TMU’s rising star
TMU Insider: NAIA bestows All-American honor on freshman Seanna Nalbandyan after she finished seventh at nationals
The NAIA bestowed an AllAmerican honor on Seanna Nalbandyan over the weekend after The Master’s University freshman finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at nationals in Alabama.
Mustang coach Zach Schroeder supplied a different title.
“Seanna is the future of track and field at TMU,” he said. It’s not hard to see why. Nalbandyan, training under the tutelage of three-time Olympian Denean Hill, crushed TMU’s program record in the 400 hurdles early this season. She broke it again at the Golden State Athletic Conference Championship. Her time at the Oxy Invite earlier this month, 1:01.66, was her best of the year and the fourth fastest in the NAIA entering nationals last week.
Nalbandyan advanced through prelims Thursday with the sixthfastest time in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She won her heat.
Then the Canyon High grad posted a time of 1:02.74 in the final on Saturday becoming the first Lady Mustang to earn an All-American honor as a freshman since Saugus High grad Karis Frankian in 2013.
“It’s a big deal,” Schroeder
said.
Frankian’s younger sister, Abigail, also ran at nationals on Saturday, finishing 14th in the 5,000 meters. It was her fourth straight trip to nationals and one she wasn’t sure she would make.
After missing on two opportunities early in the year to race big, the senior prepped herself for what she felt was a do-ordie situation at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa on April 19. She ran a 17:47.64, her best time of the year and a qualifying mark for nationals.
Elsewhere at nationals, TMU senior Alec Franco finished 33rd in the marathon, well ahead of his ranking (52nd) coming into nationals.
Mustang sophomore Stephen Pacheco, who figures to be one of the faces of men’s track and field at TMU for the next couple seasons, competed in the prelims of the 5K on Friday night in Gulf Shores but did not make the final.
For Nalbandyan, the week was a good experience all around after a dynamic freshman campaign.
“I feel super blessed to have this opportunity,” she said, “and it feels good to end the season on a good note.”