LUBBOCK, Texas – The Eastern New Mexico track and field team broke two program records after day one of the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center on Saturday.
Senior sprinter Danee Bustos broke her own program record in the 200-meter dash preliminaries after crossing the finish line in 24.45 to set the second-best qualifying mark in the event. The mark topped her previous best time of 24.52, while also setting an NCAA Division II Indoor Championship provisional qualifying mark. After her time was converted to a 24>52 due to elevation, she currently holds the 15th-fastest 200-meter time in Division II. Bustos also came away with a provisional qualifying mark in the 400-meter with a time of 56.44, placing fifth overall to also qualify for tomorrow’s championship heat.
Bustos will have some company in the 200-meters as both Kandice Miles and Maijah Mathis also finished in the top eight to qualify. Miles finished her heat with a time of 24.81 to place fifth overall while also setting an NCAA Championship qualifying mark. Mathis placed seventh overall in the prelims with a 24.94, improving upon her third-best mark in the ENMU record books by .27 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Mathis broke a school record of her own when she turned in the eighth-best time in the 60-meter prelims with a time of 7.70. The mark set a new program record in the event, topping Dominique Zamora’s record of 7.75 set during the 2017 indoor season. By placing in the top eight, Mathis will also compete in the 60-meter championship heat on-top of competing in the 200-meter.
In the 800-meter prelims, junior Mason Swanson set a strong mark in her pursuit to defend her 800-meter title. Swanson crossed the finish line in 2:18.32 to set the second-fastest time in the prelims while also setting the fifth-fastest time in ENMU history.
Mercy Rotich continued to climb up the ENMU record books with a strong finish in the 5000-meter run. Rotch turned in a time of 18:08.72 to set the second-fastest 5000-meter time in program history, placing her behind just Amber Saiz’s record mark set in 2015. Rotich placed third overall out of 20 competitors in the meet to score six points for the Hounds team score.
In the pentathlon, Jessica Campbell scored 2735 points to place seventh overall and scored the Hounds two team points, while also setting the second-best pentathlon mark in ENMU history.
On the men’s side, freshman sprinter Andrew Villegas qualified for the 200-meter final after placing eighth in the prelims with a time of 21.90. Villegas set the second-fastest mark in the ENMU record books, topping Jullian Coronado-Clark and Victor Cruz’s marks of 21.97 that were set during the 2016 season. Travonne Armstead also put together a strong mark in the 200-meter event after crossing the finish line in 22.05 to set the fifth-fastest mark in the history of the program.
In the 800-meter prelims, Ivar Moinat turned in a time of 1:53.96 to place fourth overall to qualify for tomorrow’s championship heat. Moinat currently holds the seventh-fastest 800-meter time in NCAA Division II and the fastest time in the Lone Star this year as he will seek to eclipse it in tomorrow’s championship event.
The Greyhounds also put together a solid showing in the men’s distance medley in the final event of the day. The four-man team consisting of Garrett Meyer, Louis Bolander, Adren Soto, and Lorenzo Juarez combined for a time of 11:06.51 to place sixth overall, scoring the men’s team three points. The mark set the third-fastest medley time in program history.
The Greyhounds will continue their chase for Lone Star Championship gold in the final day of the event tomorrow. Events are scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
