CHICAGO – The Saint Xavier University men's track & field team started the 2024-25 season with a pair of meets, competing in the Grand Valley State University (Mich.) Holiday Open on Friday in Allendale, Mich. and the Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) Holiday Open on Saturday in Bourbonnais, Ill. Senior Lendale Franklin (Chicago, Ill./Roosevelt/Argo Community) got his season off on a positive note as he hit the NAIA 'B' Standard in the 60m Hurdles with his second-fastest career time and in program history at 8.10 seconds in the finals to place third overall on Friday. His time of 8.13 seconds in the preliminaries ended up as the third-fastest time in school history and Franklin now owns the 11-best times in the event all-time for the Cougars. No team scores were recorded at either meet.

GVSU Holiday Open:

• Sophomore Jamaurien Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Ogden International) set a new personal record (PR) in the 60m Dash in the prelims with a time of 7.08 seconds, tied for the eighth-quickest in school history. Sophomore Nazheer Moore (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) also posted a PR with his time of 7.12 seconds, while junior Ryan McFadden (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest) clocked in at 7.31 seconds.
• Junior Sean Harris (Blue Island, Ill./Eisenhower) recorded the third-fastest time at SXU, as well as his third-best career time, in the 200m at 22.24 seconds. Junior Charlie Zufan (Orland Hills, Ill./Andrew) set an Indoor PR in the event at 22.56 seconds, as did Thomas with his time of 22.89 seconds. Sophomore T.J. Matthews (Chicago, Ill./Westinghouse) ran his first sub-23 second time for a PR time of 22.95 seconds, while Moore did so as well for an Indoor PR of 22.97 seconds.
• In the 400m, Zufan posted the second-best time all-time at SXU, as well as his second-best mark, clocking in at 49.56 seconds. Matthews PR'd by over a second when he finished with a time of 51.00 seconds for eighth-best time in program history. Redshirt sophomore Karam Jaber (Palos Heights, Ill./Shepard) recorded a new PR by over two seconds with his time of 51.61 seconds.
• Senior Jonathan Jacobo (Blue Island, Ill./Eisenhower) set a PR in the Mile after finishing at 4:23.05.
• Junior Rohindeep Bhattel (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) shattered his previous PR in the 3000m by over 20 seconds, crossing at 9:02.08. Senior Josiah Sianez (Blue Island, Ill./Eisenhower) bested his old PR by over 12 seconds, clocking in at 9:23.22.
• Senior Luke Snedden (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) demolished his PR in the 5000m by over 35 seconds when he finished at 15:43.60.
• Harris also competed in the prelims of the 60m Hurdles, recording a time of 8.46 seconds.
• Junior Riley Lundgren (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) recorded his second-best career throw in the Shot Put in an Indoor competition at 14.58m to place seventh overall in the Invite portion of the meet.
• Sophomore Thomas Imburgia (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) became just the fourth Cougar thrower to surpass the 14.00m mark in the Shot Put, hitting 14.05m for a new PR and a fifth-place draw in the non-invite flight. Junior Donovan Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) set a new PR with his throw of 13.74m to place seventh. Senior Isaac Adams (Mackinaw, Ill./Dee-Mack) was ninth after his toss of 12.33m.
• Jackson broke his own program record in the Weight Throw with a distance of 16.79m and placing fifth. Junior Justin Laws (Roxana, Ill./Roxana) PR'd and joined Jackson as the only Cougar throwers to surpass the 15.00m mark as he had a throw of 15.32m to take eighth-place. Sophomore Freshman Connor Whalen (Burbank, Ill./Reavis) established a new PR by over a meter with a toss of 13.99m. Adams posted the second-best throw of his career at 13.86m.

ONU Holiday Open:

• Sophomore Charles Campbell (Chicago, Ill./Quincy/Reavis) made his SXU debut in the 60m Dash in the prelims, qualifying at 7.10 seconds. Harris also qualified, posting his second-best career time at 7.12 seconds. Thomas checked in with a mark of 7.29 seconds, McFadden crossed at 7.32 seconds and Matthews finished at 7.39 seconds. In the finals, Harris set a new PR with a fourth-place time of 7.10 seconds, while Campbell was sixth at 7.14 seconds.
• In the 200m, Campbell finished fourth overall with a time of 23.26 seconds. Sophomore Marquise Hurst (Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) set an Indoor PR with a mark of 24.02 seconds. Senior Gavin Dudley (Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) clocked in at 24.46 seconds.
• Dudley established a new Indoor PR in the 400m with his time of 52.67 to place seventh, as did Hurst with his eighth-place mark of 52.99 seconds. Junior Charlie Watson (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) also PR'd in an Indoor race, crossing at 53.10 seconds, as did Moore, who ran over a second quicker than his old mark, at 54.32 seconds. Freshman Trey Maciejewski (Rensselaer, Ind./Rensselaer Central) made his collegiate debut and he recorded a time of 57.64 seconds.
• Jacobo ran his third-best career time in the 800m after placing third with a time of 2:02.29.
• Bhattel ran almost eight seconds faster than his previous best in the Mile, posting the third-best time at 4:34.44. Sianez was fifth overall with his second-best career time of 4:41.24. Snedden finished in sixth-place with new PR of 4:41.45, over four second better than his old mark. Sophomore Andy Damon (Crestwood, Ill./Oak Forest) placed eighth with a time of 4:51.44.
• Racing in the 3000m, senior Julian Rosenbach (Joliet, Ill./Joliet JC/Joliet West) made his debut in the event and was second overall with a time of 9:37.58. Junior Ben Morrey (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) crushed his old PR by almost 17 seconds, crossing at 9:37.74 to take third place. Freshman Joey Lagattolla (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East) made his collegiate debut with a time of 9:40.07 for a fifth-place draw.
• The 4x400m Relay 'A' team of Matthews, Moore, Watson and Harris tied for the seventh-best time in school history with a third-place finish of 3:33.32. The 'B' squad of Hurst, Maciejewski, sophomore Jack Zvejnieks (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) and senior Ronnie Foster (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights) was seventh with a time of 3:48.49.
• Foster posted the ninth-best distance in Saint Xavier history in the Long Jump and his fourth-best career mark with a first-place jump of 6.70m. It's the third time in his career that Foster has finished first in the event. Sophomore Faruq Sulaimon (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) set a new PR, eclipsing the 6.00m mark for the first time, as he placed seventh with a jump of 6.14m.
• In the Shot Put, Lundgren set a new PR, as well as recording the fourth-best throw in team history, with a second-place toss of 15.49m. Imburgia bested his PR from the day before as he had a fourth-place throw of 14.07m. Senior Mark Pinnock (Miami Gardens, Fla./Krop) posted his third-best career throw after taking fifth at 12.86m. Adams also finished in the Top 10 with a ninth-place toss of 12.36m. Freshman Pablo Medina IV (Berwyn, Ill./Reavis) made his collegiate debut and he recorded a distance of 12.00m. Junior Drake Hayes (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) PR'd with his throw of 11.54m. Sophomore Thomas Toefield (Oak Lawn, Ill./St. Laurence) recorded his fourth-best career toss at 9.58m. Senior Robert Davis (Oak Forest, Ill./Tinley Park) registered a throw of 8.44m, while sophomore Emiliano Zavala (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) had his second-best career Indoor toss of 7.51m.
• Jackson turned in the third-best throw in team history in the Weight Throw at 15.28m to place fifth. Adams surpassed the 14.00m mark for the first time, setting a PR at 14.20m for a sixth-place finish. Medina IV had toss of 12.33m in his first collegiate throw. Davis set a new PR after he recorded a throw of 10.60m. Zavala PR'd as well with a toss of 9.33m.

Saint Xavier prepares for the two-day St. Ambrose University (Iowa) Finals Week Invite that begins on Friday, December 13 in Davenport, Iowa.