12/11/2021
DULUTH, Minn.  – The St. Scholastica men's track & field team kicked off the 2022-23 season, hosting The Opener at the Burns Wellness Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Led by a record-setting performance by 2022 NCAA Indoor Track & Field All American, Samuel Eben Ebai (Sr., Yaounde, Cameroon/P.S.S. Mankon), the Saints were able to take home a number of titles against neighboring schools, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Wisconsin Superior, as well as schools further afield like Bemidji State University, North Central University, and Lakehead University, making this year's Opener an international affair.
EVENT WINNERS
Eben Ebai is the school record holder in every St. Scholastica short-sprint event, but made another long-standing wish come true Saturday by becoming the fastest man to ever run on his home track over 60 meters. Eben Ebai's winning time of 6.84 obliterated the facility record, which before Saturday, he shared with Michigan Tech's Quin Parnell (2013) at 6.91. The winning mark of 6.84 currently ranks Eben Ebai in a tie for sixth on the 2022-23 NCAA Division III Indoor Qualifying list. Last year, he finished fourth in the NCAA Championships in this event to earn All-American accolades.
Eben Ebai's 60m time Saturday was a mere .01 seconds shy of his current school record for the 60, but he didn't stop there. He again found victory in the 200m, with a winning time of 22.46. This time again being just .06 seconds off his own school record for the indoor 200. This made for a statement day from the most decorated sprinter in school history.
Saints sophomore, Nathan Neu (Ortonville, Minn./Ortonville HS) (Ortonville, Minn./Ortonville HS) joined Eben Ebai in the winner's circle by taking the mile run. Coming off of a big jump in performance during the cross country season where he knocked over two minutes off his 8k time, Neu hopped into this race with little preparation, but plenty of confidence in his fitness. While marking the leaders the first half of the race, Neu had no problems shedding the field in the final 600 meters to win comfortably in a time of 4:31.50.
The Saints runners were also able to take home the lone relay title on Saturday after the men's 4x400m relay team locked horns with Division II UMD. The team of Sean Alfaro Diedrich (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS), Jericho Peterson (Mountain Iron, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl HS) (Mountain Iron, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl HS), Noah Kubicek (Owattona, Minn./Owatonna HS), and Derek Douglas (Escanaba, Mich./Escanaba HS) (Escanaba, Mich./Escanaba HS) edged the Bulldogs for the win with a time of 3:30.69.
OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
In the field events, junior thrower Grant Steger (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS) (Denfeld HS, Duluth, Minn.) had a career day in the men's shot put competition, rattling off four life-time best throws to finish fourth overall in a new personal record toss of 13.77m.
UP NEXT
The Saints go into winter break before returning in January 21st for bridge-battle at University of Wisconsin – Superior.Â
