LUBBOCK, Texas (March 24, 2021) – Lubbock Christian University will be hosting The Open in conjunction with Eastern New Mexico on Friday as the first track and field event at the brand new LCU Soccer & Track Complex, which was completed in 2020.
 
LCU's new complex features a modernized turf soccer field with an eight-lane track around the perimeter, press box for media and coaching staff, lights for evening competition, and stadium seating for 500 fans. The complex also includes areas for all jumps and throws competition. The completion of the facility allowed for the expansion of the track & field program, which was re-started by head coach Nick Cordes in 2016.
 
The meet will be the third for the Chaps and Lady Chaps to compete in during outdoor season after previously going to the Cowboy Invite hosted by Hardin Simmons and the West Kittley Invitational hosted by Abilene Christian.
 
On the men's side, LCU has already seen good outdoor performances in several sprints events. Kevin Modesto Delima currently holds the fourth-best 400m time in the Lone Star Conference at 49.34s, and Keitron Boyd's time of 49.82s in the same event is the sixth-best in the league. Samuel Wing also has the fourth-best LSC time in the 400m hurdles with a time of 54.83.
 
Mitch Sutler has already provisionally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in the long jump with a distance of 7.31m at the Wes Kittley Invitational. His jump is the second-best in the LSC this season.
 
Bryce Spencer is the only other Chaparral athlete to have provisionally qualified for the national championship meet, doing so in the discus with a throw of 50.70m. His toss came at the Hardin-Simmons Invite and is .04 off the LSC lead. Spencer also has the league's fifth best hammer throw distance of 52.67m.
 
Other top-ten conference performances on the men's side this season have come from Noah Villarreal (5000 meter), Haven Hernandez (400m hurdles) and Nathan Karseno (long jump).
 
For the Lady Chaps, more of their competition so far this season has been in distance events. They have four of the top 10 LSC performances this season in the 10,000-meter , led by Andrea Sanchez's sixth-place time of 41:02.61. Jorie Fleischmen, Sky Sena and Sydnei Orozco are the other three top-10 performers.
 
Outside of the distance events, Jaliyah Jackson has the seventh-best 400-meter time in the LSC at 1:00.70, and LCU has a couple of strong field event marks as well.
 
Haley George has the ninth-best long jump distance in the LSC at 5.03m, doing so at the Hardin-Simmons Invitational, and Dulceamor Guajardo currently ranks seventh in the shot put with a throw of 12.36m and she is 11^th in discus with a throw of 33.93m.
 
After The Open this weekend, Lubbock Christian will compete in four more regular season meets leading up to the Lone Star Conference Championships May 6-8 in Canyon, Texas.