SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the final time during the season, Saint Mary's Track will squad up and compete, with a twist this time around. The Gaels will have two different groups competing as they wrap up the 2021 season, with a pair of last chance meets on the schedule. First up is the APU Last Chance Twilight, where five Gaels will be running the 10k on Friday night. Then, Santa Clara hosts their Last Chance Meet on Sunday, where a majority of Gaels will close out their season.
 
THE DETAILS
APU Last Chance Twilight and Santa Clara Last Chance Meet
Friday, May 14 and Sunday, May 16
Azusa and Santa Clara, Calif.
Results will be posted to smcgaels.com
 
LAST TIME OUT
There are no guarantees that Rayna Stanziano has secured herself a spot in the NCAA Championship Prelims in College Station, but there is a good chance based off her performance last Saturday. To no one's surprise, she won the 1500m race outright with her time of 4:19.87, winning not only her heat but the entire race. What was most impressive was that she beat her entire section by at least nine seconds, and set another personal record and school record in the process with her time. Qualifying marks for the NCAA Championship are on a "top-mark" basis, meaning the fastest runners will qualify, and if this season plays out like most, Stanziano should qualify for the NCAA Championship. If she does, she would become the first female Gael Track athlete in history to qualify for the NCAA Championship.
 
Stanziano might not be alone in terms of qualifying for the NCAA Championship Prelims in College Station, as Nolan Dozier put up a mark that might punch his ticket to the Championship Prelims. Competing in the third heat of the 5000m, Dozier finished fourth overall in the stacked field, and was second among WCC competitors with his time of 14:07.14. Much like Stanziano, it stands as another personal record and school record, but the only question here is if it's good enough to qualify for a National Championship run. Fast times have been the story of 2021 across the NCAA, and in normal years, Dozier would qualify. It now is a "wait and see" type of approach, unless Dozier bests his time this weekend.