Track and Field | 2/6/2023 10:56:00 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Ave Maria University track program emerged with some hardware at their first appearance at The Sun Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, winning three individual conference titles. The Gyrenes swept the 800 meter races thanks to Theresa Long and Adam Paga, then earned their first relay title in the men's distance medley relay. In their first year of competition, the Gyrene men placed sixth in the league, while the women earned a fifth place finish.
Ave Maria's first ever track and field championship was provided by Long, a two-time All-Conference cross country runner. The senior was first across the line in a field of eight runners in the 800 meter race, finishing more than two and a half seconds ahead of the runner up from Florida Memorial. Not only was Long's time the best in The Sun Conference, but it was the best among all runners in attendance, with the Southern States Athletic Conference holding their indoor championships in conjunction with the SUN.
Moments after Long claimed her title, Adam Paga followed suit. Paga also won his race by around two and a half seconds, crossing the finish line in a time of 1:56.74. The two-time All-Conference cross country runner also duplicated Long's feat of the fastest time of the day regardless of conference. Paga's time was also just over a second away from hitting the "B" standard for a qualifying time to the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Later in the afternoon, four more Gyrenes earned gold medals in the distance medley relay. The distance medley relay is a 4000 meter race, with four competitors running various lengths of the track. Ave Maria's team of Joseph Perreault, Emmanuel Consbruck, Samuel Paga, and Adam Paga completed the event in 10:52.25, more than five seconds faster than the runner-up team from Thomas.
Six more Gyrenes earned top three finishes in their event, with two individuals medaling, as well as a relay. Rebecca Perona earned a silver medal in the shot put, with her throw landing 10.94 meters away. Abigail Rall earned a bronze medal in the 600 meters, crossing the finish line in third place at 1:74.74. Ave Maria's final medalists were the women's distance medley relay team of Felicity Foxhoven, Regina Pirolli, Gabrielle Sjostedt, and Anne Scheck, who placed third with a time of 14:03.40.
The Sun Conference Championships mark the end of the indoor track season, unless any Gyrenes earn invitations to the national championships next month in South Dakota. The outdoor season is slated to begin in just under two weeks, when Ave Maria competes at the St. Thomas Opener in Miami Gardens. This will be the first of four meets for the Gyrenes before they return to Sun Conference Championship action in April with the outdoor championships in Daytona Beach.
