Distance runners, Meghan Shagena (Cincinnati), and Carissa Martin (New Albany, IN), each earned NCAA Provisional qualifying marks in their respective events as the Bellarmine track and field program traveled only a limited number of athletes on the final weekend prior to the Great Lakes Valley Conference meet.

Shagena recorded a significant personal best for 5000 meters (17:18.32) at Hillsdale College's (MI) Gina Relays on Friday evening, April 29th. Her mark eclipsed the current school record, set by former All-American Meghan Crowe, by 13 seconds.

"Meghan got great weather conditions, and a good field of athletes to work with,"said women's distance coach Kris Horton. "She was able to take advantage of that, and clicked off very even laps, hitting 3000 meters in a personal best 10:18, and went through 3200 in 11:01. It was a good performance all around."

Martin competed in Butler University's Stan Lyons Invite on Saturday, April 30th, decisively winning a heat of the 800 meters, while recording a personal best of 2:13.48. Her effort currently ranks among the top-20 performances nationally in the event.

"We knew Carissa was ready to run well,” Horton said. “Her recent practices have been very good."

Only a very limited number of the squad's student-athletes competed on the final weekend prior to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships. Nearly all those who did improved on their seasonal best efforts. The Conference meet is scheduled at Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, MO, on Saturday and Sunday, May 7th and 8th.

Shagena and Martin join the squad's other NCAA Provisional qualifiers, Elliot Mattingly (Hammer), and Bryan Gennett (Pole Vault), giving the program four athletes with that distinction so far in this Outdoor season. Each of them will look to improve on their seasonal best in the upcoming Conference Championships in the hopes of gaining selection for the NCAA National Championships. Typically only the top 15-16 performances in each event will be considered for Nationals.

Other student-athletes who performed well on the April 29-30 weekend, include:

• Freshman Meghan Jones, running a personal best of 25.43 for 200 into a headwind, and doubling back with a 58.13/400 on a very windy night

• Sophomore hurdler Nora Bowe, running two seasonal bests: 15.74/HH into stiff headwind, and returning to run a significant personal best, and one of Conference's better 400 IH marks (1:05.81)

• Sophomores James Greenlee (49.86), and Sean Klosterman (49.89) earning seasonal bests for 400 meters

• Fifth year senior Zach Pittman, producing his best 800 meter effort in three years (1:55.60), despite limited training options throughout the late winter and spring

• the youthful quartet of Seth Sigler, Jesse Shelton, Will Saucer, and Damar Williams lowering the school 4x100 relay mark for the third consecutive weekend (42.21)

• second year long hurdler, Jared Findlater, producing a personal best in the 400 IH (55.83)

• freshman multi-eventer, Ben Kolb, improved on his best in the LJ with a mark of 21-5 1/2

• junior distance runner, Jordan Parayil, blitzed his final 1000 meters (2:52) to earn a seasonal best in the 5000 meters (15:05.32) at Hillsdale College's meet