SEATTLE, Wash.—With the indoor postseason right around the corner, the Concordia University track & field teams continue to add to its national qualifier total  and rewrite the record book as seven Cavaliers broke school records and eight earned new automatic qualifiers at the UW Open hosted by the University of Washington on Sunday.

“This was by far our biggest and best indoor meet of the season,” CU head coach Randy Dalzell said. “To have 10 new or improved qualifiers in a single day this late in the season is a good sign that we are rounding into top form.”

Highlighting the day’s action was a trio of CU women in the 1,000-meter run as Junia Limage paced teammates Linsie Michels and Lauren Moran to NAIA Indoor ‘A’ marks. All three battered Michels’ former school record of 2:58.71 with Limage crossing in 2:56.65, a full two seconds faster than the previous mark. Michels and Moran both set personal records with Michels finishing in 2:57.02 and Moran in 2:58.59.

Hours before Moran was part of the record-setting 1,000, Andria Scheese established a new school record in the mile. Finishing in 5:01.36, Scheese set a season best by exactly one second while toppling Moran’s previous school record of 5:01.74 by .38.

Already qualified in the 5,000, Alice Taylor added a second event with a school-record 9:56.50 to shave nearly 10 seconds off her previous school-best of 10:06.32. Taylor’s time moved her into No. 3 on the 2011 NAIA performance list while her 5,000 mark from earlier in the year sits at No. 4 across the nation.

The Cavs witnessed its fourth school record on the track in the 200-meter dash as Stephanie Persaud leaned across the line with a 26.27 to break Catherine Sims’ 2010 record of 26.41 by .14. Sims, making her 2011 debut, finished with a 26.86 in the 200 and a 1:00.17 in the 400 for the fourth-best time in school history.

In the field events, Kayla Xavier made a splash in her CU debut with NAIA automatic marks in both the shot put and the weight throw. Xavier tossed a 46-7 1/4 in the shot for the second-best effort in school history while her weight throw of 51-4 1/4 was the third-best ever.

Besting Xavier in the weight throw were Gabriella Dixson and Sharayah Kenady. Dixson, smashed her own school record and moved into No. 4 on the NAIA performance charts with a 57-9 3/4 launch while Kenady punched her ticket to nationals with a 52-1 1/4.

Cory Pena posted the lone qualifier on the men’s side with a 1:52.57 in the 800. His time sliced .01 off Martin Romero-Clark’s school best of 1:52.57 which he established last season. With the run, Pena earned his second NAIA ‘A’ mark as he previously qualified for the 1,000. He is ranked sixth in both events nationally at the NAIA level.

Andre Washington tallied the school’s final program record with a 1:23.99 in the 600-meter dash. Washington, competing in his first career 600, knocked more than three full seconds off the former standard of 1:26.84 set by Tim Dressler in 2010.

NAIA Automatic Qualifiers
Sharayah Kenady, 52-1 1/4 (WT)

Junia Limage, 2:56.65 (1,000)

Linsie Michels, 2:57.02 (1,000)

Lauren Moran, 2:58.59 (1,000)

Cory Pena, 1:52.57 (800)

Alice Taylor, 9:56.50 (3,000)
Kayla Xavier, 46-8 1/4 (SP)
Kayla Xavier, 52-1 1/4 (WT)         

 

Improved Qualifiers

Gabriella Dixson, 57-9 3/4 (WT)

Andria Scheese, 5:01.36 (Mile

 

School Records

Men’s 600: Andre Washington, 1:23.99 (previous record of 1:26.84 set by Tim Dressler in 2010)

Men’s 800: Cory Pena, 1:52.57 (previous record of 1:52.58 set by Martin Romero-Clark in 2010)

Women’s 200: Stephanie Persaud, 26.27 (previous record of 26.41 set by Catherine Sims in 2010)

Women’s 1,000: Junia Limage, 2:56.65 (previous record of 2:58.71 set by Linsie Michels in 2009)

Women’s Mile: Andria Scheese, 5:01.36 (previous record of 5:01.74 set by Lauren Moran in 2010)

Women’s 3,000: Alice Taylor, 9:56.50 (previous record of 10:06.32 set by Alice Taylor in 2009)

Women’s Weight Throw: Gabriella Dixson, 54-7 1/2 (previous record of 54-7 1/2 set by Dixson in 2010)