AUBURN, Ala. – Two school records fell this weekend as the University of South Alabama track & field teams competed in the War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala. and Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif.
 
Freshman Carolien Millenaar entered the women's 3,000m steeplechase for the first time in her career and set a new USA record after completing the race in 10:56.51 at Auburn's 2018 War Eagle Invitational. The time ranks fourth on the Sun Belt Conference performance list and 86th in the NCAA Division I East Region rankings.  
                                     
Michaela Preachuk broke her own all-time school record with a 61.58m (202-00.25) hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays. She set the previous record – 61.50m (201-09.25) – at the Florida Relays earlier this season. The junior currently holds the top spot in the Sun Belt Conference and is among the top 25 in the NCAA Division I standings.     
 
MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2018 War Eagle Invitational
Date: April 20-21
Host: Auburn University
Site: Hutsell-Rosen Track
Results
 
NOTES
-Gillianne Sharp completed the women's 1,500m in a personal-best 4:54.06 to earn a fourth-place finish. Kailee Kiminski crossed the line fifth with a time of 4:57.68.
-Luke Fielding ran the men's 1,500m race in 4:04.30 to claim a third-place finish.
-Thad Porter ranks 25th in the conference after running the men's 200m dash in 21.75 seconds (1.0) on his first career attempt.
-Jobi Finau and Autavia Fluker earned top-10 finishes in their respective hammer throw events. Finau placed ninth in the men's event with a 51.43m (168-08.75) mark; Fluker was 10th in the women's event with a 55.15m (180-11.25) effort.
-Esherika Hawkins surpassed her previous personal-best discus throw mark by more than two meters. She finished fifth in the event and moved to eighth in the conference rankings with a 45.62m (149-08.00) throw.
-Jaguars took three of the top eight spots in the women's javelin throw. Jessica Matthews placed third (41.87m, 137-04.25) and Halee Thomas finished sixth (37.87m, 124-02.75). Kriszti Szabo competed in the event for the first time this season, earning an eighth-place finish in the event and the 18th spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 35.37m (116-00.50) throw.
-Sean Collins claimed his third pole vault victory of the season with a 5.42m (17-09.25) mark. Chris Taylor tied for fifth with a 4.72m (15-05.75) effort.
-Caitlyn Dressler and Megan James posted identical 3.66m (12-00.00) heights in the women's pole vault, while Szabo and Hanna-Mai Vaikla had identical long jump marks of 5.19m (17-00.50) (-0.7). The distance was Szabo's best of the season.

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2018 Mt. SAC Relays
Dates: April 19-21
Host: Mt. SAC Relays Executive Committee
Site: El Camino College
Results
 
NOTES
-Migael Strydom ran a personal-best 3:47.66 in the men's 1,500m. He retains his spot at the top of the conference standings and currently ranks 67th on the NCAA Division I East Region performance list.
-Laura Labuschaigne completed the women's 1,500m in a season-best 4:33.44 to move from 20th to fourth in the Sun Belt. The time was more than 13 seconds faster than her previous 2018 attempt. 
-Ashley Heitling's 38:16.05 time in her first 10,000m race of the season is the fourth-best mark in the league.
-Ben Rolader moved to third on the Sun Belt performance list after completing the men's 3,000m steeplechase in 9:12.93. He shaved more than 3 ½ seconds off this previous time and is 58th in the NCAA Division I East standings.
 
UP NEXT
The Jaguars travel to Hattiesburg, Miss. April 27-28 for the Golden Eagle Invitational hosted by Southern Miss.

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On performances over the weekend… "Overall we had some good performances. Any time you are setting school records means you are not only improving but also raising the bar for your program's overall success. We have managed to continually raise the bar for our program but we certainly are not satisfied. There is still a lot of work to be done."
 
On the team's attitude in preparation for the Golden Eagle Invitational… "We want to have a good week of practice going into Southern Miss, with the focus on peaking two weeks later at the Sun Belt Conference Championships."
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
 
Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub
 
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