By: Nick McGill ~Staff Writer~

The Xavier men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to New York City to compete in the Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend.

The weekend was filled with athletes and relay teams setting personal bests and breaking school records, while a handful of individuals and teams placed high in their events.

Headlining the men’s side of the competition was senior Craig Krcal who won the Big East title in the pole vault, jumping a height of 4.70 meters. Krcal narrowly won the title edging Villanova’s Chris Daughtery by a height of .10 meters.

For the women’s team, the top performer, as decided by the coaching staff, was sophomore Mercedes Oliver who set two new school records in the shot put and weight throw.

In the shot put, Oliver threw a distance of 13.58 meters, which earned her a second place finish.

Another school record was set in the men’s 4×800 meter relay team consisting of freshmen Jordan Shepherd and Grant Parrelli, sophomore Connor Buchholz and junior Corey Zielinski.

This combination resulted in a time of 7:44.87, breaking the four-year-old school record to finish sixth in the Big East. For the women’s team, sophomore Onya Edwards also recorded a new school record in the triple jump with a distance of 11.30 meters. The distance was good enough to finish for an eighth place tie.

The competition in New York City led to an eighth place finish for the women’s team and a seventh place finish for the men’s team.

After returning from the Championship meet, athletes are given a few days off for rest and relaxation before turning the page and beginning preparation for the outdoor season