Thursday, May 13
Edinburg, Texas
6 PM
California Baptist University
vs
WAC Track Championships
TRACK PREVIEW: Lancers Eye More Awards at 2021 WAC Track Championship Meet
5/12/2021 7:00:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
EDINBURG – California Baptist University track will run in its second Western Athletic Conference Championships this weekend at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The Lancers will look to build on their WAC Championship debut in 2019 after the 2020 track season was canceled early on last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CBU produced two individual champions and seven other all-conference finishers (three first team, four second team) back in 2019.
CBU is in a strong position to put together another impressive performance at the WAC Championships, as 18 Lancers currently own top-six times in the conference this year, with nine on the men's and women's side. Top-three finishers earn first-team honors and fourth through sixth place runners secure second-team awards in the WAC.
This week, CBU will run in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, the steeplechase and 4x400 relay on both the men's and women's sides, along with the women's 800 meter at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. It all begins on Thursday with the 10K at 6 p.m. Pacific.
The Lancers have put together a strong track season in what has been an unusual year. CBU had just a two-week hiatus between the track and cross country season, which ended on Feb. 27. It led to the Lancers competing in only five regular-season track meets this spring, compared to their usual eight or nine.
In the cross country season, the Lancers pulled off the perfect sweep of the WAC team and individual cross country titles back in February. They're just the second team in WAC history to accomplish that feat.
Despite having so few meets and such a short layoff between seasons, CBU has put up some great times on the track already this spring. A total of 21 new top-10 times (11 women, 10 men) in Lancer history have been set.
A LOOK AT THE MEN
CBU has a total of 28 entrants on the men's side. The Lancers will be best represented in the 5K and 10K, with 13 and nine individuals in each race, respectively.
Florian Le Pallec will look to top off his phenomenal season with his first WAC track title. He owns the conference's top time in the 1500 meter this season, with a 3:46.51. Fellow Lancer Giedrius Valincius may be his top competition, as he has the second-best time (3:46.76) in the WAC this year.
Ivo Balabanov is scheduled to run in two events – the 5,000 and 10,000 – at his first WAC Meet. He is responsible for a top-two time in the WAC in the 5K (14:08.37), while three other Lancers: Valincius (14:10.43), Le Pallec (14:12.80) and Manuel Peris Bruno (14:20.86) also rank top six in the event.
Three more CBU individuals: Roman Zozulia (30:09.12), Bruno (30:14.37) and Zlatko Kozuhar (30:26.47) rank top-six in the WAC for the Lancers in the 10K. McMarshal Hartzenberg is CBU's lone returning all-conference finisher on the men's side, as he took sixth in the 10K back in 2019.
A LOOK AT THE WOMEN
The Lancers have 25 entrants on the women's side, with nine coming in the 5K, six in the 1500, four in the 10K and three in the steeplechase.
Elin Brink is poised to have a big week, as she has two top-two times in the conference coming into this week. She set the fastest time in the 1500 for the WAC, with a 4:23.13, and also ranks second in the 5K (16:37.86).
Two more Lancers, Greta Karinauskaite (16:38.63, third) and Anna Mate (16:49.18, sixth) rank top-six in the 5K. Mate also ranks sixth in the 10K (35:02.95) after she took fourth in the event in 2019.
CBU's Karin Gosek (10:42.19) and Emilia Mikszuta (10:49.67) also rank third and fourth, respectively, in the steeplechase. Anneken Viljoen holds to two top-six times for CBU in the 800 (2:14.04, fifth) and in the 1500 (4:34.04, sixth).
MEET INFORMATION
Event: WAC Track Championships
Dates/Times: Thursday, May 13 (6 p.m.); Friday, May 14 (4 p.m.); Saturday, May 15 (3:15 p.m.)
Location: Edinburg, Texas (UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex)
Video: ESPN+ | WAC Digital Network (International Only)
Live Results: Mile Split
Schedule of Events
Heat Sheets
The Lancers will look to build on their WAC Championship debut in 2019 after the 2020 track season was canceled early on last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CBU produced two individual champions and seven other all-conference finishers (three first team, four second team) back in 2019.
CBU is in a strong position to put together another impressive performance at the WAC Championships, as 18 Lancers currently own top-six times in the conference this year, with nine on the men's and women's side. Top-three finishers earn first-team honors and fourth through sixth place runners secure second-team awards in the WAC.
This week, CBU will run in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, the steeplechase and 4x400 relay on both the men's and women's sides, along with the women's 800 meter at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex. It all begins on Thursday with the 10K at 6 p.m. Pacific.
The Lancers have put together a strong track season in what has been an unusual year. CBU had just a two-week hiatus between the track and cross country season, which ended on Feb. 27. It led to the Lancers competing in only five regular-season track meets this spring, compared to their usual eight or nine.
In the cross country season, the Lancers pulled off the perfect sweep of the WAC team and individual cross country titles back in February. They're just the second team in WAC history to accomplish that feat.
Despite having so few meets and such a short layoff between seasons, CBU has put up some great times on the track already this spring. A total of 21 new top-10 times (11 women, 10 men) in Lancer history have been set.
A LOOK AT THE MEN
CBU has a total of 28 entrants on the men's side. The Lancers will be best represented in the 5K and 10K, with 13 and nine individuals in each race, respectively.
Florian Le Pallec will look to top off his phenomenal season with his first WAC track title. He owns the conference's top time in the 1500 meter this season, with a 3:46.51. Fellow Lancer Giedrius Valincius may be his top competition, as he has the second-best time (3:46.76) in the WAC this year.
Ivo Balabanov is scheduled to run in two events – the 5,000 and 10,000 – at his first WAC Meet. He is responsible for a top-two time in the WAC in the 5K (14:08.37), while three other Lancers: Valincius (14:10.43), Le Pallec (14:12.80) and Manuel Peris Bruno (14:20.86) also rank top six in the event.
Three more CBU individuals: Roman Zozulia (30:09.12), Bruno (30:14.37) and Zlatko Kozuhar (30:26.47) rank top-six in the WAC for the Lancers in the 10K. McMarshal Hartzenberg is CBU's lone returning all-conference finisher on the men's side, as he took sixth in the 10K back in 2019.
A LOOK AT THE WOMEN
The Lancers have 25 entrants on the women's side, with nine coming in the 5K, six in the 1500, four in the 10K and three in the steeplechase.
Elin Brink is poised to have a big week, as she has two top-two times in the conference coming into this week. She set the fastest time in the 1500 for the WAC, with a 4:23.13, and also ranks second in the 5K (16:37.86).
Two more Lancers, Greta Karinauskaite (16:38.63, third) and Anna Mate (16:49.18, sixth) rank top-six in the 5K. Mate also ranks sixth in the 10K (35:02.95) after she took fourth in the event in 2019.
CBU's Karin Gosek (10:42.19) and Emilia Mikszuta (10:49.67) also rank third and fourth, respectively, in the steeplechase. Anneken Viljoen holds to two top-six times for CBU in the 800 (2:14.04, fifth) and in the 1500 (4:34.04, sixth).
MEET INFORMATION
Event: WAC Track Championships
Dates/Times: Thursday, May 13 (6 p.m.); Friday, May 14 (4 p.m.); Saturday, May 15 (3:15 p.m.)
Location: Edinburg, Texas (UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex)
Video: ESPN+ | WAC Digital Network (International Only)
Live Results: Mile Split
Schedule of Events
Heat Sheets
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country & Track
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/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
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