Women's Track and Field Indoor Season Begins Dec. 7, Outdoor Season in March
SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 3, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's track and field program starts the 2024-2025 indoor season on Dec. 7, and new Head Coach Brett Charlton has high expectations for a successful year. The indoor season runs through the end of February, and the outdoor season begins in March and finishes in May.
Charlton commented on what he will do differently as he transitions from being assistant coach since 2020 to this year as he takes over as head coach, "The biggest thing that we will teach our team is 'winning the day.' We want them to focus on practice that day and on classes they have that day, and that will lead to the team's success as the season goes on."
Coaching staff
Charlton relies heavily on Assistant Coach Henry Spillers, who has had a great impact on the team since joining the coaching staff last season. He also added OLLU alumnus Jose Zarate to his full-time staff, and he will focus on distance runners. New coach Jaron Criswell will guide the jumpers, and he will also add Gigmont Thomas. OLLU alumna Viridiana Zuniga joins the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
Returners
OLLU senior leaders, including hurdler Bethany Garr, long-distance runner Leilani Leza, sprinter Larrisa McHenry, sprinter Brianna Pantoja, distance runner Sierra Ramirez, sprinter Autumn Roberts, sprinter/jumper Alexandria Segura and hurdler Mariah Watts, have all made the university proud with their past performances. OLLU has had national qualifiers like McHenry (2022 outdoor, 2023 outdoor, 2024 outdoor), Roberts (2022 outdoor, 2023 outdoor, 2024 indoor, 2024 outdoor) and Segura (2022 outdoor, 2024 indoor, 2024 outdoor). Their achievements have set a high bar for the upcoming season.
Junior returners include long-distance runners Mia Curiel, Jasmine Hernandez, Liliana Hernandez and Kennedy Villalpando. Sophomores returning are long-distance runner Victoria Bartlett, sprinter Kamdyn Burgess, sprinter/hurdler Aziza Clark, sprinter JaDae Freeman, sprinter Morghan Neely, long-distance runners Valeria Pena, Madison Perez, Jocelynn Reyes and Brianna Rodriguez, hurdler Lori Turner, long-distance runner Daylah Vega and sprinter Madison Walker. National qualifiers include Burgess (2024 outdoor), Clark (2024 indoor, 2024 outdoor), Freeman (2024 outdoor), Neely (2024 outdoor), Perez (2024 outdoor), Turner (2024 outdoor) and Walker (2024 outdoor).
Newcomers
The Saints welcome several newcomers. They include freshmen: sprinter Zaniya Duffie, hurdler Ariana Erickson, jumper Jeslynn Flores, long distance runner Claudia Lopez and sprinter/jumper Taylor Stone; sophomore hurdler Kymberli Cavazos and junior jumper Lawren Tanner.
Conference opponents
The Saints outdoor track and field team only had a handful of team members compete at the Red River Athletic Conference Championship Meet in 2024. Charlton expects to send his entire team this year and says Xavier University of Louisiana will be the Saints' most formidable competitor in conference. Others listed to compete in the conference include Huston-Tillotson University, Jarvis Christian University, North American University, Paul Quinn College and Texas College.
Indoor schedule
The indoor season kicks off at the Crimson & Gold Invitational at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan., on Dec. 6-7. The teams will then head to the FasTrak Collegiate Indoor Invitational in Houston on Jan. 25. Next up is the NAIA/JUCO Challenge at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. The Saints will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the New Mexico Team Open at the University of New Mexico from Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The Arkansas Qualifier at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 14 is the next major event. The Last Chance at the Lake at OLLU is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 15, followed by the 45th Annual NAIA Women's Indoor National Track and Field Championship from Feb. 27-March 1 in Gainsville, Fla.
Outdoor schedule
The outdoor season will commence with the UTSA Invitational at the University of Texas at San Antonio on March 21-22. This event, taking place at UTSA's Park West Athletics Complex, marks the beginning of the team's outdoor campaign. Members of the team will then participate in either the Texas Relays at the University of Texas at Austin on March 27-30, the Bobcat Invitational at Texas State University on March 27-29 in San Marcos, Texas or the Trinity Invitational at Trinity University in San Antonio on March 28.
From April 18-19, the Saints will participate in the Michael Johnson Invite at Baylor University at the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium in Waco, Texas.
The team will intensify their training in preparation for the RRAC Championship Meet, a significant event that will be held April 25-26 at the Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. Xavier University of Louisiana is hosting this meeting, and the Saints are gearing up for a strong performance.
After the Last Chance Meet at Trinity University on May 11, qualifiers will head out to the 44th Annual NAIA Women's National Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., May 21-23.
Fan expectations
Charlton encourages fans to come out to watch the Saints participate this season, as there are plenty of local events. "Even if you can make the first meet and the last meet, that would be great. We appreciate all the support from the Saints community."
Hear from Head Coach Brett Charlton as he discusses the indoor and outdoor season.