Sports

UAA men's relay team sets GNAC record at Husky Invitational

UAA's 1,600-meter relay team set a conference record Saturday by running the third-fastest Division II time this season.

The team of freshman Nicholas Taylor, sophomore Liam Lindsay, junior Adam Commandeur and senior Cody Thomas made its season debut in style, breaking the Great Northwest Athletic Conference record with a time of 3 minutes, 12.45 seconds at the Husky Invitational indoor meet in Seattle.

The team took nearly three seconds off the old mark and finished well under the provisional qualifying time for the NCAA indoor championships.

On Friday, the Seawolves posted five provisional qualifying times. Provisional times put athletes on the short list for the national championship – though slower than automatic qualifying times, provisional times usually earn an athlete a spot at the national meet.

Both of UAA's distance medley relay teams posted provisional times. The women's team of senior Jessica Pahkala, junior Mary-Kathleen Cross, sophomore Tamara Perez and senior Joyce Chelimo ran 11:39.44, and the men's team of Thomas, Philip Messina, Nathan Kipchumba and Michael Mendenhall ran 9:57.28.

Three Seawolves posted provisional qualifying times in the 5,000 meters -- Caroline Kurgat (16:46.49 in the women's race) and Henry Cheseto (14:12.99) and Michel Ramirez (14:14.31) in the men's race.

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