FRESNO, Calif. — It feels like it has been a long time since the Saint Mary's Track team competed in a meet. That's because it had been: over one year, with the last meet coming at Cal on March 7, 2020. Taking part in the Spring Break Invitational, hosted by Fresno Pacific, the Gaels were in action for the first time this season, and racked up some fast times across the board, including one win with a near school record.
 
RAYNA RACES REALLY FAST
Rayna Stanziano has been a top performer for the Gaels since arriving to campus in the Fall of 2019, and she continued with a stellar beginning to the 2021. Competing in the 1500m, Stanziano picked up a win with a near-school record time of 4:33.78. She was able to edge out Kaia Hoak of Cal Poly by less than a second to claim her first place finish. Stanziano also competed in the 800m and finished in eighth overall behind one Gael teammate.
 
FIRST RACES AS GAELS
Not only was it the first meet of the season, but also the first time Gael fans got to see some new legs in action. Hannah Wohlenberg competed in her first meet as a Gael and was very fast in the 1500m, finishing in fourth place overall with a personal record time of 4:37.31. Chandler Maciel competed for the men in his first event at SMC and ran a 4:02.77 in the 1500m for a solid showing.
 
NEAR THE TOP
Among other performances from Saturday's season-opening meet, Nolan Dozier earned a top-five finish in the 5000m race with a time of 14:28.71, finishing behind a pair of Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara runners. Abigayle Mitchell shined on the women's side with a personal record in the 1500m race that the Gaels were dominating, earning third place with her 4:35.94 time. All-in-all, the Gaels were able to rack up 11 top-ten finishes across the field of events.
 
KINSEY QUOTES
"It was great to see so many lifetime bests and near personal bests in our first race of the season. Most of these student-athletes haven't raced on a track in over a year, and it's been two years since they've had a full season. So to run well today was an encouraging sign for the season." – head coach Marty Kinsey.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's will return to Fresno Pacific next week for their second invite at the home of the Sunbirds in as many weeks. This time, Fresno Pacific hosts the State Center Invitational. The Gaels are scheduled to head over to FPU one more time this year, with the Wildflower Invitational scheduled for April 10.