BY JULIA WHEELEHAN
As the track team traveled once more to Dayton for the Embry-Riddle Invitational, the Spartan track team came back with numerous wins under their belt.
Trevor Kattenberg, a long distance freshman runner, was the fastest Spartan that day. He raced in the 5K with a final time of 15:24.67.
“The feeling of coming first overall on the team was not very important to me but it was nice that I got a little reward,” Kattenberg said.
This is his fourth time racing for the Spartan track team and he got a new personal record from that race.
“I have competed at Embry-Riddle twice, once at UNC Charlotte, and once at a home meet, at the Pepin Stadium,” Kattenberg said.
There were many strong racers in the women’s competition as well. Lexi Bible, sophomore runner, was fourth overall in the Women’s 1500 meter race, making her the fastest Spartan there. She finished with a final time of 4:43.51, setting a new personal best.
“It felt awesome,” Bible said. “It is always great to see your hard work pay off and run a new personal best. I could not have asked for a better day.”
Bible was really focused on her training this season. She got to be her best, mentally and physically, which is what really helped her get her new record.
“As a mid-distance runner the workouts are short and fast and really help prepare you for race situations,” Bible said. “This, right now, is definitely the best shape I’ve ever been in. I worked with my coaches on how to go into the race differently by not worrying to much about split times and just going with the lead pack and it paid off.”
With the season coming to a close, she looks forward to another two years running on the track team.
“I was really welcomed with open arms when I came here,” Bible said. “The coaches are great. They are so committed to the program and what they do. All of us are having a lot of fun this year and we all work so hard so thats what makes it worth being on a team like this.”
Short distance runners also had a comeback this weekend, most notably in the 200 meter dash. Runner Luke Molinaro, a freshman at UT, had a personal record of 53.07, giving him the third-best time for a Spartan runner in the program’s history.
“I was extremely shocked considering I only came in fourth place in my heat,” Molinaro said. “It took a while for a time that well to sink in but I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last two seasons. And it’s really just an honor to be among the best in school history.”
As the year continues and the competition gets harder and harder, Molinaro believes that he can stay above it all.
“I think I can definitely continue to improve over the next two years, I’m always working my hardest but I still think I can get faster,” Molinaro said. “Also this was my second year and the season ended after that meet so it’s safe to say I finished the season very strong.”
Julia Wheelehan can be reached at julia.wheelehan@spartans.ut.edu