NEW YORK, N.Y. - Catholic freshman Brigid Byrnes broke two program records in her first collegiate track & field event as the Cardinals competed at the TCNJ Indoor Open on Saturday at the Armory. 

Byrnes set new school records in the 300 and the long jump, showing off her skills in multiple areas. Byrnes, a New York native, started her career with a bang in her home state, finishing eighth in the 300 with a time of 42.66, breaking Clare Marsh's previous record of 43.67. 

Byrnes surpassed a record that stood for much longer in Catholic history as her 5.22m leap broke a 33-year old record set by Michelle Smith in 1990. Byrnes placed seventh in the event. 

Byrnes wasn't the only Catholic newcomer to etch her name into the Catholic record books as fellow classmate Erin Buckley cruised to a new program record in the 60-meter dash. Buckley clocked in at 8.06 seconds to qualify for the final as the eighth-seed before placing eighth with a time of 8.11. Catholic senior Ellie Bixenman held the previous record with a time of 8.27. 

Rounding out a strong showing from the freshman, Sabrina Beniquez placed fifth in the 400 with a time of 1:03.20. Mia McConnell finished seventh in the event, just .20 behind Beniquez. 

Byrnes, Beniquez, McConnell, and Bixenman combined to place fourth in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:10.47, just over two seconds shy of the program record. 

It wasn't only newcomers getting off to strong starts in the 23-24 indoor season. The dominant Catholic distance trio of Emily Moehringer, Kate Inglis, and Apolline Gaspers placed second, third, and fourth respectively in the mile. Moheringer led the way with a time of 5:08,69 while Inglis (5:09.23) and Gaspers (5:09.46) were right on her heels. All three now sit in the top-five in program history in the event. 

Steve Rahn's program showed off even more depth as they garnered key contributions from all over. Alexa Grassi ran to victory in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 3:11.92 while Georgia Nussey placed fifth in the 5,000 with a time of 18:43.83. McConnell also qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, placing seventh while Molly Maxwell had a strong showing in the weight throw with an 11.36m toss. 

Catholic will continue to train and ramp up for the 2024 swing of the indoor campaign as they return to competition on January 20 when they host the Robert Comstock Cardinal Classic in Landover, Md.