Bourbonnais, Ill. – Junior
Yanira Deana Paninka (Canary Island, Spain/Central Methodist/IES Jandia) made the most out of her SXU debut in the 400m, winning the race and setting a program record with a time of 58.66 seconds. Also claiming first-place honors for the Cougars was junior
Alanna Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Homeschool) as she posted a time of 31:18.09 in the 5000m Race Walk, her fourth-fastest career time in her season debut. The duo helped the Saint Xavier University women's track and field team place third out of 11 scoring teams with 80 points at the Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) Tiger Open Saturday in Bourbonnais, Ill. Lewis University (Ill.) won the meet, collecting 224 points ahead the host Tigers, who tallied 194 points.
- Sophomore Amaya Rique (St. Louis, Mo./Mineral Area/Seckman) set a new personal record (PR) for Saint Xavier in the 100m Dash, placing ninth at 12.69 seconds. Sophomore Rashiya Warfield (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) established a new PR as well, clocking in at 13.18 seconds. Freshman Sophia Thomas (Highland, Ill./Highland) logged her second-best time of the year at 14.44 seconds.
- In the 200m, junior Emerson Colins (New Lenox, Ill./St. Francis/Lincoln-Way West) recorded her second-fasted time of the season, and fourth-best as a Cougar, with her fourth-place time of 25.77 seconds. Rique posted the seventh-fastest time in team history for a new PR at 25.80 seconds to place fifth. Thomas PR'd as well, crossing the line at 29.29 seconds. Junior Kenia Salgado (Cicero, Ill./Morton East) made her collegiate debut in the race, recording a time of 31.68 seconds.
- Colins debuted in the 400m as well, finishing in fourth place at 1:00.85. Salgado competed in the event for the first time also, clocking in at 1:12.48.
- Senior Kristin Booker (St. Louis, Ill./Cardinal Ritter) ran her second-best career time in the 800m, taking eighth place with her time of 2:25.18. Sophomore Alexia Guzman (Chicago, Ill./Solorio Academy) competed in the race for the first time this season, recording a time of 2:46.58. Freshman Ava Mayer (Chicago, Ill./Marist) debuted in the event, posting a time of 2:53.75.
- Competing in the 1500m for the first time, senior Lexi Clarke (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet JC/Plainfield South) checked in with a ninth-place time of 5:01.65. Guzman toppled her old PR by over 10 seconds with her time of 5:34.22. Junior Emma Karczewski (Chicago, Ill./Marist) made her season debut in the race, crossing at 6:09.33.
- Warfield finished in third place in the 100m Hurdles at 15.75 seconds.
- Junior Nayilea Bejarano (Posen, Ill./Eisenhower) made her season debut in the Long Jump, logging her fourth-best career distance at 4.24m.
- In the Shot Put, junior Jamie Sierocki (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) just missed breaking her school record placing second at 12.64m. She booked a throw of 12.65m at the same meet last season. Sophomore Amariah Scott (Chicago, Ill./Thornton Township) established a new PR with the sixth-best throw in team history at 11.91m to place fifth overall. Freshman Mariah James (Alsip, Ill./Shepard) posted her second-furthest throw of the season at 11.57m for a seventh-place draw. Junior Katie DeHaan (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) also came away with her second-best effort of the year, placing ninth at 11.10m.
- Sierocki finished fifth in the Discus with her second-best throw of 2025 at 34.62m. James recorded her second-best throw of the season as well, placing sixth at 33.91m. Scott tallied her best throw of the year at 26.28m.
- In the Hammer, James bested her previous PR by nearly five meters to take fifth place with a distance of 39.06m. Sierocki placed seventh with her second-best career toss at 38.05m. DeHaan just missed the Top 10, finishing 11th with a new PR distance of 35.46m.
- DeHaan logged the fourth-best throw in program history in the Javelin, setting a PR with a third-place draw of 33.07m. Sierocki posted the sixth-best toss all-time for SXU, taking fourth with a distance of 32.80m.
Saint Xavier prepares for a busy run in two weeks when they participate in the four-day Drake University (Iowa) Relays beginning on April 23, the two-day Kip Jarvin Open hosted by Simpson College (Iowa) starting on April 24, the Viking Classic hosted by Grand View University (Iowa) on Friday, April 25 and the ONU Outdoor Open on Saturday, April 26.
