ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University track and field team had quite an impressive Saturday at the Lee Krough Invite. The Wildcats saw several student-athletes record new personal records (PRs) and crack through St. Kate’s top-10 performance lists. One of those student-athletes was none other than first year sprinter Liliya Kirkova (Burnsville, Minn. / Burnsville), whose career day on the track was highlighted by a record-breaking performance in the 200 meter dash. For her performances, Kirkova has been named Wildcat Athlete-of-the-Week.
Kirkova didn’t just record a new PR and crack the top-10 list in the 200 meter dash. She shattered the school record, previously set by teammate Shakeela Wells-Johnson (St. Paul, Minn. / Harding) last season, with a PR time of 26.10 seconds. The first year was the second-fastest sprinter from Division III in the race on Saturday and her time is currently the ninth fastest in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
Kirkova’s impressive weekend didn’t stop with the 200 meter dash. The first year also put together an outstanding performance in the 100 meter dash, where she clocked another PR time and found herself in the top-5 performances all-time at St. Kate’s. Kirkova finished seventh in the race overall, and her time of 12.74 seconds in the prelims is the fourth fastest time in program history. It also stands as the eighth fastest time in the MIAC this season.
Kirkova and the Wildcats will return to action this Saturday, when they compete at Concordia-St. Paul.
