DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University track and field teams completed their first season of competition this weekend, as the Gyrenes appeared for the first time at The Sun Conference championships. The Gyrenes did not leave Daytona Beach without some hardware, earning three individual conference championships and placing six others - two individuals and a relay team - on the podium. The Gyrene women finished their first conference championships in seventh place, while the men did the same.
Ave Maria's first Sun Conference championship in outdoor track was provided by Maria Talafuse. Talafuse was the lone runner in the conference to focus on the 5000 meter race walk, and earned a Sun Conference title for her efforts. Talafuse dropped more than a minute off her existing personal best, and crossed the finish line at the Embry-Riddle University course in 33:27.38.
AMU's first contested title came in one of the most dramatic events of the weekend. In the women's 1500 meter contest, Theresa Long and SCAD's Montserrat de Santiago dueled for the entirety of the race, a duel that was decided by inches. Long crossed the finish line just .03 seconds ahead of de Santiago, winning her second Sun Conference title of the year after winning the 800 meters at the indoor championships.
Moments later, Adam Paga completed a Gyrene sweep of the 1500 meters, an event that head coach Alan Webb excelled in during his competition days. Paga also won his title by less than a second, holding off a furious charge from Thomas' Seth Humphries to claim victory by .47 seconds. Paga completed the same feat as Long, winning the 1500 meters in the spring after a win in the 800 meters during indoor season.
The Gyrene women added three more podium finishes in two field events and a relay. The Gyrenes' medal haul began in the field events on Saturday, when Rebecca Perona placed second in the shot put and Caitlyn O'Brien placed third in the long jump. AMU added another bronze medal finish in the 4x800 meter relay, where the team of Abigail Rall, Gabrielle Sjostedt, Viviana Ponce, and Regina Pirolli placed third. The six athletes that placed on the podium earned All-Sun Conference honors, bestowed on all top three finishers.
Apart from the eight that earned All-Conference honors, another group of Gyrenes contributed to the team score in multiple events. Two of these - Abbey Phibbs and Carol Long - did so in both individual and relay events. Phibbs scored for the Gyrenes in the 400 meters and the 4x100 meter relay, while Long scored in the 800 meters and the 4x400 meter relay.
Following the conference championships, the Gyrenes now wait to see if any athletes earn a bid to the NAIA National Championships, which will be held next month on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University. O'Brien was the lone Gyrene to hit an NAIA qualifying standard during the season was O'Brien, who currently ranks 12th in the nation in the long jump. Qualifiers for the national championships will be announced by the NAIA national office on May 15.
