ARLINGTON, Texas — The St. Edward's men's track and field team opened its outdoor season at the UTA Invitational with a record-breaking performance in the hurdles and a collection of strong early-season marks across the sprint and mid-distance events.

Freshman MASYN VELA delivered the highlight of the weekend for the Hilltoppers, setting a new program record in the 400-meter hurdles. Vela crossed the line in 55.93 seconds, finishing fifth in a competitive field and rewriting the St. Edward's record book in his outdoor debut.

The Hilltoppers also saw solid performances in the sprint events. ANDRE MOORE led St. Edward's in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.96 seconds, while CRISTIAN MENDOZA followed with an 11.04.

In the 200 meters, GAVIN ANGUIANO paced the Hilltoppers with a time of 23.19, continuing a busy weekend after also competing in the 400 meters.

The 400-meter dash produced another strong showing for the Hilltoppers' sprint group, as AREEB MAHMOOD led the squad with a time of 51.68 seconds, with Anguiano close behind in 52.24.

St. Edward's also posted multiple competitive performances in the middle-distance races. JUSTIN LEATHERS led the Hilltoppers in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:14.53, while PARKER STEVENS crossed in 4:18.65, MELECIO ORTIZ followed in 4:21.55, and DYLAN MCCOY added another solid effort with a 4:22.55 finish.

The Hilltoppers' relay squad rounded out the meet in the 4x100 relay, where the quartet of CRISTIAN MENDOZA, ANDRE MOORE, JAYDEN LOPEZ, and TYRIQ WILSON finished in 42.77 seconds.

With a program record already on the board and several athletes producing strong early-season performances, St. Edward's opened the outdoor campaign with momentum as the Hilltoppers continue building toward the heart of the spring schedule.

St. Edward's returns to competition March 27–29 at the Clyde Hart Classic hosted by Baylor.