Powell-Chimene Wins 400m, Distance Records Fall at Trinity Invitational

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Texas Lutheran track and field opened its outdoor season at the Trinity Invitational in San Antonio this weekend in San Antonio.

On Friday, Riley Denman (Pearland/Pearland) and Chase Cook (Austin/McNeil) finished sixth and seventh overall and second and third amongst Division-III throwers in the hammer throw. Denman threw for a mark of 46.81m (153'7") and Cook followed close behind with a final mark of 46.49m (152'6") - both marks ranking in the top ten nationally.

Parker Cabra (Schertz/Randolph) finished seventh - fifth amongst Division-III jumpers - in the high jump with a mark of 1.90m (6'2.75").

Gabriel Ceballos (San Antonio/Smithson Valley) broke the school record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:28.32 to finish eighth in the race. The record was previously held by Rudy Calderon who has held the record since 2018 with a time of 10:29.59.

Not to be outdone, Nathan Sandelovic (Hallettsville/Hallettsville) would break the school record in the outdoor 10,000m run with a time of 34:39.00. That record was previously held by Cole Schuetz who set the record last season with a time of 35:14.17.

On Saturday, All-American Bryce Powell-Chimene (Dayton/Dayton) won the 400m Dash with a time of 48.63 seconds. The time ranks second nationally in all of NCAA Division-III. Powell-Chimene would join Justin Freeney (Montgomery/Lake Creek), Rickey Franks (Rockport/Rockport-Fulton), and Weston Guzman (McAllen/McAllen) in the 4x100m relay team to finish third overall and second amongst Division-III teams. The 4x100m relay team, a team that TLU qualified for nationals last season with Powell-Chimene and Guzman as two legs of it, ranks second in NCAA Division-III after the weekend.

Fellow All-American Wyatt Wilson (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) finished sixth in the 200m dash with a time of 21.92 seconds - ranking third amongst Division-III sprinters.

Ezra Acero (San Antonio/Harlan) finished sixth in the javelin throw (48.99m (160'9"), third amongst Division-III throwers, and second in the pole vault with a mark of 4.60m (15'1")- a mark that led Division-III competitors and ranks second nationally in Division-III for the 2023 national qualifier.

Dalon Harris (Garland/Lakeview Centennial) finished sixth in the discus throw with a mark of 42.88m (140'8"), a mark that ranked second amongst Division-III competitors.

Garrett Haass (La Vernia/La Vernia) finished sixth in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.59 seconds, a time that ranked second amongst Division-III runners and fourth nationally. 

Full Results: https://tlubulldogs.com/sports/mtrack-out/2023-24/files/trinity_invite_2024_results.pdf

Coach McCown's Comments: "This meet was a great opener for our outdoor season. Congratulations to Nathan and Gabe on their school records. Congratulations to Coach Ratliff as her distance crew is breaking records every week. It was great to see Bryce win the 400 as well as see a handful of personal bests in the field events and running events. I am excited to see what all this team will accomplish this season."

Texas Lutheran will travel to Arlington, Texas, to compete in the UTA Invitational March 7-8. For all updates on Texas Lutheran Track and Field, follow @tluthrows and @tluxctf on Instagram as well as as all official TLU Athletics accounts. All schedule updates can be found on tlubulldogs.com.