On Feb. 10, the UCA men’s and women’s track teams arrived at the ninth annual Indoor Gorilla Classic not knowing that two track players from the men’s and women’s teams would set school records.

Both the men’s and women’s track teams went into this track meet with confidence and hope after having a successful track meet in Topeka, Kansas, at the Washburn Open and Multis.

This record-setting comes just right after UCA senior Sara Steimel broke the school record in the women’s mile with a time of 4:51.73.

The track meet was a two-day event that took place in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Sophomore Jack Dingman broke the record he previously set for the men’s mile with a running time of 4:04.72.

Dingman explained his ultimate goal for this track meet and were he looks forward to achieving this season.

”UCA has the potential to perform well at the conference meet. I firmly believe we have the capability to secure top 3 team positions collectively. Personally, my aim is to advance to the finals in both the 800-meter and 1-mile events,” he said.

For the women’s track team, senior Anna Bommes set a record time of 2:14.40 during the 800-meter run.

Both UCA track stars set their personal records and had top-10 finishes at the end of the meet.

Both the men’s and women’s track teams walked away proud and set records from both sides of the track.

Dingman has a certain routine for how he prepares before every track meet including this recent one.

“My race preparation regimen is simple yet essential. I begin stretching and warming up an hour prior to the race. While physical readiness is crucial, I place great emphasis on mental preparation. The supportive culture within our team fosters a positive environment enabling success, and I remind myself before each race of the privilege it is to be able to push my limits and embrace the challenge,” he said.

Coach Josey Weaver praised the players’ performances from both the men’s and women’s track teams.

“We had some outstanding performances this weekend. Dingman and Bommes broke school records. Dingman in the men’s mile with a time of 4:04.72 and Bommes in the women’s 800-meter dash with a time of 2:14.40. These were the most outstanding performances,” he said.

Dingman finished in first place on day two of the track meet for the men’s team.

Bommes finished in ninth place for the women’s track team on day two of the track meet.

Weaver also talked about the key tactics that were relied on to have success for this meet.

“We really grew closer as a team at this invitational. It was great to see the support offered by all event groups throughout the meet,” Weaver said.

There are many aspirations that both Weaver and the players have for this season.

”We look to improve upon our team finishes from a year ago at the ASUN Championships in two weeks. That will tell us a lot about the team we have,” Weaver said.

The men’s and women’s track teams will face another battle as they get ready to travel to the University of Arkansas.

The men’s and women’s next track meet will be the Arkansas Qualifier at the University of Arkansas on Feb. 16.

Track meets can be streamed on ESPN+.