Tag: Patrick Torres

Men’s relay set two OLLU records at Aurora Grand Prix

The OLLU men’s 4x400m relay team broke a school record on Jan. 19 at the Aurora Grand Prix in Illinois and came in second place with a time of 3:19.43. The team consists of Richard Davis, Jalen Bell, Julian Verastegui and Cerrone Thompson. In addition, Thompson broke the 400m record with a time of 49.20 for first place.

The indoor event was sponsored by the Aurora University Spartans and featured teams from NCAA D1, D2 and NAIA universities.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “It was good to get the rust off from the break. We’re definitely ahead of where we were this time last year.”

Women’s relay breaks OLLU record at Aurora Grand Prix

The OLLU women’s 4x400m relay team broke a school record on Jan. 19 at the Aurora Grand Prix in Illinois and came in first place with a time of 4:02.86. The team consists of Alexandria Segura, Morgan Neely, Autumn Roberts and Madison Walker.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “Our relay team is a few mistakes away from making the leap to the next level, and I’m also proud of our individual performances. We’re definitely starting the year right.”

The indoor event was sponsored by the Aurora University Spartans and featured teams from NCAA D1, D2 and NAIA universities.

Men’s indoor track opens season with records, NCAA qualifying marks

The OLLU men’s indoor track and field team opened its 2023-2024 season at the Crimson and Gold Invitational in Kansas, sponsored by Pittsburg State University. The event was held Dec. 9 at the Robert W. Plaster Center – Harvey Dean Track.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “We are so far ahead of where we were last year. Comparing our season opener this year is like night and day. We set several records, and DJ (De’Jon Lewis) hitting the triple standard was a huge accomplishment. Hendrick (Ramirez) hitting both standards by how much he did was another highlight of a pretty good day.

Two members of the team logged NAIA qualifying marks. De’Jon Lewis recorded an “A” standard of 14.45m for fourth place in the triple jump. Hendrick Ramirez turned in the ninth best time in the 3000m with an “A” standard time of 8:28.58. His time is an OLLU record.

New OLLU records were set. Aside from Ramirez, Cerrone Thompson broke the 800m record with a time of 1:57.21; Ramirez also broke the one-mile record with a sixth-best time of 4:12.73; Jalen Bell‘s time in the 200m is an OLLU best with a time of 21.84.

Women’s indoor track opens season with new records

The OLLU women’s indoor track and field team set three school records on Dec. 9 when it opened the 2023-2024 season at the Crimson and Gold Invitational in Kansas, sponsored by Pittsburg State University. The event was held at the Robert W. Plaster Center – Harvey Dean Track.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “This was by far the best opener we’ve had as a team. Some mistakes were made but knowing what to fix gives us every opportunity to do even better next semester. That being said, we set several records and showed depth we’ve never had before.

The new OLLU records were set by Victoria Urbanczyk in the shot put – 9.95m; by Leah Chanette in the high jump – 1.48m; and by Madison Perez in the 800 meters – 2:23.46.

Women’s cross-country wins 9th RRAC championship

The OLLU women’s cross-country team won its ninth Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Cross-Country Championships on Nov. 3 at Texarkana, Texas.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “This is by far the best team I’ve ever coached. There’s always someone having a breakout race or stepping up when someone is falling behind. I’m hoping if in two weeks we’re at full health, we can have our best team national finish of all time.”

The women’s team marked 22 points to win the 6K. The Saints were followed by Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) with 39 points and the University of the Southwest with 86 points.

Freshman Sanai Robinson captured her first Individual Medalist Award with a time of 22:59. Mia Curiel finished third with a time of 24:15. Viridiana Zuniga placed fifth with a time of 24:29, followed by Sierra Ramirez with a time of 24:30 for sixth place and Leilani Leza with a time of 24:31 for seventh place. All were named to the All-Conference team and will qualify for the 44th Annual NAIA Women’s Cross-Country National Championship on Nov. 17 in Vancouver, Wash.

Robinson also earned Freshmen of the Year honors, and Head Coach Patrick Torres received Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year. 

Men’s cross-country wins 8th RRAC championship

The OLLU men’s cross-country has won its eighth Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Cross-Country Championship on Nov. 3 at Texarkana, Texas.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “The guys executed their race plans well. We based our plans on positioning and racing the second half, and we did well. The men will need their best performance of the year at nationals to attempt a top-20 team finish.”

The men’s team marked 24 points to win the 8K. The Saints were followed by Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) with 41 points and Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) with 78 points.

Kruz Malesich placed second for the Saints with a time of 26:17, followed by Vincent Garza with a time of 26:26 for third place, JoseCarlos Hernandez with a time of 26:29 for fourth place, Sebastian Moreno with a time of 26:49 for seventh place, Anthony Perez with a time of  27:00 for eighth place, Hector Puente with a time of 27:08 for ninth place and Jose Saucedo with a time of 27:35 for 10th place. 

All made the All-Conference Team and will participate in the 68th Annual NAIA Men’s Cross-Country National Championships Nov. 17 in Vancouver, Wash.

Women’s cross country places 12th at Cowboy Jamboree

The OLLU women’s cross country team finished 12th out of 19 teams on Saturday at the Cowboy Jamboree, presented by Oklahoma State University.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “Overall, it was a quality team race. Sanai Robinson had another standout performance. This young group is showing a lot of promise.”

Robinson led the Saints in the 6K, finishing with a time of 24:00 for 59th place.

Men’s cross country finishes 13th at Cowboy Jamboree

The OLLU men’s cross country team finished 13th out of 23 teams on Saturday at the Cowboy Jamboree, presented by Oklahoma State University.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “Our race plan was executed well. I think the team’s maturity is developing, and I’m excited about the upcoming postseason.”

Leading the way in the 8K for OLLU was Vincent Garza with a time of 27:10. 

Men’s cross country finishes 8th at UIW Invitational

The OLLU men’s cross-country team finished 8th at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) XC Invitational on Saturday.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “It’s still early and we have a lot of work to do but some good things happened today. Vincent Garza definitely had a good debut at the 8K distance.”

The Saints placed eighth out of 11 schools in the 8K. Winning the meet was UIW with 23 points, followed by Trinity University with 94 points, Texas State University with 132 points, Houston Christian University with 154 points, University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley with 155 points, University of Texas at San Antonio with 161 points, Texas A&M International University with 163 points and OLLU with 181 points. Following OLLU were El Paso Community College with 197 points, UIW unattached with 209 points and Texas A&M University – Kingsville with 288 points.

Leading the way for OLLU was Vincent Garza with a time of 25:57 for 23rd place. Kruz Malesich followed at 26:07 for 29th place, Hector Puente at 26:31, Anthony Perez and Jose Saucedo at 26:43, Sebastian Moreno at 26:50, Tony Favella at 26:57, JoseCarlos Hernandez at 27:18, Amancio Castilleja at 27:23 and Jose Perez at 28:07.

Women’s cross country finishes 9th at UIW Invitational

The OLLU women’s cross-country team finished 9th in the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) XC Invitational on Saturday.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, “The transition to 6K is always kind of tough so watching our younger women perform well and our older women PR is definitely a great sign.”

The Saints placed ninth out of 11 teams in the 6K. Winning the meet was Rice University with 47 points, followed by Trinity University with 106 points, University of Texas at San Antonio with 114 points, Texas A&M University at Kingsville with 124 points, Texas State University with 127 points, Houston Christian University with 133 points, UIW with 144 points, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley with 208 points and OLLU with 214 points. Following OLLU were El Paso Community College with 250 points and Texas A&M International University with 263 points.

Leading the way for OLLU was Sanai Robinson with a time of 22:55 for 19th place. Jocelynn Reyes followed at 24:08, Viridiana Zuniga at 24:30, Valeria Pena at 24:36, Mia Curiel at 24:58, Daylah Vega at 24:59, Leilani Leza at 25:06, Brianna Rodriguez at 25:32, Victoria Bartlett at 26:59 and Liliana Hernandez at 27:00.