NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana – The University of the Incarnate Word Men's and Women's Track and Field teams finished the 2019 Southland outdoor conference championships the same way they started it, with record-breaking results. The Cardinals finished the meet with seven individual conference champions, a new program record, while the women became the first team in UIW history to record triple digit points (120). The men set a new program-best for themselves by scoring 73.5 points, placing them fifth overall Sunday afternoon in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
 
The Cardinals added four conference champions to the ledger this afternoon from Garett Cortez (men's 1500m), Jerica Love (100m hurdles), Deja Keys (100m) and Dominique Allen (800m). The seven total conference titles – Rodney Littlejohn. (decathlon) and Sarea Alexander (long jump and triple jump) – mark the most in program history at a single conference meet. UIW had eight total conference outdoor titles prior to this weekend, they have now grown that total to 15 conference titles in just six seasons in the league.
 
Keys showed out, earning a spot on the podium in all four of her events today, including a gold medal in the women's 100m dash. She was the team leader in points scored, tallying a staggering 21 points across the 100m, 200m (second), 4x100 relay (third) and 4x400 relay (third). The most points scored by a Cardinal in UIW history. She turned in a 11.86 to win the women's 100m dash, before running the 200m in 23.65 and helping both relay teams secure podium spots.
 
Allen became the first Cardinal in program history to win a conference title all three years in which she has participated. After winning the 800m in 2016 and 2017, Allen rallied in the final 50m to overtake an SFA runner and claim her third-career SLC title by 0.12 seconds. Allen crossed the line in 2:09.13 becoming just the second woman in SLC history to win the 800m race three different times.
 
Cortez ran a 3:52.31 to take home the gold in the men's 1500m. Just overtaking teammate Deion Hardy in the final 100m to defend his conference title. He becomes the first man in UIW program history to hold multiple outdoor conference titles at the division I level.
 
Love defended her 60m hurdle indoor title in convincing fashion, flying out of the blocks and cruising to a conference title in 13.80 seconds, .32 seconds ahead of her next closest competitor. It was her second-career conference title in the 100H, having won the event back in 2017. That wasn't her only accomplishment of the day as she went on to place sixth in the 100m dash while running a leg of UIW's third-placed 4x100 relay team. When you add in her long jump result from Friday, Love finished the meet having contributed 18.5 team points.
 
The two best events of the day, in terms of points, on the men's and women's side were the 1500m and 800m races.
 
The men's 1500m was obviously won by Cortez, but the Steele HS product was joined on the podium by Deion Hardy, who finished in second in 3:52.34. Senior Jorge Quintero battled hard to earn fifth place in 3:54.56, giving four points to the Cardinal cause. In total UIW scored 22 points in the 1500 alone, the most of any one event this weekend.
 
While the men's 1500m was a swan song for three outstanding seniors, the women's 1500m was a coming out party for a pair of UIW freshmen, Itzel Alcantar-Herrera and Alia Henderson. The tandem ran with incredible poise throughout the race on their way to the podium. Itzel turned in a PR at 4:37.97 to secure second-place while Henderson finished third, also setting a new PR at 4:38.10. Senior Katherine Ramirez added in three points when she crossed the line at 4:42.91, giving UIW 17 team points for the event, a meet high for the women.
 
The men brought home 17 team points in the 800m courtesy of Hardy, Quintero and Jordan Cherin. Hardy took second in the event at 1:51.99 with Quintero showing tremendous heart in tracking down the Sam Houston State runner ahead of him to earn a podium finish, in third, at 1:53.01 - .12 seconds ahead of the next competitor. Cherin turned in a 1:54.34 to come in sixth, earning three more points for the men.
 
On the women's side, Allen was her usual self, dominating the competition to claim first but, once again, it was Itzel Alcantar close behind finishing just off the podium, in fourth place at 2:12.80, her second PR of the day.
 
The women's relay teams earned a pair of third-place results, marking the first time in program history the women have gotten on the podium in both relays. The 4x100 team of Love, Tiffani Mays, Erekha Sebastion and Keys turned in a 45.19, just .13 seconds out of first. The 4x400 team of Sebastion, Victoria Jackson, Allen and Keys put a cap on the day with a third-place finish, the fourth podium of the day for Keys.
 
The Cardinals will be watching the other results from around the country to see who qualified for the NCAA West Regional meet in Sacramento, California later this month (May 23-25).


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