On April 13, sophomore Will Koeck broke a six-year-old Marquette record in the men’s hammer throw at the Lee Calhoun Invitational. Koeck threw 193 feet, 7 inches on his first attempt of the day to finish second in the event. Koeck’s school record was just one of the many big marks this weekend as the Golden Eagles get set for the Big East Outdoor Conference Championship in two weeks.

Marquette notched a victory in the men’s 800-meter dash as senior Kyle Winter was the top finisher among 42 runners. His time of 1:52.09 qualifies him for the Big East Championship. Sophomore Brendan Franz, junior Spencer Agnew, freshman Ryan Shields and freshman Michael Corr finished sixth, 10th, 25th and 27th respectively.

A great sign of fitness came in the men’s 400-meter dash as junior Connor Stengel ran a personal best of 48.58 to put himself as the ninth fastest in school history. He finished third of 34 sprinters in the race. The last time Stengel set a personal was in March 2012, where he ran 48.91 at the USF Bulls Invitational.

His success on the day also carried over to the 200-meter dash and the men’s 1600-meter sprint medley relay. Stengel placed 10th in the 200 with a personal best of 22.36. As the second leg of the relay, Stengel helped Marquette finish second to St. Ambrose in 3:30.15.

Stengel staying healthy is a plus for the Golden Eagles, as he has the 19th-fastest 400-meter time in the Big East.

The men’s steeplechase saw positive performances, as junior Zack Grese won the race in 9:28.77 and freshman William Hennessy finished third in 9:38.13. Grese is just three seconds short of a Big East qualifying mark in the event.

On the women’s side, senior Chanel Franklin ran 25.45 to finish second in the women’s 200-meter dash. She placed third in the women’s 100-meter dash in 12.62. Her season best in the 100-meter dash from the USF Bulls Invitational remains the 28th-best time in the conference.

Franklin was responsible for 14 of the women’s 113 points, which placed Marquette second in the team standings behind Iowa at 212 points. The men tied for fourth place with Augustana at 86.5 points. Illinois took the crown on the men’s side with 178 points.

Marquette will split its squad this upcoming weekend with meets scattered across the country. Ten runners will compete at Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. from April 18 to 20. Others will compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. April 19 and the Long Beach Invitational in Norwalk, Calif. Saturday. The Huskie Open will take place April 20 in DeKalb, Ill.