FRESNO, Calif. — Saint Mary's Track competed in the final invitational of the regular season on Saturday, racing in the Fresno State Invitational. The Gaels endured a long day in the Fresno heat and wind, having to endure not just the competition but also the elements in a tough day of racing. Nonetheless, they came out of it with several personal records, and loads of confidence as they wrap up their 2022 campaign in style.
 
WOMEN'S RESULTS
Most of the Saint Mary's women ran in the 1500m, with Klara Frih flexing her muscle as one of the fastest Gaels of the day. The freshmen ran a time of 4:35.33, which is the second-fastest time that a freshman has run the 1500m in Saint Mary's history. She was good for 23^rd overall in the extremely competitive 1500m run at the Fresno Invite, finishing sixth among West Coast Conference runners in the race. She was one of five female Gaels to hit personal records on Saturday, with Anna Ranieri and Aushmitha Grewal also hitting personal records in the 1500m. Jaden DeSouza (800m) and Sofia Cuevas (5000m) hit personal records elsewhere for the Gaels.
 
MEN'S RESULTS
Ten different Gaels hit personal records on Saturday, with all of the Gaels racing in either the 1500m or the 5000m. Two Gaels were able to land sub-4:00 times in the 1500m, with Blaine Reynolds leading the way with a time of 3:56.56, finishing 22^nd overall in the 1500m. Anthony Vazquez was close behind with a time of 3:58.61, good for 28^th overall. Both Gaels hit personal records in the 1500m, as well as Payton Fox with his time of 4:00.59. Seven Gaels then hit personal bests in the 5000m, with Chandler Maciel pacing the squad with his mark of 14:51.69 (not a personal best). The fastest personal best in the 5000m came from Sebastian Andersson, who ran a time of 14:53.34, followed closely by freshman Muhamed Ahmed and his 15:00.44. Richard McLain, Lucas Chung, Luke Bland, Max Barnes, Troy Couslton, and Aidan Donovan all hit PRs for the Gaels.
 
QUOTABLES
"I was really impressed with how the women fought today. It was very windy and competitive. Everyone fought to the finish from top to bottom and it was a great day to be a Gael!" – Marty Kinsey
 
"This was one of the best meets of the season. The guys came into the meet with expectations of competing well and they executed that plan. I was really happy with how we ran and all the hard work they put in every day is paying off." – Harlan Lopez
 
UP NEXT
The possibility for "last chance meets" does exist for Saint Mary's, as they seek to send additional runners to the NCAA West Prelims during the week of May 25. As it currently stands, Rayna Stanziano will be competing during in those Prelims, and it's possible the Gaels could qualify additional runners. More information and details about added meets and the NCAA West Prelims will be made available at SMCGaels.com.