University of North Florida
ASUN Indoor Championships
TRACK & FIELD INDOOR PREVIEW: Ospreys Take Momentum Into ASUN Championships
2/23/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Track, Women's Track
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida indoor track and field will hit the road and head to Liberty to compete in the ASUN Indoor Championships from Feb. 24-25. The Ospreys will have a chance to showcase their talents in the biggest indoor conference meet of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Men
Last season, Aidan O'Gorman spotlighted the Ospreys with a second place title in the 5000m. Timothy Doyle turned in a qualifying time for the 800m on the first day of the meet, and placed among the top five on the final day of the meet. Seth Martinez, Thomas Weiler, Robert Pedroza, John McKenzie and Simon DeVoss added personal-best records to their roster in the 3k. Aiden Arnold headlined the group in the mile with a top-10 finish.
Women
The women also made significant strides for the Ospreys in the ASUN Indoor Championship during the 2021-22 season. Erica Fisher got the Ospreys going in the 3k, marking the first steps in top 20. Mia McLain, Billie Castillo and Hannah Martin maintained a similar pace in top 25 for the 3k on the second day of the meet. All of the Osprey women left the championship with new lifetime marks.
PREVIOUS MEET HIGHLIGHTS
Men
- Macauley Franks & O'Gorman both broke their own school records set in the mile and the 3k.
- Weiler took second for the men's 5000m, notching a personal-best of 14:50.20.
- Gavin O'Brien paced the Ospreys in first for the men's mile.
- Ryan Thomas clocked in at 8:30 for the men's 60m hurdles, matching the North Florida school record.
- Thomas also earned the first place spot overall in the race.
- Martinez & Kameron Wallizada placed in the top three for the men's mile.
- Tariq LaJoie took the number one spot for men's high jump clearing 1.98m.
- Jaasiel Torres finished second overall in men's high jump clearing the 1.93m mark.
WomenÂ
- Petrosky set the tone for the Osprey women earning first in women's high jump, as she cleared the 1.62m mark.
- Emma Jane Schlageter lifted the group into third overall in the women's 800m.
- Fisher earned an exceptional rank in second for the women's mile.
- Isa Leen was right behind Fisher to take the third-place title as well.
- Martin and Castillo followed inside the top 10 for the mile.
NOTABLE OPPONENTS
This week, the Ospreys will compete against conference opponents, Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, Lipscomb, FGCU, Liberty, Queens, Stetson, Jacksonville, North Alabama, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. Liberty took home the ASUN Indoor Track and Field title for four consecutive years, including last year's victory for the men. Quinten Clay was named most valuable player for the Flames after his first-place achievements in the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Eastern Kentucky also broke several records in the mile last season set by Ahmed Jaziri, as well as Pedro Garcia-Palencia in the 3k.
Liberty, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville took home the top three spots for the women in last year's competition. Naomi Majica broke the 2022 meet record in shot put for the Flames. Both Jasmine Akins and Jada Smith broke records for Kennesaw State in long jump and pole vault. Alexis Williams was the ASUN Championship winner for the 60m dash, representing crosstown rival, Jacksonville. JU was also the distance medley relay champion for the 2022 season. The Osprey men and women can anticipate much competition this time around.
PIGG'S THOUGHTS
"Both men and women's squads have been working very hard throughout the indoor season. Our focus is to continue to improve and show up at the ASUN Championships, fit and ready to compete. We have had a very strong showing in indoor from a number of people and we expect that to continue. I am proud of the effort and am excited to head to Lynchburg to see how we stack up against the conference teams."
-- head coach Jeff Pigg
UP NEXT
Any eligible Ospreys will head to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Ospreys will then host their outdoor season opener, River City Relays, from Mar.16-17.
Players Mentioned
