The Aurora University men's track team set two school records en route to a ninth-place team performance in Saturday's Chicagoland Indoor Championships.  The meet hosted by North Central College was the penultimate competition before the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship.
 
Both school records set in the meet came in the middle distances.  The day started with a bang in the distance medley relay as the Spartans broke school and conference records. Sophomore Jaime Charles led off with a 3:14.1 split for the 1200 meter leg and handed off to Kyle Kayzar.  The junior was not fazed by making his season debut in a relay and ran 400 meters in a sizzling 51.3 seconds.  Alex Duncan (1:58.8, 800 meters) and anchor Matt Meyers (4:25.1, 1600 meters) brought the relay home in 10:29.63, smashing the old school record by 24 seconds and setting a new conference standard by 3.  Their time ranks AU 31^st in Division III this winter.
 
Kayzar gained one school record, but lost another.  Junior Roberto Gonzalez ran 2:38.98 for sixth in the 1000 meters, slipping under Kayzar's old mark by just over a second.  Kyle can take consolation in that his 1:59.56 in the 800 meters gives the Spartans a veritable stranglehold on the top off the NACC form chart in the 800. Kayzar, Duncan, and Meyers now have the top three spots.
 
In the pole vault, first-year Austin Tolbert set a new personal best at 3.85 meters (12 feet, 7.5 inches).  That's No. 2 in school history and tied for second in the conference right now. Also in the field, junior Loren Iwanicki continued his stellar (and consistent) season in the high jump, clearing 1.96m (6-5) for fifth place.
 
Wade Robinson and Devon Bice ran 7.20 and 7.27, respectively, for thirteenth and fourteenth in the 60 meter dash.  The 60 is shaping up to be a major source of points in the men's team's quest to defend its indoor conference title.
 
To complete that title defense, the 2013 cross-country conference champs will need big points in the 5000 meters.  Junior Nick Cole will be looking to grab a few of those points, as his 15:57.64 in Saturday's 5k is the third fastest time in the NACC this winter and a sizable indoor PB.
 
There is only one meet between now and the conference championship, and it's next Saturday's Margaret Bradley Invite at the University of Chicago.