GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Ave Maria Track and Field team got one last tune-up meet in Friday, February 6, before the Sun Conference Championships. The Gyrenes took a smaller team compared to their first meet in Gainesville but still came home with eight top-10 finishes.

Caitlyn O'Brien continues to lead the team and contributed on four of those eight top-10 finished for Ave Maria. Individually, O'Brien won the long jump with a mark of 5.82 meters. That jump hit the NAIA A-Standard this season and is the ninth longest jump of the season in the entire NAIA.

The senior also had two second place finishes in the 60-Hurdles and the high jump. With a time of 8.71 seconds in the 60-Hurdles preliminaries, O'Brien in the B-standard and currently has the seventh fastest time in the NAIA. For her second place finish in the high jump, she recorded a height of 1.62 meters.

The fourth and final top-10 finish O'Brien helped on was in the women's 4x400 relay. O'Brien was the anchor along with Alexis Mendlik, Allison Watkins and Clare Owen. The four Gyrenes finished with a time of 4:03.84 and a fifth place finish.

The Gyrene men also had four top-10 finishes across two races. In the 5000 meters, Donavan Mattson and David Giles placed fourth and fifth, respectively, out of a field of 19. Mattson beat Giles by just three seconds, finishing with a time of 15:09.52. At 15:12.69, it was a career-high mark for the freshman Giles.

The other two top-10 finishes for the Gyrene men came in the 4x400 relay as both Gyrene A and B squads finished in the top 10. The A-squad placed sixth with a time of 3:32.42 and the B-squad placed eighth with a time of 3:40.52.

With the Visit Gainesville Indoor Classic in the books, the Gyrenes now prepare for the Sun Conference Indoor Championships. Last season, Ave Maria won five different events, and they are looking to match that number. The Championships will also take place in Gainesville, Florida, and will run from February 20-21.