HUNTINGTON, West Virginia (Feb. 6, 2021) - The FIU indoor track team picked up four victories on Saturday en route to a second-place finish at the Marshall Classic.
 
Sophomore Maria Paula-Guerrero earned a victory in the mile, Fabiola Declet won the long jump, Harrison Mancke took the shot put, and the 4x600 relay team saw themselves finish first in an impressive performance across the board for FIU.
 
"These girls, and a number of others – they just crushed it," said head coach Ryan Heberling. "Fabiola won the long jump, then hopped in the shot put and nearly had a lifetime best. Maria won the mile and ran well in a race she wasn't really pushed. Harrison figured it out and had a monster day. I'm really proud of what we did."
 
In addition to the victories, FIU placed high across numerous events throughout the afternoon. Michaelle Valentin opened up her FIU career with a second-place finish in the shot put, right behind Mancke. Maika Cuenca earned a second-place finish in the high jump, while also competing in the 200m and 60m hurdles.
 
For Heberling, the performances are a terrific sign of progress for a talented and developing squad.
 
"We're such a young team, and they competed like athletes that've been in the mix before. You figure out how to contribute, and that's a huge thing. They want to take ownership of the team."
 
The Panthers will be back in West Virginia next week to take part in the Marshall Invitational. 
 
With the quad meet results tallied by first and second place finishes, FIU defeated West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, placing second to Marshall. 
 
"It was nice to actually score a meet and beat people," Heberling said.

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