CONWAY, Ark. – The Ouachita men's and women's track and field teams combined for 10 first-place finishes, including three record-setting performances to start the 2026 outdoor season at the Hendrix Invitational.
Head track and field coach Steve Guymon praised the competitive spirit the Tigers displayed to set their own personal records throughout the first meet. Sophomore Rocco Patrick delivered a record-breaking performance in the hammer throw, punctuating the event win with a mark of 51.63 meters (169 feet, 5 inches). Patrick added personal bests in the shot put with a mark of 14.28 meters (46 feet, 10.25 inches) and in the discus throw at 45.86 meters (150 feet, 6 inches) to cap an impressive outing in the circle.
Two women established program records in the field events, including junior Brenlee Leonard in the hammer throw with a mark of 34.35 meters (112 feet, 7 inches) to etch her name into Ouachita's record book. Freshman Taegan Herrien tied the program record in the high jump, clearing 1.63 meters (5 feet, 4.25 inches) to match Belle Lindsey. Freshman Zyron Brock turned in a first-place leap in the triple jump at 10.92 meters (35 feet, 10 inches) to continue her instant impact.
Sophomore Aden Hecht was the lone sprinter to claim an event win for the men's team. Hecht clocked a first-place time of 53.73 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles and added a runner-up finish in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 15.36. Freshman Caleb Greenwich finished the 1,500-meter run with a winning time of 3:57.21 to continue his stellar distance debut.
Three sprinters on the women's team stacked individual event wins as Lindsey listed a first-place time of 14.96 in the 100-meter hurdles, then senior Addrienna Gray rounded out the productive showing on the track with a first-place time of 1:05.78 in the 400-meter hurdles. Junior Anna Woolsey won the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.31. The women's distance crew was paced by senior Katelynn Nachtigal, who finished first among attached runners in the 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 18:09.81.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team featuring freshmen Arionna Black and Taegan Herrien, along with juniors Allie LeMay and Lucy Holden delivered a winning time of 4:11.87. The Tigers left the Hendrix Invitational with a competitive spirit to spark the outdoor season. Ouachita competes in the Harding Open & Multi Invitational next weekend, starting March 5 in Searcy.
