NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans distance runners made the nearly 1,900-mile trip out west to Azusa, California over the past four days and will return home with several outstanding performances from the Bryan Clay Invitational.
FINAL RESULTS (FINISHED RESULTS)
Kolyn Saltzman and Ariana Jimenez got things started on the right (or left) foot for the Privateers in wet and rainy conditions on Thursday night with a pair of solid performances in the 3000M Steeplechase.
Jimenez finished her heat with a time of 10:31.11 – a 20-second improvement on her time from this season’s Louisiana Classics, and just under a second off her personal best. At the end of the weekend, she ranks second in the Southland Performance list, and sixth in the South Central Region. As it stands, Ariana is 31st on the NCAA East qualifying list for the 3000M Steeplechase.
Saltzman finished his heat with a time of 9:01.55 – a four-second improvement on his best time this season. The New Iberia native leads the Southland performance list by a wide margin – 37 seconds – in the Steeplechase so far this season and ranks second in the South Central Region. As it stands, Kolyn is 35th on the NCAA East qualifying list for the 3000M Steeplechase.
Rebecca DeKay had perhaps the most impressive performance for the Privateers on Friday evening when she clocked a 16:58.31 in the women’s 5K. Running a controlled race from start to finish, Dekay remained with the leading trio of runners until about the 16-minute mark, before finishing seventh in her race. DeKay beat her outdoor personal best by 25 seconds, and her indoor personal best by 20 seconds and sits second in the Southland Performance list at the end of the weekend.
Matthew Hansen finished his 5K in 14:43.99 – a nine-second improvement on his indoor personal best, and Kelvin Chiku set a new personal best in the 800M at 1:53.36. Hansen’s mark is currently fifth on the Southland Performance list. Chiku’s mark would rank inside the Southland top 10 if he were not already holding the fourth-best mark in the league.
Finally late Saturday night it was time for the 1500M. Running about two hours from his home in La Mesa, Jaden Forester continued his stellar season and set a new personal best with a time of 3:48.95, the third-best mark in the Southland this season. Chiku ran even better – setting a new personal best, and a new top mark in the Southland this season with a time of 3:48.73. The pair fell just short of Alec Snell’s school record of 3:48.34 set in 2021.
Also running 1500 on Saturday night were Alexandra Weir, and Anna Martin. Alex ran a strong race and finished with a time of 4:28.02 – good for third in the Southland this season. Anna finished in 4:40.19 – a ten-second improvement on her time at last week’s Bobcat Invitational. Martin’s time at LSU’s Battle on the Bayou a few weeks ago remains a top-10 mark in the Southland this season.
HEAD COACH BROCK MOREAUX
“I thought it was a great learning experience for the group and we are walking away in a good spot heading into championship season. This is by far the best college and professional meet in the country, so for us to get to be a part of that was an invaluable experience. In addition, we are walking away with some PRs and conference leaders, so overall I am pleased with the trip.”
UP NEXT
Head Coach Brock Moreaux will split the squad one final time this season before the Southland Championships. The distance runners and throwers will head to Rice for the Fred Duckett Twilight meet in Houston, Texas while the Sprinters and Jumpers will head up to Baton Rouge, La. for the LSU Alumni Gold. Both meets will take place on Saturday, April 22.
{Courtesy: UNO Athletics}