The Loyola track and field teams were represented in two different states on Friday, as the majority competed in Texas while a couple more ran in North Carolina
HOUSTON, Texas– The Loyola Wolf Pack track and field teams had eight student-athletes compete in two different states on Friday, and one member of the Wolf Pack broke a school record and qualified for the NAIA National Championship in the process.
Alyssa Salazar, Kaitlyn Becnel, Katie Heavey, Bryana Bazile, Jada Farrell and Nicholas Solomon all participated in the University of Houston's Tom Tellez Invitational, while Christian Hanson and Alex Medina were in North Carolina at Montreat College's Last One Best One meet.
Salazar highlighted the day with her performance in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking her own school record and hitting the NAIA B qualifying mark for the NAIA National Championships later this month. She ran a 1:04.62 in the race to place third, beating her previous school-record mark by .76 of a second. The time is also in the Top 27 among NAIA athletes this season, and Salazar now owns the four best times in school history.
Nicholas Solomon continues to leave his mark in the jump events, recording a leap of 6.86 meters in the long jump to place ninth. It was the freshman's third-best jump of his collegiate career and the fourth-best in program history.
Becnel, who has already qualified for the national championship, placed second in the high jump with a lead of 1.57 meters. Katie Heavey and Jada Farrell also nabbed fourth-place finishes in the javelin and shot put events, completing throws of 25.85 meters and 12.31 meters, respectively. Bazile placed fifth in the discus competition with a throw of 40.10 meters, but the sophomore had already qualified for the NAIA national meet earlier this season.
In North Carolina, Medina placed fourth in the 800-meter run, running the fourth-fastest time in school history (1:58.05), and Hanson took fifth with a time of 4:10.55 in the 1,500-meter run.
Women's Results
400m Hurdles: 3, Alyssa Salazar, 1:04.62.
High Jump: 2, Kaitlyn Becnel, 1.57m.
Javelin: 4, Katie Heavey, 25.85m.
Discus: 5, Bryana Bazile, 40.10m.
Shot Put: 4, Jada Farrell, 12.31m; 6, Bryana Bazile, 12.12m.
Men's Results
800m Run (Montreat College's meet): 4, Alex Medina, 1:58.05 (4th).
1500m Run (Montreat College's meet): 5, Christian Hanson, 4:10.55.
Long Jump (Tom Tellez Invitational): 9, Nicholas Solomon, 6.86m (4th).
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com
