University Star

Three Texas State track and field records were broken last weekend during the Tyson Invitational, the last meet before the Southland Conference Championships.

The athletes to break the records were Steffanie Armstrong, senior distance runner, Charles Grethen, freshman mid-distance jumper, and Logan Cunningham, junior pole vaulter.

Armstrong, who is looking to finish her Bobcat career on a high note, earned a second place spot in the SLC standings when she timed a 9:54.70 in the 3,000-meter run.

Armstrong’s time beat a seven-year record by nine seconds, originally set by Yuliya Stashkiv in 2005. Armstrong said the accomplishment gave her confidence for the upcoming championship. “I realize this is my last year and last opportunity, and I’m going to seize it,” she said. “It definitely boosted my confidence going into conference because it puts me in second, so I know I can compete with the girls at the top of the conference and hopefully take a championship home.”

Grethen beat the twelve-year-old record time of 1:50.82 to set the new bar at 1:50.14 in the 800 meter.

Grethen, a freshman from Tuntange, Luxemburg, is breaking records far from home. In his first meet at Texas State, Grethen placed third in the 800, then won gold and first place at the Houston Indoor Invitational the following weekend.

The third record broken was by pole-vaulter Cunningham. With a height of 5.51 meters, Cunningham was able to break the 20 year record set by Scott Hennig (5.45 meters) in 1992.
Previously ranked 21st in the nation for pole vaulting, the mark qualified Cunningham for the NCAA tournament and gained him a gold medal last weekend.

Head Coach Dana Boone said she was excited about what the future will hold for the team after such a great showing in Arkansas.

“It is a good sign of things to come,” she said. “I am very proud of all the athletes that competed this weekend. We still have some things we need to iron out, but it’s definitely coming together.”