Joliet, Ill. – Senior Yanira Deana Paninka (Canary Island, Spain/Central Methodist/IES Jandia) made program history by becoming the first female athlete to be named the Most Outstanding Track Performer for the Saint Xavier University women's track & field at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Outdoor Championships this weekend at Joliet Memorial Stadium in Joliet, Ill. Deana Paninka broke her own school record in the 400m Hurdles, hitting the NAIA 'A' Standard, with her first-place time of 1:00.13. She was also a member of the 4x400 Relay Team, along with fifth-year senior Lexi Clarke (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet JC/Plainfield South, fifth-year senior Olivia Mathis (Akron, Ohio/Lourdes/St. Vincent-St. Mary) and junior Amaya Rique (St. Louis, Mo./Mineral Area/Seckman) that broke the team record by nearly six seconds with their first place, and NAIA 'B' Standard time of 3:49.95. As a team, the Cougars posted its third-highest point total in team history with 135 points, finishing fourth out of eight teams. Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) won the team championship with 239 points.

Deana Paninka joins former standout Lana Musa (2020-24) to win Most Outstanding Performer, as Musa won Most Outstanding Field Performer at the CCAC Indoor Championships in 2024.

Earning accolades on the coaching side, Jackie Torres was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.

Emerson Colins (New Lenox, Ill./St. Francis/Lincoln-Way West) topped her previous school record in the 100m Dash, coming away with All-CCAC honors, and a first-place time of 11.87 seconds. Mathis took first in the 800m at 2:09.29, not only breaking her team record (2:10.12), but the CCAC Championships record of 2:13.70 set in 2017. She also hit the NAIA 'A' Standard.

Rique ran the second-fastest time in program history in the finals of the 100m Dash, establishing a new personal record (PR) of 11.96 seconds to earn All-CCAC honors. Clarke placed second in the 1500m with an All-CCAC time of 4:38.52. Colins was All-CCAC in the Long Jump with a distance of 5.07m for a second-place draw. Senior Jamie Sierocki (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) broke her own school record in the Javelin, taking second with a distance of 37.73m.

Rique also claimed All-CCAC recognition in the 200m, placing third with a new team record time of 24.76 seconds. The 4x800 Relay Team of freshman Ava Scheeringa (Hebron, Ind./Hebron), junior Isabel Calderon (Orland Park, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Sandburg), Clarke and junior Alexia Guzman (Chicago, Ill./Solorio Academy) took third to earn All-CCAC with a time of 9:53.15. Sophomore Mariah James (Alsip, Ill./Shepard) earned All-CCAC honors after her third-place throw of 41.44m in the Hammer.

• In the preliminaries of the 100m Dash, Colins qualified with the second-best mark at 12.24 seconds, and Riquc clocked in at 12.43 seconds. Also running in the prelims, junior Rashiya Warfield (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) ran her second-fastest career time at 13.00 seconds. Sophomore Sophia Thomas (Highland, Ill./Highland) logged her third-quickest time of the season at 14.02 seconds.
• Colins just missed the podium in the 200m Finals, booking a new PR time of 24.99 seconds, second-best in team history. She qualified with a time of 25.05 seconds, just ahead of Rique's mark of 25.20 seconds. Also in the preliminaries, Warfield ran her third-fastest time of the season at 27.65 seconds, just in front of the time of 27.81 seconds recorded by freshman Nyaa Williams (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville). Thomas checked in at 28.92 seconds.
• Williams PR'd for the second meet in a row, placing seventh and earning two points with a time of 1:02.56.
• In the 1500m, Sheeringa logged her second-best time of the year at 5:18.80. Guzman demolished her PR by nearly 12 seconds, crossing the finish line at 5:19.44. Senior Isabella Alatorre (Blue Island, Ill./Eisenhower) ran her best time of the season at 5:32.32, and freshman Jiselle Aldrete (Chicago, Ill./Marist) bested her PR for the second consecutive meet, clocking in at 5:59.32.
• Deana Paninka finished fourth in the 100m Hurdle finals with a time of 15.24 seconds, a step ahead of Warfield's fifth place time of 15.39 seconds. In the prelims, Deana Paninka posted her third-best time of the season at 14.93 seconds, while Warfield recorded a time of 15.17 seconds. Freshman Alesi Rodriguez (St. John, Ind./Andrean) booked her second-quickest career time at 18.63 seconds.
• Rodriguez came away with a new PR in the 400m Hurdles, placing fifth at 1:12.07. Senior Kenia Salgado (Cicero, Ill./Morton East) PR'd as well with her time of 1:15.81.
• Senior Nayilea Bejarano (Posen, Ill./Eisenhower) made her Outdoor debut in the Triple Jump, finishing seventh overall with a distance of 9.07m.
• Sierocki picked up four points in the Shot Put, with a fifth-place throw of 11.35m for a new season-best effort. Junior Amariah Scott (Chicago, Ill./Thornton Township) placed eighth with a distance of 10.94m, while freshman Alexa Pena Flores (Burbank, Ill./Reavis) set a new PR with a toss of 10.70m to take 10^th. Freshman Brooke Becker (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) tied her second-best distance of the year at 10.18m, while James checked in with a throw of 9.93m.
• Pena Flores PR'd in the Discus, just missing the podium, with her fourth-place throw of 36.90m. James posted her best throw of the year at 35.04m to take seventh place. Sierocki logged a 10^th place toss of 31.49m, just ahead of Becker's mark of 31.01m.
• In the Hammer, Scott finished sixth with a distance of 39.78m. Sierocki came away with her second-best throw of the season, placing ninth at 37.83m. Becker bested her old PR by over two meters with her toss of 36.92m. Pena Flores recorded her second-furthest throw of the year at 31.46m.
• Calderon crushed her previous PR in the Javelin by over 10 meters with a fourth-place throw of 33.18m. Pena Flores booked her second-best distance of the year at 26.82m.

Saint Xavier returns to Joliet, Ill. of the University of St. Francis (Ill.) Fighting Chance Invite with competitors looking to improve their standings/marks or trying to qualify for the national tournament. The two-day event starts on Friday, May 8 at Joliet Memorial Stadium.