It was a record-breaking day for the Benedictine University men's track and field team, as three different Eagles set new school records at Saturday's ONU Quad at Olivet Nazarene University. The new records, along with many other standout performances, led the Eagles to a fifth place finish in Bourbonnais.
 
Billy Sipek has had a strong career at Benedictine, but Saturday's meet could have been his best yet. The senior set a new school record in the high jump, finishing first in the event at 2.09m. The mark ranks him third nationally, putting the All-American in prime position to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in early March.
 
In addition, Marcus Griffith followed up his second straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Student-Athlete of the Week award with another school record. The junior topped his own mark in the 60m hurdles, winning the event at 8.29s. The improved mark also moved him to 12th nationally.
 
Junior Eric Kenebrew also set a school record in the throws. His 17.39m mark in the weight throw placed him second in the event, set a new school record, and ranks him 17th nationally. In addition, Kenebrew placed fifth in the shot put at 15.30m.
 
Aside from the record breakers, Benedictine saw strong meets from a variety of student-athletes. On the track, Chris Dziagwa placed third in the 600m at 1:24.80, while Joe Chavez finished 11th in the 800m with a time of 2:01.92. In the throws, Joe DeMaegd placed sixth in the weight throw (15.08m), while Gerald Valenzuela performed well in both the shot put (ninth, 14.50m) and weight throw (tenth, 13.94m) events.
 
"The men had a great meet with big improvements from top to bottom," explained Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Kevin Paterson. "The highlight of the day was Billy Sipek's breaking of the school record and winning the men's high jump, while Marcus Griffith continued his undefeated season in the hurdles. Eric Kenebrew also had a big day. All of our Eagles continued to progress."
 
Men's Track and Field is back in action on Friday at North Central College, as the team will compete in the Chicagoland Championships. The event is set to begin at 11:00 a.m.