Track and Field | 4/12/2025 12:19:00 AM

LAKE WORTH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University track and field teams completed the regular season Friday night, taking to the track at the Keiser University Twilight Meet, held on the campus of Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School in Lake Worth. The Gyrene women were the top team in the event, placing first of 12 scoring teams, while the men placed second of the eleven teams to enter the scoring.

The winning effort for the women was led by three gold medal performances. Alexis Mendlik, who also took fourth in the 200 and won the bronze in the 400, won the 100 meter dash with a season-best time of 12.15 seconds. AMU's other victory in a running event was provided by Sofia Torres, who won the 5000 meters with a time of 18:42.03. The Gyrenes swept the podium in the 5000, with Madison Thomas placing second and Lucy Brodeur checking in third.

In the field events, Molly From led the way for Ave Maria, winning the high jump with a mark of 1.60 meters, which she cleared on her first attempt. The Gyrenes also added a number of medals in other events to claim the team title, including bronze for Clare Owen in the 800 meters (2:23.54), silver for Madison Thomas in the 1500 (5:00.13), silver for Maria Talafuse in the race walk (32:45.57), and bronze for Stephanie Suran in the 100 hurdles (17.70).

On the men's side, the Gyrenes placed second behind only host Keiser. Ave Maria's best event was the 5000 meters, where the Gyrenes went 1-2. Samuel Paga paced the field with a time of 15:57.74, while Sebastian Shea followed with a time of 16:26.06. Adding in a sixth-place finish from Kevin Barrett, 22 of AMU's 57 points on the night came in the 5000 meters.

Another 32 points came in the four field events, with the Gyrenes scoring in all four. Blaise Carney and Paul Cora were both on the podium in the pole vault, with Carney taking second and Cota placing third. Both Tobio Scienzo and Gavin Lepore scored in the shot put, while Donte Brooks placed fourth in the discus. The Gyrenes added two scoring performances in the javelin, with Samuel Todzia placing fifth and Owen Campione checking in at seventh.

The Gyrenes will now have just over two weeks to prepare for The Sun Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held this year in Lakeland. AMU will look to build on their performance from the indoor championships, which saw the Gyrenes place fourth in both genders.