CHICAGO – Senior Yanira Deana Paninka (Canary Island, Spain/Central Methodist/IES Jandia) was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Women's Track Athlete of the Week for the Saint Xavier University women's track & field team after her performance at the CCAC Outdoor Championships last weekend in Joliet, Ill. Deana Paninka earned Most Outstanding Track Performer after she won the 400m Hurdles and was a member of the first place 4x400 Relay Team. It's her second time winning CCAC Track Athlete of the Week, also doing so last season on April 9, 2025.

• Deana Paninka broke her own school record in the 400m Hurdles, hitting the NAIA 'A' Standard, with a time of 1:00.13. She also established a new CCAC Outdoor Championships record, topping the previous mark of 1:01.97 set in 2022.
• As a member of the 4x400 Relay squad, 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), Deana Paninka helped to broke both the program record and CCAC Championships record with a time of 3:49.95, also hitting the NAIA 'A' Standard.
• She finished fourth in the 100m Hurdle finals with a time of 15.24 seconds. In the prelims, Deana Paninka posted her third-best time of the season at 14.93 seconds.

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.