PITTSBURG, Kan. — A new era of St. Edward's Indoor Track & Field under head coach Chase Rathke opened with a burst of fresh energy and faster times, as two freshmen combined for three program records and senior DELANEY LONG continued her breakthrough campaign with a fourth at the Crimson and Gold Invitational over the weekend.
 
Long carried her momentum seamlessly from the fall cross country season, stepping up in the absence of injured all-conference standout MIA RIVERA to deliver a stellar track debut. The senior shattered the Hilltoppers' indoor 5K mark with a 17:58.32, placing 14th and establishing an early-season benchmark for the distance squad.
 
On the track's opposite end, freshman sprinter Busayo Showemimo wasted no time announcing herself. In her first collegiate race, she set a new St. Edward's standard in the 60 meters, clocking 7.80 for 25th. Senior JASMINE COOKE, the previous record holder, also bested her own former mark with a 7.92 to place 34th—hinting at a compelling, iron-sharpens-iron dynamic between the program's longest-tenured sprinter and its newest addition.
 
The pair carried that duel into the 200 meters, where St. Edward's landed two top-20 finishes. Showemimo once again led the charge, breaking yet another program record with a 25.73 for 14th. Cooke followed closely, surpassing last year's record of 26.38 with a 25.90, placing 19th.
 
The men's sprints saw an equally impressive debut. Freshman Sean Jahedi became the first Hilltopper ever to dip under seven seconds in the 60 meters, running 6.96 for 22nd. Senior ANDRE MOORE also eclipsed the previous program record of 7.18, placing 40th with a 7.11—another promising one-two punch for the developing sprint group.
 
St. Edward's now enters a training-heavy stretch, with more than a month before the next competition returns them to Pittsburg State for the Rumble in the Jungle on January 23.