The team set four personal bests and three school records in the 200-meters, 800-meters, and high jump.,”The Marquette track and field team heads into the outdoor season with a new outlook after several athletes found their stride last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational.

The team set four personal bests and three school records in the 200-meter, 800-meter and high jump. While the team failed to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, coach Bert Rogers said he felt the performance was nothing short of fantastic.

"It was one of the better competitions I've ever been around," Rogers said. "For each and every one of them, it was huge. It was a big step toward outdoor because, for each of them during the season, there was something that didn't go quite right, like injuries or a bad performance, and it was a nice redemption.

"I think it was a good reminder of just how good every one of them are."

Junior Erynn James tied the school record in the high jump with a leap of 1.76 meters. Her name is now etched into the Marquette record books.

"I'm so excited I finally get my name on the wall," she said.

For James and the rest of the team, gathering a bit of confidence and momentum going forward can make all the difference. With one school record down, James has her sights on the outdoor record (1.76 m) held by Chris Spindler. James already proved she can reach that mark, and she has her mind on going even higher.

"I think with this experience I'll be able to do better," James said. "I usually do better outdoors for jumping, so I plan on jumping higher."

Sophomore Tyler O'Brien improved on his own 200-meter school record time to an astounding 21.87 seconds. It was more than a tenth of a second faster than his previous record of 21.98. He stressed the importance of staying healthy and hungry for more records.

"It felt great to improve on my school record, especially after a disappointing indoor season," said O'Brien. "It's good to have that momentum heading into outdoor. I'm almost back to 100 percent, so we'll see what happens."

Not to be outdone, Sarah Verdoliva also set a school record in the 800-meter, breaking the 11-year old record by nearly a full second. While her 2:12:38 time is an impressive individual feat, she viewed it as a group achievement.

"This season we really wanted someone to break (the record)," she said. "For me, it was good to run a fast time."

Despite the success, Verdoliva is far from done. She is confident that she has a lot more work to do to reach her full potential.

"I definitely can improve on my time," Verdoliva said. "It was far from a perfect race."

In addition, Katlin Millin and Olivia Johnson also recorded personal bests in the 800-meter.

After an indoor season where many athletes were inconsistent, the team looks forward to improving.

"I think we're finally at a point where people are healthy and back," Rogers said. "I think we're going to do a little better outdoors than we did indoors, especially when our goal is to improve."

The first test is this weekend, when the team heads to Athens, Ga. for the Georgia Relays.

"We have a good week of practice and some beautiful days coming ahead," Rogers said. "So, were looking forward to going outside and getting some good work in."

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