Joliet, Illinois - The men's track and field team had one last opportunity to compete before the focus switches to the NAIA Outdoor National Championships next week. The Saints competed at the University of St. Francis (Illinois) over the last two days.  Aquinas added multiple national qualifiers, updates to the top five list, and a new school record in Joliet, Illinois.

The quartet of Marcus Mitchell, Jake Van Tassell, Keiton Fase, and Nathan Iacona broke the 4x400 meter school record.  After posting a 3:12.59, the Saints find themselves ranked seventh on the NAIA Performance List heading into the championships.  Aquinas also saw their 4x800 meter relay hit a provisional qualifying mark on Friday night.  Liam Kelly, Nolan Moffit, Zander Masten, and Jaben Bakker teamed up to run a 7:42.65 to hit the B standard.  Brian Langlois also recorded a provisional qualifying effort in the 3000 meter steeplechase.  The Grand Rapids Catholic Central grad crossed the line in 9:24.15 to punch his ticket to Nationals.

Ethan Barker improved on his #4 spot on the Saints All-Time List with a 14:43.06 in the 5000 meters, while Shema Reponse also had a big day as he set a lifetime best in the 5k with a time of 15:29.54.  Jake Van Tassell captured the win in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 52.72.

The Saints will now turn their attention to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Marion, Indiana. Competition at the Championships is slated to begin on May 21st.