The Waynesburg University men and women’s indoor track & field team opened the season at West Virginia University for the Marty Pushkin Track Classic. Head coach Michelle Cross was pleased with the performance of her team.

“We had many athletes reach their [personal records] already,” said Cross. “Normally you don’t start seeing people [set personal records] until at least a month into the regular season.”

Some of the personal records set by the Jackets include sophomores Nic Burgess and Michael Trax in the high jump and freshman Christina Borkovec set a record in the shot put. It is also believed senior Mark Minjock hit a record in the 60-meter dash with an unofficial time of 6.9 seconds. However, there is uncertainty regarding Minjock’s time, as the electronic timers were not working, so all times were recorded by hand.

Minjock placed seventh out of about 30 other sprinters in the meet. The senior standout also managed a ninth-place showing in the 200-meter with a time of 23.6 seconds.

Minjock, realizing this is his last year of running, said he is more focused than ever.

“Since this is my senior year, and I have been doing track all these years—they all come down to this final year,” said Minjock. “This year I am going to be going all in to achieve the highest potential I can possibly get.”

Also placing in the top-10 with Minjock was junior Garret Guthrie, who finished seventh in the 400-meter dash. Guthrie, who is also the starting kicker for the football team, crossed the line with a time of 54.5 seconds.

Waynesburg also enjoyed a quality day in the triple jump. Freshmen Kenneth Barnhart, Steven Perroz and Clarence Johnson took spots four, five and six in the event. Barnhart recorded a team-best hop, skip and a jump of 12.35-meters.

Junior Blake Feldner paced the Yellow Jackets in the throws. He took sixth in the shot put with a heave of 11.90-meters and added a 10th-place effort in the weight throw for 11.04-meters.

However, the meets didn’t feature the full Waynesburg teams.

“We have many athletes from other sports, who elected not to compete as they are currently resting from another season,” said Cross. “This meet only showcases half of our team.”

Cross said she was very happy with those who competed in the event, noting their focus throughout the coaching transition that occurred earlier in the semester.

“I am very proud of the leadership and the work ethic they have displayed, especially as their fall season has been marked by a coaching change,” said Cross.

Cross also noted how many of the team members who did not compete still made the drive to watch their teams.

The Jackets will not be back in action until the WVU Open on Jan. 13. After that, Waynesburg will head to the Youngstown State Collegiate Open on Jan. 19. The YSU Open will be a chance to give the athletes a preview of Youngstown where their conference meet will be held, according to Cross.

“These meets will be marked with much better competition, the YSU meet lets us preview the place before PAC’s,” said Cross.