AUSTIN – The best javelin throw by a Division-I athlete in the nation this year. The best 3000m steeplechase time by a D-I performer in the country this season.
 
The opening day of the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays from Mike A. Myers Stadium for the UT Arlington outdoor track and field teams on Thursday can quite simply be described succinctly in one word: historical.
 
Arthur Petersen – on his final throw of the night – delivered the best javelin toss the Maverick program has ever witnessed, and in the process the freshman established the best distance by a D-I thrower this year when he hurled 77.75m (255-01) to shatter his own program record that the Denmark native set just five days prior.
 
Just minutes before Petersen established his record on the field, Justin Domangue set one of his own on the track as the senior shattered his personal record and secured the 3rd-best time in program history in the 3000m steeplechase with a mark of 8:53.73.
 
Domangue cut nearly four seconds off his previous-best time as he posted a 2nd-place finish in the event – just more than three seconds behind the winner, but an incredible 15 seconds better than the 3rd-place finisher. That mark, like Petersen's, is the best by a D-I competitor in the nation this outdoor season in the 3000m steeplechase, and the Alvarado, Texas, native is the only person in the country who has ran a sub 8:55.
 
While those nation-best marks highlighted the opening day of arguably the most competitive regular-season track and field meet on the collegiate calendar, UTA displayed its depth as the Mavs turned in three other top-5 all-time program records (five in total when factoring in Petersen and Domangue).
 
Liv Cantby – who delivered the 2nd-best javelin throw in women's outdoor program history in her first-ever meet with the Mavs this past Saturday – bettered that mark on Thursday as the freshman threw an impressive 47.96m (157-04). The Denmark native now owns the 2nd- and 3rd-best throws in program history after only two career events. The mark is only behind a 50.32m (165-01) toss by Rhiley Fritz in 2019.
 
Connor Butterfield posted the 4th-best time in program history in the men's 1500m with a PR of 3:48.02, shattering his previous low mark by more than four seconds. The performance was good for 2nd in the heat.
 
Cole Klashinsky annihilated his previous best in the 5000m by more than 20 seconds, and in the process turned in the 4th-best time in program history with a 14:22.14.
 
But the highlight came right near the end of the night courtesy of Petersen, who earlier in the day was named Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week coming off his then-record 73.11m (239-10) throw at the TCU Invitational.
 
"I just opened up and changed my technique a little because I knew I didn't have much to lose. I gave it a little extra, and it certainly worked out," Petersen said following his record throw. "When you're competing against some of the best in the world, it gives you a little bit of an extra boost because they make it look so easy – it makes you confident in your abilities."
 
In a testament to the strength of the Texas Relays field, while Petersen's throw is by far the best in the nation by a collegiate this year (the previous was 75.05m; 246-03), it still finished 4th in the event Thursday night, behind a trio of likely Olympians later this summer in Tokyo who were competing without any collegiate affiliation.
 
Below is more information and highlights related to UTA's opening day at the Texas Relays, and info heading into Friday's second day:
 
Lucas Van Klaveren and Jorrdyn Dunn got the meet underway for the Mavs by competing in the decathlon, which on Thursday featured the 100m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m dash. Van Klaveren – who posted three personal bests on the day – resides in 5th place with 3,749 points halfway through the event, while Dunn sits in 9th with 3,365.
 
One of those three PRs for Van Klaveren came courtesy of a 49.35 time in the decathlon 400m dash to finish in 2nd place – shaving more than a half-second off his previous mark.
 
Madeleine Rowe gave the Mavs a 3rd-place finish in the 1500m Section B race with a personal-record time of 4:33.12.
 
Among the other notable personal records and finishes for the Mavs on the opening day included:

• As part of the decathlon, Van Klaveren set PRs in the shot put (12.50m; 41-00¼) to finish 5th and in the high jump (1.87m; 6-01½) to place 6th. The high-jump performance was .13m better than his previous-best mark.
• Dunn came within .01m of tying his PR in the high jump with a 1.75m (5-08¾) clearance as part of the decathlon.
• Shelby West established a PR in the 400m hurdles (1:01.32), slashing nearly a full second of her previous best.

Friday's schedule will once again be led off by the second day of multis competition in the decathlon for Van Klaveren and Dunn, followed by a slew of field events and then a sprints circuit in the afternoon and early evening. The sprints session will include the 100m, hurdles competition and 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
 
Longhorn Network broadcast coverage is scheduled to get underway on Friday at 1 p.m., and that will also be streamed via Watch ESPN and the ESPN App by clicking here. Live results will be available all day at relays.texassports.com.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Follow the UTA track and field and cross country teams on Twitter (@UTAMavsTFXC), Instagram (@UTAMavsTFXC) and Facebook (/UTAMavsTFXC).