By Mason Nesbitt, Sports Information Director

TMU’s groundbreaking sprint relay teams consist of an unlikely bunch: a former jumper, a pair of distance runners and a prodigious freshman hurdler headlining a group that sets new program records seemingly at will.

“All the girls love team,” said coach Zach Schroeder, whose squad will compete at the Golden State Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday and Friday at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, “and they love relays.” The result: Each is willing to be uncomfortable and try new things.

Last week, Tess Thompson, Seanna Nalbandyan, Emily Hess and Emma Bahr set a new TMU mark in the 4×100-meter relay at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa (51.94 seconds).

Bahr, Thompson, Nalbandyan and Rylee Bishop followed suit in the 4×400 on the same day (4 minutes, 4.81 seconds). This is mostly uncharted territory for TMU.

Because of a lack of athletes in the past, the Mustangs ran the 4×1 for the first time this season, and have since improved the program record a handful of times.

“It’s really a joy to see what they’re doing,” Schroeder said, “and we’re hoping to continue advancing sprints at Master’s.”

The progress started in some ways with Thompson, who competed in the long, high and triple jumps in high school. At Master’s, she gravitated toward sprints where she worked with TMU assistant Denean Hill, a three-time Olympian, and saw her hard work begin to pay off as a junior.

“Without Tess, we wouldn’t have what we have today,” Schroeder said.

If Thompson helped lay the foundation, freshman Seanna Nalbandyan has the ability to take the program to another level. Nalbandyan posted the NAIA’s fourth-fastest 400 hurdles time of 2018 earlier this season, hitting an automatic time for nationals. She’s also been crucial to the relays, on one occasion nearly closing a considerable gap and tracking down a race’s winner near the finish line.

“Seanna has been a huge boost to our women’s team, obviously,” Schroeder said. “Her character and work ethic is second to none.”

Nalbandyan’s arrival has been complemented by the transition of Bahr from a distance runner to a sprinter. Bahr missed all of cross country season this fall due to a stress fracture in her shin.

Schroeder and Bahr decided she didn’t have time to build the endurance necessary to race distance this spring. It has been for the best.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Bahr said of sprints. “It’s brought more motivation, I would say. I started my track career in sprints (in junior high). … It’s been fun going back to the sprints.”

Bahr said the sprint group’s 6 a.m. practices at College of the Canyons have built unity and fostered new friendships.

Bishop, a junior, has made a similar move this spring. Due to an injury to another Mustang, Bishop, who has primarily competed in the 1,500 and 800, has contributed to the 4×4 relay.

“Rylee has natural leg speed and does everything she can to be a team player,” Schroeder said. “Her heart to help her team succeed is evident in the relays.”

Schroeder said Hess has also modeled character on the track.

“Emily is a tremendous example of consistency and hard work,” the coach said. “She’s someone we’re going to continue to use as a model of what we want to do.”

The 4×1 and 4×4 relays are set for Friday at Westmont. TMU’s 4×1 time last week is the second fastest by a GSAC team this year – one second back of Arizona Christian’s foursome.

TMU’s 4×4 has also tallied the second fastest GSAC time of the year, a tick over four seconds behind Westmont’s best.

“I’m hoping that we continue to break the record and keep running faster,” said Thompson, who wasn’t sure the relays would hit national championship qualifying times. “I really want to beat Westmont.”