. New school records, improved national qualifying marks, and plentiful personal records highlighted the meet.
The men's distance medley relay, consisting of 1200-400-800-1600 legs, broke a 16-year old school record! The men broke the record by four seconds and cemented themselves in school history…for now.Â
Running on the relay were Noah Plaza (1200), Cooper Tirado (400), Bryce Tondryk (800) and Hector Arteaga (1600).  The Golden Eagles look to improve their mark at Pittsburg State this coming weekend.
Reflecting on the record Arteaga said, "It's the culmination of years of work. Being able to keep raising the bar and breaking barriers is always special. It's even more significant with the group of guys that we had, there's a unique bond you develop with your teammates when you get the stick/baton around and accomplish great things."
Sarah Fajer continues to impress as she improved her national qualifying mark and currently sits ranked second in the west region. Maria Sartin also turned in an impressive performance in the women's 400 and was part of the women's DMR which consisted of Porshe Eismann (1200), Sartin (400), Sara Feitz (800), and Jori Paradis (1600). That quartet ran the fastest time since 2009 at this meet.Â
On top of these impressive marks the Golden Eagles have a slew of athletes in the top 10 in the region
CLICK HERE for the full list of results from the Bearcat Invite.
The team continues to impress the coaching staff with their progress.Â
"The team is taking all the right steps," said CUI head coach Keegan Bloomfield. "I'm really proud of the men's DMR. We've been chasing that record for a long time and it was cool to see it fall."Â
Bloomfield states the team has been focused on building connections to improve their performances, "We talk so much about being a team, caring for one-another, cheering each other on, picking each other up. This group did that this weekend. I'm happy with where we're headed."
The Golden Eagles will continue their impressive season at Pittsburg State University and the annual Gorilla Classic February 10-11.
CLICK HERE for the updated women's track and field schedule
CLICK HERE for the updated men's track and field schedule
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