The University of Louisville’s track and field team had a record-breaking season opener at the Commonwealth College Opener on December 3rd, with redshirt junior Cameron Miller breaking two school records in two meets as a Cardinal. Miller broke the 200m dash school record with a time of 20.77, besting the previous record of 21.22 set by Isiah Pantiere last season. This new time also gave Miller the facility record and the event victory.
Miller also helped lead the Cardinals to a third-place finish in the men’s 4×400 relay as he was joined by Robert Joseph, Jesse Casas, and Isiah Pantiere to record a time of 3:15.94. Head coach Dale Cowper was impressed with Miller’s performance, saying, “He’s showing that he is in position to be in contention at the championship level later this winter.”
In addition to Miller’s achievements, three other Cardinals secured event victories while 11 athletes set personal best marks. On the weekend, Louisville athletes won seven events and recorded 22 personal records. Trey Allen claimed his second consecutive meet victory in the men’s high jump, clearing a height of 2.18m (7-1.75), while Brion Stephens placed second with a mark of 2.15m (7-0.5). Ty McPhail picked up his first victory of the season, winning the men’s pole vault with a final height of 5.08m (16-8). Freshman Alba Cuns Iglesias was the third field event winner of the day for the Cardinals, winning the women’s triple jump in 12.59m (41-3.75).
The men’s and women’s 3000m saw seven Louisville athletes record personal records, led by Isaac Kiprop’s runner-up finish in the men’s race with a time of 8:17.76. Freshman Nolan Macklin also found success on the track, blazing to a fourth-place finish in the men’s 200m dash with a time of 21.41, which was the third-fastest performance in school history.
The Cardinals’ next meet is the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational on January 27-28, where they will continue to build on their strong start to the season. Coach Cowper is optimistic about the team’s progress, saying, “I’m excited to see the way our groups came out and competed this weekend. We have some elements to clean up and some folks we need to see back in action, but this program is in a good position for early January.”