Eryn Burke (SO/Yucaipa, CA) and Chase Mars (SO/Chino Hills, CA) left the 2023 NAIA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships as All-Americans on Saturday at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.
Mars rewrote the school's record book, breaking his own No. 1 mark in the 200 meters.
The two sophomores earned All-American status by virtue of making the finals in their respective events and finishing in the top-8.
Burke took the track first in the women's 400 meter dash. Looking to improve upon her lifetime-best and school record 55.05 time from the preliminaries, she finished fifth in 55.24 seconds. It was still her third-fastest time ever at VU.
Brianna Florvilus of Life earned gold in the 400 with a time of 54.16.
Mars had the first of two shots at a national championship when he suited up for the 60 meter dash. He ran a school record 6.76 in the preliminaries, and clocked 6.80 in the finals for a seventh place finish.
Saminu Abdul-Rasheed won the event in 6.63 seconds for Florida Memorial.
Mars returned to competition an hour and a half later in the 200 meter dash. After tying his school record indoor time of 21.30 seconds in the preliminaries, Mars looked to etch his name again in the record book going even lower on the clock.
And that he did, running a lifetime-best 21.26 seconds, coming in fifth place among a cluster of competitors.
Madonna teammates Deveyon Blackwell and Cortez Cunningham placed one-two with times of 21.07 and 21.10, respectively. Multnomah's Donte Sol was third in 21.12 seconds, and Keiser's Melvin Johnson came in fourth (21.19).
Both Burke and Mars will surely be in contention for national titles in the coming years.
What Was Said?: "We're extremely proud of Eryn and Chase and all that they accomplished today," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "Eryn ran exceptionally well for being a little under the weather due to food poisoning. Her toughness and ability to rise above adversity were on display today. And Chase always shows up when the pressure is on and the stakes are high. We can always count on Chase to perform at a high level in these moments."
What's Next?: Track and field now transitions to the outdoor season, beginning with the Occidental Invitational on Saturday, March 11.
