PORTLAND & EUGENE, OR — With the postseason on the horizon, multiple members of the Saints' Track & Field team broke records and personal bests to better position themselves for qualifying.

The weekend started strong in Eugene, which is where three student-athletes competed in the Oregon Twilight on Friday, May 3. Kainalu Pagente had his best race as a Saint and ran 1:52.03, which broke the 800m outdoor school record (previously held by Frank Krause) and moves him up to seventh-place ranking in the GNAC this year. Pagente placed fifth in his race and was only beaten by some of the nation's best runners across DI, DII, and DIII and is now ranked 76^th in NCAA DII. Cassidy Walchak-Sloan ran a season's-best in the 1500m last night, running her best overall race, placing seventh overall. Her time of 4:28.48 was about the same time she ran last season when she won the GNAC Championship. Her time lowered her national provisional qualifying time and ranks her 39^th in the nation. Gabriela Cintron placed eighth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15:56. Cintron says that she believes she is ready to turn heads at the GNAC Championships.

The Saints saw impressive results from three more athletes at the Portland Twilight on Saturday, May 4. Elijah Dale had his best race as a Saint and beat his personal record in the 3000m Steeplechase by six seconds, finishing eighth overall. His time of 9:45.13 moved him up to 12th in the conference and secured his place in the GNAC Championships this weekend. Timmy Higgins ran a personal-best 1:57.02 in the 800m which earned him a second-place finish in the race. Higgins moved up to 24th in the conference and has a good shot at making the final cuts to run the 800m in the GNAC championships. Noe Ortega had his third 1500m personal record in a row, running 4:02.57. Ortega will also be hoping to make it to the GNAC Championships, as his time places him on the bubble to qualify.

The Track & Field team will be competing in the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships later this week on Friday, May 10 through Saturday, May 11 at the Recreation Sports Complex in Ellensburg, Washington. The NCAA DII Championships will be held Thursday, May 23 through Saturday, May 25 at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas.