RICHARDSON, Texas – After competing at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships this past weekend, Mercy Rotich, Danee Bustos, Mason Swanson, Maijah Mathis, and Ivar Moinat were named to the LSC All-Conference Team, as announced by the conference office on Thursday.
Rotich and Bustos came away with All-LSC First Team honors, Swanson was selected to the Second Team while Mathis and Moinat each earned Third Team accolades.
To be named to the All-LSC First Team, a competitor either needs to win one event final or score at least 14 points competing in multiple events. For Second Team honors, athletes need to score at least eight points and six points for Third Team honors.
Rotich was the top point scorer for the Greyhounds women’s team with 16 points, leading Eastern to a fourth place finish for the second straight year. She was the Hounds lone individual champion after crossing the finish line in 10:25.14 in the 3000-meter final to score 10 points. She added six more points in the 5000-meter final after finishing third with a time of 18:08.72, setting the second-fastest 5000-meter time in ENMU history. Rotich competed in her first indoor track and field championship event after putting together a phenomenal career as a cross country athlete. In two seasons with the ENMU cross country team, Rotich was an All-American, two-time All-South Central Region, a South Central Regional Champion, an LSC Champion, two-time LSC Runner of the Year and two-time All-LSC First Team selection.
For the second time in her Greyhounds career, Bustos was named to the All-LSC First Team after scoring 15.75 points for ENMU. Bustos made the podium in the 200-meter final after breaking her own ENMU record with a 24.40, placing second and notching eight points. She added four more points in the high jump with a fifth place jump of 1.60-meters, three points in the 400-meter final with a time of 57.09, and 0.75 points for her team’s sixth place performance in the 4×400-meter relay, shattering the program record with a 3:54.92. Bustos is a two-time All-LSC First Team performer after scoring 15 points in the 2018 LSC Indoor Championships. Bustos is currently seeking an appearance in the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships as she currently holds the 14th fastest 200-meter time in Division II.
Swanson received All-LSC accolades for the second time in her career after coming away with a second place finish in the 800-meter final. Swanson ran the fifth-fastest 800-meter time in ENMU history when she crossed the finish line in 2:17.77, scoring eight of her 8.75 points in the event. Her remaining 0.75 points came after running one of the four legs in the 4×400-meter relay with Bustos, Kandice Miles, and Kiana Covington.
For a spot on the All-LSC Third Team, Mathis scored seven points for the Hounds after competing in the 60-meter and 200-meter finals. In the 60-meter, Mathis broke her own program record with a 7.67 to place fifth, scoring four points in the event. Mathis turned in another strong performance in the 200-meter final with an NCAA Division II Provisional Qualifying mark of 24.76 for sixth place.
On the men’s side, Moinat made the All-LSC Third Team for the third time in his three years at Eastern New Mexico. Moinat made the podium in the 800-meter final after coming away with a third place finish in 1:51.01, just 0.01 seconds from tying his own program record set earlier this season. Moinat is currently contending for an 800-meter national championship as he currently holds the 10th fastest mark in Division II. Moinat also added a point to his score for leading the 4×400-meter relay team consisting of Travonne Armstead, Brandon Chavez, and Andrew Villegas to a program-record 3:15.98 to place fifth, scoring the team four points. Between the 800-meter and 4×400-meter relay events, Moinat scored seven points, setting a new career-best point total in the LSC Indoor Championships.
While team competition for the indoor season has ended for the Hounds, Bustos and Moinat will find out if they will be a part of the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship field on Tuesday, Feb. 26when the field will be selected. This year’s indoor championships will be held at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kan. From March 8-9.
