HOUSTON, Texas – St. Thomas track and field team opened competition at the Victor Lopez Classic, hosted by Rice University, with a strong Day One performance highlighted by school records, personal bests, and top finishes in distance events.

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The Celts set the tone early in the 1500 meters, where Jhancarlos "JC" Carpio posted a season-best time of 4:04.71 to finish seventh overall in a competitive field.

On the women's side, Elyssa Rodarte delivered a standout performance in the same event, breaking the school record with a time of 4:53.96. Her mark ranks as the second-best in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season, continuing her momentum as one of the conference's top distance runners.

UST also saw success in the steeplechase, where Mason McFeeters recorded a new personal best of 9:58.58 in the 3000-meter steeplechase to place sixth overall.

In the 5000 meters, Eli turned in one of the top performances of the day, breaking the school record with a time of 15:01.56 to finish third overall. The mark currently stands as the fastest time in the SCAC this season.

Micah Hampton added another podium finish for the Celts in the 10,000 meters, placing third overall with a time of 32:41.53.

With multiple top finishes and record-setting performances, the Celts made a strong opening statement against a competitive field to begin the meet.

Up Next
St. Thomas returns to action for Day Two of the Victor Lopez Classic, where the focus shifts to sprint events as the Celts look to continue building on an impressive start.