EMMITSBURG, MD – In the days of constant training and continuously improving times, one championship medal is impressive enough to win. Siena Outdoor Track gained its first-ever three-peat in an individual event on Saturday to highlight opening-day action at the 2023 MAAC Outdoor Track Championships in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Senior
Brandon Olden took home his third straight men's 10,000 individual title, winning the race by five seconds with a time of 31:10.30 for his fourth career individual MAAC title. The feat also marks the fifth straight MAAC Championship meet that Siena has boasted an event champion dating back to the 2022 Indoor Track Championships, extending a program-record streak.
Olden's performance highlighted an encouraging day filled with preliminary qualifiers for the Green and Gold, who saw the women conclude day one in sixth and the men in eighth.
Siena went final in the 10,000 and 3,000 steeplechase on Saturday, with freshman
Stephanie Queiroz placing fourth in the women's steeplechase and setting the school record for the third time this season with a 15-second improvement of 10:51.57. Senior
Elaine Atanasova (37:28.25) took sixth in the women's 10,000, while sophomore
Nathaniel Sletten (9:48.14) led the way for the Saints in the men's steeplechase with an eighth-place finish.
The women's 800 featured an impressive three final qualifiers for a school that specializes in distance running, with sophomore
Claire Gardner (2:16.45), sophomore
Keira Flaherty (2:10.08), and junior
Jennifer McClintock (2:18.22) finishing third, seventh, and eighth, respectively, to earn a trip to Sunday's final round.
The men boasted three qualifiers in the 1,500 preliminary race, with senior
Matthew Laframboise (3:52.44), freshman
Jayson Chichelli (3:55.13) and freshman
Tyler Greene (3:55.36) each punching their ticket to Sunday with ninth, tenth, and 11
th place finishes, respectively. The women's race featured senior
Delia McDade Clay (4:43.85), freshman
Chloe Poulos (4:45.41), and junior
Isabella Painter (4:46.90) finishing fourth, seventh, and tenth, respectively, to qualify for Sunday.
Siena will conclude the 2023 MAAC Outdoor Track Championships on Sunday, May 7 beginning at Noon.
