PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico track and field teams will officially open the 2019 indoor season on Friday at the Red Raider Invitational hosted by Texas Tech. The one-day meet is slated for a 9 a.m. start time.
The Greyhounds make their return a season removed from the men's team placing fourth at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 25, 2018 while the women's team came away with a fifth-place finish.
On the women's side, junior Mason Swanson makes her return to the roster after winning 2018 LSC Indoor Championship 800-meter run when she crossed the finish line in 2:20.39. For the Red Raider meet, Swanson will compete in the 800-meter and 600-meter run events as well as the 4 x 400-meter relay.
Senior Danee Bustos will be one of the Hounds top all-around competitors after finishing with three NCAA Championship provisional qualifying marks at last year's LSC Indoor Championships, placing third in the 200-meters with a 24:52.57, fifth in the 400-meters with a 56.03, and fifth in the high jump at 1.67-meters (5' 5.75"). In this weekend's meet, Bustos will compete in four events: the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash, the high jump and the 4 x 400-meter relay along with Swanson, Kandice Miles and Kiana Covington.
On the men's side, junior middle distance runner Ivar Moinat will headline the Hounds in the 800-meter run after placing third in last year's LSC Indoor Championship event with a provisional qualifying mark of 1:53.24, placing two-hundredths of a second out of second place. Moinat is set to compete on Friday in the 800-meter run, the 400-meter run, and the 4 x 400-meter relay with Travonne Armstead, Brandon Chavez, and Andrew Villegas.
Senior distance competitor Shane Walsh will lead the Hounds in the distance events. Walsh last season scored four points for Eastern in the LSC Indoor Championships after placing fifth in the Mile with a mark of 4:22.79. Along with competing in the Mile, Walsh will compete in the Hounds' first event of the season in the 3000-meter run finals scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
