Hounds Break Three ENMU Records In Season Opener At Red Raider Invite

LUBBOCK, Texas – Three school records fell and many personal bests were set as the Eastern New Mexico track and field team opened the indoor season at the Red Raider Invitational in the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center on Friday.

Senior middle distance runner Ivar Moinat broke all three ENMU indoor track and field records, setting new marks in the 800-meter run and the 400-meter run as well as being a part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that broke the school record. 

In the 800-meter, Moinat crossed the finish line in a blistering 1:51.51, shattering his previous school record mark of 1:53.24 set in his third place finish at the 2018 Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships. Not only did the mark break the ENMU record, but it also provisionally qualified him for the 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. 

Moinat finished fourth overall in the 37 competitor event, but was the best runner of all LSC competitors in the event, beating out Brandon Reasoner from Tarleton State (7^th, 1:54.96) and Steeven Martinez from Texas A&M-Commerce (10^th, 1:57.07). 

Earlier in the day, Moinat set the new ENMU school record in the 400-meters when he crossed the finish line in 48.74. The mark broke the record of 48.91 held by Avery Rasher that was set at the New Mexico Classic on Feb. 4, 2017. Moinat placed second out of 29 competitors in the event and was better than all seven of his LSC rivals, including Texas A&M-Commerce’s Xavier Harvery (10^th, 50.28), Angelo State’s Emmett Seals (11^th, 50.60), and Tarleton State’s Jevon Wallace (12^th, 50.67).

However, Moinat’s great day was not done. In the final race of the night, the men’s 4 x 400-meter relay, Moinat ran the lead leg as the team came away with a 13^th place time of 3:18.22. The team of Moinat, Travonne Armstead, Brandon Chavez, and Andrew Villegas had the second-best finish of the 10 LSC teams in the competition, beating out Angelo State’s top team (14^th, 3:20.15) as well as Tarleton State’s (21^st, 3:25.46). 

Senior distance runner Shane Walsh started off the day on a strong note in the 3000-meter run, crossing the finish line in third with a personal best time of 8:58.66. Walsh was the top finisher of the eight LSC competitors in the event.

Walsh had a strong showing later in the day in the Mile, placing 19^th out of 45 with a time of 4:35.45. Amongst his LSC rivals, Walsh scored third out of the nine.

In the 200-meter final, Villegas made a strong debut with the Greyhounds, placing 15^th in the 58 competitor field and finishing first out of the 12 Lone Star runners.

On the women’s side, senior middle distance runner Danee Bustos turned in a solid performance in the 400-meter finals, coming away with a 56.97 to place fifth out of 13 runners in a Division I heavy field. Bustos also ran the lead leg in the 4×400-meter relay for the ENMU A-Team that consisted of Bustos, Mason Swanson, Kiana Covington and Kandice Miles. The team turned in a 16^th place finish in 4:00.18

Swanson opened her day with a 19^th place finish in the 38-competitor, 600-yard run field with a time of 1:32.27, placing second amongst seven LSC rivals. 

Competing in her first event with ENMU, junior sprinter Maijah Mathis turned in two strong performances in the 200-meter finals and the 60-meter first round. In the 200-meter, Mathis crossed the finish line in 25.78 to finish in 24^th out of 65. Among the 15 LSC competitors in the event, Mathis came away with second. In the 60-meter event, Mathis turned in a time of 7.83 to come away with 23^rd place in the 72-runner field while finishing third out of the 15 Lone Star runners.

The Greyhounds will now have two weeks off before they return to Texas Tech Sports Performance Center to compete in the Texas Tech Open on Feb. 1-2.