BEAUMONT, Texas - Separated by over 1,700 miles, Lamar University's track & field wrapped up a busy Friday of split squad action. The Cardinals had several student-athletes at the 92nd Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and sent the distance runners to the West Coast for the 2019 Mike Fanelli Track Classic.

On Thursday at the Fanelli Classic Matthew Arnold recorded a Top 10 finish and personal-best in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. He ran a race of 8:59.23 in the meet for ninth place, trailing only two other student-athletes as the top six finishes were either unattached, part of the U.S. Army, or a professional runner. Arnold's run demolished his previous personal best of 9:05.78 set at the 2018 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, where he finished third.

Katy Whiteoak also already competed for Lamar in the event and had a strong showing in the women's 10,000-meters. The sophomore from Manchester, England, raced a 37:56.85, finishing 43rd out of 61 competitiors. Her pace at the Fanelli Classic was just 17 seconds off her personal best time set in the SLC Outdoor T&F Championships last season when she took fifth place with a 37:39.29.

Friday's events at the Fanelli Classic were the men's and women's 5,000-meter races. Jordan Rowe had a terrific finish on the men's side, finishing fourth with a time of 14:02.83 in his first collegiate attempt of the event. Liam Burthem ran about a half hour afterwards in a later heat and finished 38th with a time of 14:30.74. Julie Emmerson and Katie Buckley ran for Big Red in the women's 5K. Buckley finished 61st with a time of 17:21.52 and Emmerson ran a time of 17:38.21 for 72nd.

In the Texas Relays Lamar had five individual student-athletes and the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams compete against over 200 other universities. Paula Sprudzane and (55th, 14.45) and Wreagan Taylor (61st, 14.64) ran in the women's 100-meter hurdles, Tony Land (61st, 15.45) and Talon Tilley (63rd, 15.52) raced in the men's 110-meter hurdles, and Satchel Smith (81st, 11.18) participated in the men's 100-meter dash. The women's 4x400 team of Taeylor Roquemore, Kyara Levi, Kelsie McClenon, and Ruta Okulic-Kazarnaite finished 38th with a time of 3:56.93 and the men's 4x400 team of Webster Slaughter, Mike Ford, Kyle Nelson, and Keegan Crawford took 25th with a mark of 3:17.39.

Lamar returns to action on April 6 with the Houston Alumni Invitational, hosted by the University of Houston at the Carl Lewis International Complex.