BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's track & field team opened up the 2024-25 indoor season at Olivet Nazarene University, competing at the Holiday Open. It was a successful day for the Cougars, with multiple top 10 performances and personal records.

Notable Performances

• In his collegiate debut, Darius Strother (Joliet, Ill.) stole the show, taking first in the high jump with a leap of 1.78m (5-10.00).
• Austin Knight (Forest Park, Ill.) tied Strother in the high jump, receiving second place. Knight also took third in the 200m dash with a time of 22.86.
• First year Randle Bills (Florrisant, Mo.) took fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 23.31.
• Vincent Scarnato (Pottstown, Pa.) ran a time of 23.46 in the 200m dash to finish eighth. In the pole vault, he finished seventh with a mark of 2.60m (8-6.25).
• Two Cougars finished in the top five of the 800m run, as Miguel Sanchez (San Antonio, Texas) finished fourth in a time of 2:05.67 and Nathaniel Hernandez (Harwood Heights, Ill.) followed in fifth with a time of 2:05.67. Lloyd Clemons (Hazelwood, Mo.) also cracked the top 10 in the 800m run, finishing ninth with a time of 2:26.40.
• In the 3000m, William Leonard (Oskaloosa, Iowa) recorded a time of 10:35.31 for a ninth place finish.
• In the long jump, Jayden Taylor (Southfield, Mich.) set a personal record with a leap of 6.40m (21-0.00) to finish fifth. Julian Switzer (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) took 10th in the event with a jump of 5.73m (18-9.75). Switzer also placed eighth in the triple jump with a leap of 11.16m (36-7.50).
• With a leap of 2.90m (9-6.25), Matthew Cardwell (Cincinnati, Ohio) set a personal record and finished sixth.

Cougar Personal Records

• John Cano (North Riverside, Ill.) set a personal best in the 60m with a time of 7.69.
• In the 200m dash, Kam Jackson (Chicago, Ill) set a new best time of 25.45.
• Two Cougars set indoor personal bests in the shot put. CJ Morris (Douglasville, Ga.) recorded a mark of 10.66m (34-11.75) and Travon Thomas (Wauchula, Fla.) threw 8.95m (29-4.50). Thomas also threw a personal best in the weight throw with a mark of 8.43m (27-8.00).
• Cardwell set a personal record in the shot put with a mark of 9.05m (29-8.25).

The Cougars take a break for the holidays before they return to competition. The next meet for CUC will be January 10, 2025, at the Cardinal Opener, hosted by North Central College, in Naperville, Ill.