Trinity women’s track and field won the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Championship on Saturday, Feb. 28, in Danville, KY, by less than a point, outdueling back-to-back reigning champions Centre College 166.5 to 166. The men’s team, on the other hand, finished in second place behind Centre. Over the weekend, the two Trinity teams set seven SAA Championship records.
After the first day of the championship meet on Friday, Feb. 27, women’s track and field tied with Centre at 50 points each atop the leaderboard. The first day mainly featured field events and preliminaries, with the final results of the weight throw, long jump and high jump decided. The Tigers earned points in each event, including notable second-place finishes from sophomores Sophia Ortiz and Annabelle Lanik in the high jump and long jump, respectively.
Trinity also competed in 5,000-meter finals and the distance medley relay finals. In the 5K, senior Gianna Keena won gold, setting a new SAA Championship record, while the Tigers’ relay team followed suit with another SAA Championship record breaking first place finish.
On Saturday, the women quickly fell behind Centre. The Tigers spent the day fighting their way back to close the gap. In the sprints and hurdles, Trinity scored some key points, with Lanik leading the way with a third place finish in the 60-meter sprint and second place in the 200 meter. In field events, sophomore Addison Doss and first-year Bridget Roth finished second and third in the pole vault.
In the middle distance events, Trinity made their biggest impact. Senior Halle Hamilton broke her own school record in the 800 for the fourth time, claiming the SAA Championship record as well while scoring ten points for Trinity. Sophomore Emerson Voldan won the women’s mile, setting another SAA Championship record for the Tigers. In the 3,000 meter, Keena gave Trinity a four-and-a-half point lead with the meet nearing its close by winning first place and setting her second SAA Championship record of the weekend.
The Tigers held their slim advantage going into the final event of the championships, the 4×400 relay. Centre crossed the finish line first giving them ten points, meaning that Trinity needed a top-three finish to hold on and win the meet. After a great third leg from Lanik, Hamilton crossed the finish line in third, giving the Tigers six points, and a half-point victory over Centre to secure their first ever SAA Indoor Championship — the first ever indoor championship in Trinity athletics history. The Tigers’ coaching staff earned SAA Women’s Staff of the Year and Keena won Distance Athlete of the Year.
The men’s weekend featured standout performances as well in their second place finish. First-year Elijah Bliss finished second in the 5,000 meter, junior Jackson Gallagher placed third in the men’s 400, and senior Bocar Diagna finished second in the men’s triple jump. Senior Kris Duggan set an SAA Championship record and won the 60-meter hurdles, with sophomore Kaleem Howard finishing third in the event. The Tigers also earned two key middle-distance wins, as sophomore Kyle Fix won the 800 and senior Thomas Melina Raab won the mile. The men’s relay teams added two victories, taking gold in the distance medley and setting a new SAA Championship and school record winning the 4×400. Melina Raab won Distance Athlete of the Year.
While the indoor track season is an NCAA Championships away from completion, the track season as a whole is only just beginning. The NCAA Indoor Championships will take place on March 13-15 in Birmingham, AL, with the outdoor season kicking off the prior weekend on Saturday, March 7 at Southwestern.
