The UCA Track and Field team saw success at the Atlantic Sun Conference indoor championships, breaking five school records Feb. 23-24 in Gainesville, Florida.
“Our entire team elevated their performance,” coach Josey Weaver said. “It was great to see school records broken, ASUN individual champions, ASUN all-conference performances and our team rally together. I believe this was a turning point for our team in the direction that we want this program to go.”
On day one of the conference, freshman Joia Perry broke the record for women’s weight throw with a 17.71-meter throw.
Sophomore Jack Dingman broke the record again for the men’s mile with a time of 4:03.39.
The women’s distance medley relay team placed fourth with a time of 11:37.54.
Senior Sara Steimel said, “With this being a distance-heavy conference, I am proud with my performances in the DMR and the 3K. I was able to help score a few points for the team and make my mark on the program with a couple of school records.”
On day two of the meet, two more UCA records were shattered.
Sophomore Madeline Hill broke the UCA record in the women’s 3000-meter event, placing first in her heat with a time of 9:44.24. Later, Steimel broke the record again, placing third in her heat with a time of 9:30.25.
“One athlete that stood out to me the most this weekend was my training partner Madeline Hill,” Steimel said. “Madeline was in the heat before me in the 3K and was able to take the heat out fast enough to push the final heat to help me out.”
Junior Joy Nance broke the UCA record in women’s shot put, placing fifth with a 13.37-meter throw.
Sophomore Sophia Schrader placed second in the women’s pole vault with a jump of 3.62 meters.
“I left the meet feeling super happy. This is my first time earning a medal in college so it was a special weekend,” Schrader said. “I’ve been working really hard all indoor season at staying consistent with clearing the bars on my first attempt and I was glad it all paid off at the competition this weekend.”
Schrader said, “I was proud of all the freshmen this weekend. Your first conference championship can be a really nerve-wracking thing and they all handled it with grace and confidence.”
She said all the UCA athletes cheered each other on throughout the events.
“Our throws squad as a whole stood out to me the most because I could always hear them cheering for the team,” Schrader said. “It didn’t matter if it was a pole vaulter or a 5K runner, they were screaming, barking, and hollering.”
Steimel concurred that the team spirit at this meet was top-tier.
“One thing I was most proud of this weekend was the team atmosphere,” she said. “In the past, the team has been separated by our different event groups. However, everybody was cheering for each other this weekend. With the culture of our team shifting in the last year and a half, the team is becoming stronger, closer, more confident and feels more and more like a family every day.”
Weaver said the teams’ performances at this conference set them on track for the rest of the season.
Graduate student sprinter Kobe Gill’s best indoor record is in the 60m sprint with 6.72 seconds.
“I am very pleased with our growth from a year ago,” Weaver said. “We doubled the amount of total team points scored from a year ago on both the men’s and women’s teams. We also improved our team’s overall finish on both sides. I’m excited to carry this momentum over into the outdoor season.”
Schrader said her goals are to keep improving as the season progresses.
“Next meet, I really wanna break out of the 3.60-meter mark and jump a mark in the 3.70s,” she said. “I think the move to outdoor meets will help, if I can get a little sun shining on me and a tailwind down the runway I know I’ll be feeling confident.”
Track and field will head just down the road to the Hendrix Alumni Invitational on March 1-2.
More information about the teams can be found at ucasports.com or on Instagram @ucaxctf.