Friday, January 23
Gainesville, Fla. / Alachua County Sports & Events Center
University of North Florida
vs
ACSEC Invitational - Day 1
Field Event Freshmen Excel on First Day of ACSEC Invitational
1/23/2026 8:30:00 PM | Men's Track, Women's Track
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - In a meet day with multiple program records and top finishes, North Florida track and field was led by its field freshmen during the first day of the ACSEC Invitational at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center on Friday afternoon.
Freshmen jumpers Nataly Walters and Rylie Jackson each took down a 14-year program record twice in the women's triple jump. The original program record was set by Brianna Frazier during the 2012 season with a mark of 11.88m (38-11.75).
After Jackson's jump of 11.95m to initially break the record, Walters came in with the next jump at a mark of 11.98m. In their final attempts, Jackson surpassed Walters' record with a 12.03m jump that was then taken back by Walters with a final program-best mark of 12.08m.
Walters also had the top mark for the Ospreys in the women's long jump at 5.68m (18-7.75) for third overall. Leah Hunnius is another freshman who placed top four in the field with a mark of 3.40m (11-1.75) in the pole vault.
Walters' program record was one of two total taken down on the day with Avaunt Ortiz resetting his men's 200m mark from last weekend. He placed first in the 400m race with a time of 47.85.
Ortiz was one of three individual track runners for the Ospreys to place as the top finisher to open the weekend. Mason Spearin (men's 600m) and Aiden Arnold (men's mile) had great runs in their respective events, while both the men's and women's distance medley relay (DMR) teams also placed first overall.
On the field side for the men, freshman Jayvin Strouble took home the top mark of the event for first overall as the only jumper to reach 2.05m (6-8.75) in the men's high jump. Tyshone Bolden was right behind Strouble with a 2.00m jump for fourth.
In the women's pentathlon, freshman Lucie Frazier was spectacular with a runner-up finish totaling 3,351 points for a new program record. It surpassed the previous program mark of 3,084 points set by Christina Johnson in 2011 to take down a 15-year school record.
Frazier competed in the 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800m race. She led the high jump at 1.63m (5-4.25) and placed in the top six for all five events.
The Ospreys had three runners compete in the 600m races with all three placing in the top three of their races. Spearin was the first-place finish on the men's side at 1:22.10, while Katerina Natsiopoulou and Ella Chandler went second and third respectively on the women's side.
Shortly after, the women's mile had Ana Markovina and Lilly Schuster also going second and third with both times under five minutes. Arnold clocked in at 4:05.26 to be the leader of six Osprey mile runners in the top nine for the men, while Shamar Henry was the runner-up in the men's 1000m at 2:26.61.
Tyrell Pierce, who ran unattached for the meet, and Matthew Groves joined Ortiz in top four of the men's 400m, while Gabby Johnson was third overall in the women's 400m. All four runners ran the 200m as well with Pierce placing fifth and Johnson earning a top-10 finish.
Over the course of the first day of competition, North Florida totaled three program records broken, six first-place finishes, 18 top-three finishes and 17 lifetime-best marks.
The Ospreys will finish out the two-day meet at the ACSEC Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville, Fla.
MEN
"For the men, Avaunt [Ortiz] continues to run well and that's exciting to see. That was a great early-season 400m. We want to run fast and we want to leave healthy. Everything is a bit of a learning experience for us coming over here and running on a 200-meter bank track. A lot of kids ran better than they ever have in their lives. Aiden [Arnold] ran a really good mile at 4:05. The mile, overall, was really good for us. Christian [Ruocco] ran 4:08 for a good run and it was a deep race for us with a lot of guys running lifetime bests. Mason [Spearin] in the 600m was great preparation for the conference meet on the boards. I thought he did a really good job winning that event. Jayvin [Strouble] did a great job winning the high jump and I except great things from him this season. Then, the men ended the day placing first in the DMR to end a really good day."
-- Jeff Pigg, Director of Cross Country / Track and Field
WOMEN
"On the women's side, Ana [Markovina] had a really good meet with her and Lilly [Schuster] going second and third in the mile, so that was pretty cool for us. Kat [Natsiopoulou] did a great job in the 600m showing good speed. Then, the women took the DMR to end a really good day. I think probably one of the highlights of the day was Lucie [Frazier] doing the multi-event pentathlon. Individually, the things she did was really impressive. The overall score is good and it stacks up very well. They never really get a chance to do them, so you never know how it's going to go. We expected things to go well, but it was really cool to see it all come together. Her high jump was really good, which would be good for second in the ASUN. Nataly [Walters] and Rylie [Jackson] breaking the program record for the triple jump was fantastic to see from them."
-- Jeff Pigg, Director of Cross Country / Track and Field
Field Events
Women's Long Jump
Nataly Walters - 3rd - 5.68m (18-7.75)
Rafaela Marchini - 11th - 5.22m (17-1.5)*
Aleks Futschek - 12th - 5.20m (17-0.75)
Rylie Jackson - 17th - 5.02m (16-5.75)
Men's Long Jump
Mike Luma - 28th - 6.08m (19-11.5)*
Women's Pole Vault
Leah Hunnius - 4th - 3.40m (11-1.75)#
Quin Zacamy - 5th - 3.25m (10-8)
Men's Triple Jump
Mike Luma - 21st - 13.10m (42-11.75)#
Women's Triple Jump
Nataly Walters - 2nd - 12.08m (39-7.75)*^
Rylie Jackson - 3rd - 12.03m (39-5.75)*
Aleks Futschek - 5th - 11.46m (37-7.25)
Rafaela Marchini - 8th - 10.95m (35-11.25)*
Men's High Jump
Jayvin Strouble - 1st - 2.05m (6-8.75)*
Tyshone Bolden - 4th - 2.00m (6-6.75)
Running Events
Men's 3000m
Jayden Santos-Gonzalez - 8th - 8:57.53
Women's 400m
Gabby Johnson - 3rd - 56.40*
Navia Casa - 8th - 59.22*
Men's 400m
Avaunt Ortiz - 1st - 47.85^
Tyrell Pierce (UNA) - 2nd - 47.92
Matthew Groves - 4th - 48.73*
Mike Winfield - 18th - 50.38#
Tayeshawn Ecklund-Rochelle - 34th - 51.86#
Women's 600m
Katerina Natsiopoulou - 2nd - 1:31.88*
Ella Chandler - 3rd - 1:33.69*
Men's 600m
Mason Spearin - 1st - 1:22.10*
Women's Mile
Ana Markovina - 2nd - 4:55.14*
Lilly Schuster - 3rd - 4:57.54*
Ava Wyant - 8th - 5:04.49
Sierra Barrera - 12th - 5:15.81#
Men's Mile
Aiden Arnold - 1st - 4:05.26
Christian Ruocco - 4th - 4:08.62*
Parker Banzhaf - 6th - 4:10.31#
Ben Tary - 7th - 4:11.86
Andrew Mahorner - 8th - 4:12.31
Ryan Douihech - 9th - 4:16.63
Joshua Gammage - 12th - 4:17.42*
William Montanye - 13th - 4:18.17
Men's 1000m
Shamar Henry - 2nd - 2:26.61#
Women's 200m
Gabby Johnson - 10th - 25.33
Navia Casa - 31st - 26.84
Men's 200m
Tyrell Pierce (UNA) - 5th - 22.04
Avaunt Ortiz - T13th - 22.42
Mike Winfield - 19th - 22.53#
Women's DMR
Ella Chandler, Katerina Natsiopoulou, Ana Markovina, Lilly Schuster - 1st - 12:12.45
Men's DMR
Christian Ruocco, Mason Spearin, Aiden Arnold, William Montanye - 1st - 10:11.99
Ben Tary, Shamar Henry, Andrew Mahorner, Ryan Douihech - 3rd - 10:23.05
Women's Pentathlon
Lucie Frazier - 2nd - 3,351 points#^
60mH - 6th - 9.66#
High Jump - 1st - 1.63m (5-4.25)*
Shot Put - 4th - 8.90m (29-2.5)#
Long Jump - 3rd - 5.35m (17-6.75)#
800m - 2nd - 2:30.38#
* - Personal-best mark
^ - Program-record mark
# - Collegiate event debut
Freshmen jumpers Nataly Walters and Rylie Jackson each took down a 14-year program record twice in the women's triple jump. The original program record was set by Brianna Frazier during the 2012 season with a mark of 11.88m (38-11.75).
After Jackson's jump of 11.95m to initially break the record, Walters came in with the next jump at a mark of 11.98m. In their final attempts, Jackson surpassed Walters' record with a 12.03m jump that was then taken back by Walters with a final program-best mark of 12.08m.
Walters also had the top mark for the Ospreys in the women's long jump at 5.68m (18-7.75) for third overall. Leah Hunnius is another freshman who placed top four in the field with a mark of 3.40m (11-1.75) in the pole vault.
Walters' program record was one of two total taken down on the day with Avaunt Ortiz resetting his men's 200m mark from last weekend. He placed first in the 400m race with a time of 47.85.
Ortiz was one of three individual track runners for the Ospreys to place as the top finisher to open the weekend. Mason Spearin (men's 600m) and Aiden Arnold (men's mile) had great runs in their respective events, while both the men's and women's distance medley relay (DMR) teams also placed first overall.
On the field side for the men, freshman Jayvin Strouble took home the top mark of the event for first overall as the only jumper to reach 2.05m (6-8.75) in the men's high jump. Tyshone Bolden was right behind Strouble with a 2.00m jump for fourth.
In the women's pentathlon, freshman Lucie Frazier was spectacular with a runner-up finish totaling 3,351 points for a new program record. It surpassed the previous program mark of 3,084 points set by Christina Johnson in 2011 to take down a 15-year school record.
Frazier competed in the 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800m race. She led the high jump at 1.63m (5-4.25) and placed in the top six for all five events.
The Ospreys had three runners compete in the 600m races with all three placing in the top three of their races. Spearin was the first-place finish on the men's side at 1:22.10, while Katerina Natsiopoulou and Ella Chandler went second and third respectively on the women's side.
Shortly after, the women's mile had Ana Markovina and Lilly Schuster also going second and third with both times under five minutes. Arnold clocked in at 4:05.26 to be the leader of six Osprey mile runners in the top nine for the men, while Shamar Henry was the runner-up in the men's 1000m at 2:26.61.
Tyrell Pierce, who ran unattached for the meet, and Matthew Groves joined Ortiz in top four of the men's 400m, while Gabby Johnson was third overall in the women's 400m. All four runners ran the 200m as well with Pierce placing fifth and Johnson earning a top-10 finish.
Over the course of the first day of competition, North Florida totaled three program records broken, six first-place finishes, 18 top-three finishes and 17 lifetime-best marks.
The Ospreys will finish out the two-day meet at the ACSEC Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville, Fla.
PIGG'S POINTS
MEN"For the men, Avaunt [Ortiz] continues to run well and that's exciting to see. That was a great early-season 400m. We want to run fast and we want to leave healthy. Everything is a bit of a learning experience for us coming over here and running on a 200-meter bank track. A lot of kids ran better than they ever have in their lives. Aiden [Arnold] ran a really good mile at 4:05. The mile, overall, was really good for us. Christian [Ruocco] ran 4:08 for a good run and it was a deep race for us with a lot of guys running lifetime bests. Mason [Spearin] in the 600m was great preparation for the conference meet on the boards. I thought he did a really good job winning that event. Jayvin [Strouble] did a great job winning the high jump and I except great things from him this season. Then, the men ended the day placing first in the DMR to end a really good day."
-- Jeff Pigg, Director of Cross Country / Track and Field
WOMEN
"On the women's side, Ana [Markovina] had a really good meet with her and Lilly [Schuster] going second and third in the mile, so that was pretty cool for us. Kat [Natsiopoulou] did a great job in the 600m showing good speed. Then, the women took the DMR to end a really good day. I think probably one of the highlights of the day was Lucie [Frazier] doing the multi-event pentathlon. Individually, the things she did was really impressive. The overall score is good and it stacks up very well. They never really get a chance to do them, so you never know how it's going to go. We expected things to go well, but it was really cool to see it all come together. Her high jump was really good, which would be good for second in the ASUN. Nataly [Walters] and Rylie [Jackson] breaking the program record for the triple jump was fantastic to see from them."
-- Jeff Pigg, Director of Cross Country / Track and Field
OSPREY RESULTS
Field EventsWomen's Long Jump
Nataly Walters - 3rd - 5.68m (18-7.75)
Rafaela Marchini - 11th - 5.22m (17-1.5)*
Aleks Futschek - 12th - 5.20m (17-0.75)
Rylie Jackson - 17th - 5.02m (16-5.75)
Men's Long Jump
Mike Luma - 28th - 6.08m (19-11.5)*
Women's Pole Vault
Leah Hunnius - 4th - 3.40m (11-1.75)#
Quin Zacamy - 5th - 3.25m (10-8)
Men's Triple Jump
Mike Luma - 21st - 13.10m (42-11.75)#
Women's Triple Jump
Nataly Walters - 2nd - 12.08m (39-7.75)*^
Rylie Jackson - 3rd - 12.03m (39-5.75)*
Aleks Futschek - 5th - 11.46m (37-7.25)
Rafaela Marchini - 8th - 10.95m (35-11.25)*
Men's High Jump
Jayvin Strouble - 1st - 2.05m (6-8.75)*
Tyshone Bolden - 4th - 2.00m (6-6.75)
Running Events
Men's 3000m
Jayden Santos-Gonzalez - 8th - 8:57.53
Women's 400m
Gabby Johnson - 3rd - 56.40*
Navia Casa - 8th - 59.22*
Men's 400m
Avaunt Ortiz - 1st - 47.85^
Tyrell Pierce (UNA) - 2nd - 47.92
Matthew Groves - 4th - 48.73*
Mike Winfield - 18th - 50.38#
Tayeshawn Ecklund-Rochelle - 34th - 51.86#
Women's 600m
Katerina Natsiopoulou - 2nd - 1:31.88*
Ella Chandler - 3rd - 1:33.69*
Men's 600m
Mason Spearin - 1st - 1:22.10*
Women's Mile
Ana Markovina - 2nd - 4:55.14*
Lilly Schuster - 3rd - 4:57.54*
Ava Wyant - 8th - 5:04.49
Sierra Barrera - 12th - 5:15.81#
Men's Mile
Aiden Arnold - 1st - 4:05.26
Christian Ruocco - 4th - 4:08.62*
Parker Banzhaf - 6th - 4:10.31#
Ben Tary - 7th - 4:11.86
Andrew Mahorner - 8th - 4:12.31
Ryan Douihech - 9th - 4:16.63
Joshua Gammage - 12th - 4:17.42*
William Montanye - 13th - 4:18.17
Men's 1000m
Shamar Henry - 2nd - 2:26.61#
Women's 200m
Gabby Johnson - 10th - 25.33
Navia Casa - 31st - 26.84
Men's 200m
Tyrell Pierce (UNA) - 5th - 22.04
Avaunt Ortiz - T13th - 22.42
Mike Winfield - 19th - 22.53#
Women's DMR
Ella Chandler, Katerina Natsiopoulou, Ana Markovina, Lilly Schuster - 1st - 12:12.45
Men's DMR
Christian Ruocco, Mason Spearin, Aiden Arnold, William Montanye - 1st - 10:11.99
Ben Tary, Shamar Henry, Andrew Mahorner, Ryan Douihech - 3rd - 10:23.05
Women's Pentathlon
Lucie Frazier - 2nd - 3,351 points#^
60mH - 6th - 9.66#
High Jump - 1st - 1.63m (5-4.25)*
Shot Put - 4th - 8.90m (29-2.5)#
Long Jump - 3rd - 5.35m (17-6.75)#
800m - 2nd - 2:30.38#
* - Personal-best mark
^ - Program-record mark
# - Collegiate event debut
Players Mentioned
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Distance
/ Men's Track
Distance
/ Women's Track
Jumps
/ Men's Track
Hurdles / Middle Distance
/ Women's Track
Middle Distance
/ Women's Track
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Sprints / Hurdles
/ Men's Track
Multis
/ Women's Track
Jumps
/ Women's Track
Distance
/ Men's Track
Sprints
/ Men's Track
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track
Jumps
/ Women's Track
Sprints
/ Women's Track
Jumps
/ Men's Track
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Jumps
/ Women's Track
Middle Distance
/ Women's Track
Distance
/ Men's Track
Hurdles / Middle Distance
/ Women's Track
Sprints
/ Men's Track
Sprints
/ Men's Track
Distance
/ Men's Track
Distance
/ Men's Track
Distance
/ Women's Track
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Jumps
/ Men's Track
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track
Jumps
/ Women's Track
Sprints
/ Men's Track
Middle Distance
/ Women's Track
Pole Vault
/ Women's TrackHodges Stadium at Visit Jax Track Aerial
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UNF Track Invite
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