Martinez Finishes 19th In NAIA Racewalk

BROOKINGS, S.D – Cristian Martinez finished 19th in the 3,000-meter racewalk to represent Roosevelt at the 2024 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Entering with the eighth-best time in the country this season, Martinez was in the second of the two heats at the championships against the nation's elite. The senior finished with his second-best time of the season, cruising through the three kilometers in 15:50, which was good for 12th in his competitive heat.

Martinez is the first Roosevelt student-athlete to qualify for an indoor national championship since Giancarlo Vassallo in the 1,000 meters in 2013 and the first to ever qualify for two different national championship meets after walking in last year's outdoor championships. He will look to return to the national meet in the outdoor racewalk where he finished 11th last season when the Lakers open their outdoor season later this month.