AZUSA, CA – It's the start of a busy week for the University of Mary track and field team. The Pacific Coast Invitational in Long Beach, CA, and the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, CA.

The Bryan Clay Invitational will last from Wednesday to Friday, Apr. 16 to 18. The meet is hosted by Azusa Pacific University and will be held at Cougar Stadium. Live results can be found here.

The Pacific Coast Invitational will take place on Thursday, Apr. 17. It is hosted by Long Beach State University and will be held at the Jack Rose Track. Live results can be found here.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders went east to participate in the NDSU Spring Classic. Jorgen Paulson (100m) and Sean Erickson (discus) picked up wins while Diego Andres-Dougan secured an NCAA provisional time in the 110m hurdles.

On the women's side, Laila Cleare impressed with wins in the 100m and 200m dashes. Her time of 11.23 in the 100m dash would have been second in the nation, but the tailwind was too strong, rendering the time illegal.

SCHOOL RECORDS
There have been five school records broken in the outdoor season by UMary. Tionce Walrond broke teammate Sakena Massiah's record in the 200m dash with a 23.31at the Yellowjackets Open. The previous record, which was set last year, was 23.55.

A pair of records fell at the Chuck Haering Classic in Colorado. Freshman Gideon Hammah cleared a mark that had stood since 2012 in the 1500m run with a 3:53.99. Jesse Bennett owned the previous record at 3:54.04. Elizabeth Acheson broke her own record in the 800m run with a 2:05.74. Her best time from last season was 2:07.28.

Records were established in new events by the following relay teams:

Men's 4x200m Relay (1:25.52) – Izaak Kudrna, Dawson Hawkinson, Osvaldo Cano, Jorgen Paulson

Women's 4x200m Relay (1:40.35) – Tayen Werner, Morgan Hertz, Kelescia Downes, Kendall Berg

Men's 4x300m Relay (2:25.67) – Osiel Cano, Berkley Munnings, Emanuel Latawiec, Preston Lemar

Women's 4x300m Relay (2:51.85) – Grace Brandt, Aspen Eslinger, Anna Tisch, Bernadette Belzer

Another pair of relay records fell at the Al Bortke Open, both in the 4x100m. The men's team of Jorgen Paulson, Raheem Taitt-Best, Prithviraj Chougule, and Michael Cartwright ran a 40.27, which is currently 9^th in the nation. The previous record of 40.71 was set last year by largely the same group, with Akil Howell taking Chougule's place.

The women's group was Gabriella Apelian, Tionce Walrond, Tayen Werner, and Laila Cleare. They ran a 45.65, currently 12^th in the nation, and broke a record that had stood since 2012. The previous record of 45.84 was held by Kristyn Nelson, Nicketa Coombs, Rikki Schmidt, Kathryn Stewart.

NATIONAL STANDINGS
Here is where the Marauders' NCAA qualifying athletes currently stand in Division II:

Tionce Walrond (200m) – 5th (23.38)
Morgan Hertz (400m Hurdles) – 6th (59.94)
Elizabeth Acheson (800m) – 5th (2:05.07)
Sakena Massiah (200m) – 9th (23.44)
Jorgen Paulson, Raheem Taitt-Best, Prithviraj Chougule, Michael Cartwright (4x100m) – 11th (40.27)
Sakena Massiah (400m) – 13th (54.56)
Laila Cleare (200m) – 14th (23.62)
Tayen Werner (400m) – 15th (54.65)
Jorgen Paulson (Long Jump) – 15th (7.42m)
Gabriella Apelian, Tionce Walrond, Tayen Werner, Laila Cleare (4x100m) – 17th (45.65)
Raheem Taitt-Best (200m) – 19th (20.88)
Raheem Taitt-Best (400m) – 20th (47.11)
Alyssa Becker (5000m) – 21st (16:48.94)
Diego Andres-Dougan (110m Hurdles) – 24th (14.21)
Laila Cleare (100m) – 27th (11.67)
Osiel Cano (400m Hurdles) – 32nd (53.09)
Xavier Ifill (200m) – 36th (21.02)
Sean Erickson (Discus) – 38th (50.64m)
Jorgen Paulson (200m) – 38th (21.04)
Kelescia Downes (400m) – 43rd (55.49)
Gabriella Apelian (400m) – 45th (55.57)

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
UMary senior Morgan Hertz was the first NSIC Track Athlete of the Week of the outdoor season. Hertz won the 400m hurdles at both the Marauders Outdoor Opener and the Yellowjackets Open. Her time of 59.83 in the second victory stands as the second best time in the nation.

The Marauders had two more athletes recognized the following week, as Tayen Werner and Raheem Taitt-Best were named the NSIC Track Athletes of the Week. Werner, a freshman, moved up 19 spots in the national rankings in the 400m dash with her time of 54.65 at the Al Bortke Open, ranking 9^th. She was also a member of the record-setting 4x100m relay that is ranked 12^th in the nation. It is the first time she has been named the NSIC Athlete of the Week.

Taitt-Best earned his fourth career athlete of the week honor after moving into the top-20 nationally in the 400m dash. His time was 47.11 to place him 17^th. The junior joined Jorgen Paulson, Prithviraj Chougule, and Michael Cartwright in the 4x100m relay, setting a school record and earning the 9^th best time in the nation at 40.27.

NATIONALLY RANKED
In the third release of the USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field Rankings, the UMary women's track and field team earned the 14^th spot. The Marauders have been as high as 7^th this season, which is the highest ranking for the Marauders during outdoor season since 2021.

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