Figueroa breaks 3 national & LAI records at Las Justas.

Sprinter José Figueroa of Ana G. Méndez University

Inter, Ana G. Méndez win team titles

By THE STAR STAFF

The Interuniversity Athletic League (LAI by its initials in Spanish) Track and Field Championships, known locally as “Las Justas,” concluded Saturday with 12 league records, three national records, and victories for the Tigres of Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and the Taínas of Ana G. Méndez University.

Mayagüez native José Figueroa, representing Ana G. Méndez University, broke the 200-meter record -- at both the national and LAI levels -- with a mark of 20.06 seconds during the championships. The performance improved upon the 20.07 seconds he had previously clocked to break his own record of 20.49 seconds (set in 2025), as well as the record held by Daniel Grueso of Inter-American University (set in 2010).

The Tigres of Inter-American finished with 235 points to prevail in the men’s competition, while the Taínas of Ana G. Méndez closed out the meet with 230 points to win the women’s division.

Securing second place on the women’s side were the Tigresses of Inter-American, who accumulated 223.5 points, and the Taínos of Ana G. Méndez, who earned 222 points in the men’s division.

Third-place honors went to the Gallitos of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR)-Río Piedras Campus (108 points) on the men’s side, and the Juanas of UPR-Mayagüez (124.5 points) in the women’s division.

Among Figueroa’s other achievements, following his run in the 4×100-meter relay, he shattered both the national and LAI records in the 400-meter dash with a time of 44.49 seconds. The LAI record had belonged to Gustavo Cuesta of Inter-American, with a time of 45.33 seconds, since 2015; the national record was held by Ayden Owens-Delerme, with 45.07 seconds, set in 2022.

With the performance, Figueroa positioned himself globally with the seventh-fastest time at 400 meters, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Another event in which Figueroa competed -- and where he and Ana G. Méndez teammates Adrián Canales, Yariel Pérez and Jarell Cruz set an LAI record -- was the 4x400-meter relay, clocking a time of 3:06.23. The quartet broke the previous record of 3:08.47, held by Inter-American University since 2015.

Joining the men were the Ana G. Méndez women’s 4x400-meter relay team -- Andrea Rivera, Grace Otero, Dianelis Rivera and Génesis Castro -- who set an LAI record of 3:37.98. The previous record was held by the same university, set in 2015, with a time of 3:39.87.

The quartet of Cruz, Otero, Joshuangel Dones and Castro set a record of 3:25.45 for Ana G. Méndez in the mixed 4x400-meter relay; in the same race, their rival Inter-American, represented by Carlos Cruz, Mariangel Núñez, Yadiel Santana and Brianna Cains -- also bettered the existing LAI record with a time of 3:27.04. Another relay team that made history was Ana G. Méndez’s 4x100 squad -- comprising Ángel Márquez, Figueroa, Canales and Pérez -- which clocked a time of 38.67 seconds. The performance shattered the national record of 38.97 seconds (set in 2026 by these very same student-athletes during the third qualifying round of Las Justas) as well as the LAI record of 39.30 seconds, previously held by Metropolitan University since 2008.

Meanwhile, Ana G. Méndez’s Otero joined the ranks of record-holders with a mark of 57.38 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. The student-athlete surpassed the previous record of 57.85 seconds, set in 2009 by Yolanda Osana of Metropolitan University.

Ponce native Frances Colón, representing Inter-American, established a new LAI record of 11.31 seconds in the 100-meter dash, breaking her own previous record of 11.38 seconds, set in 2025.

Michael Soler of Inter-American, competing in the hammer throw, set a new mark of 68.77 meters, breaking the previous record of 67.76 meters held by Roberto Sawyer of Metropolitan University since 2011.

Meanwhile, Inter-American’s Yarielis Torres, with a heave of 62.47 meters in the hammer throw, broke the record held by her older sister, Juana Díaz native and UPR-Mayagüez athlete Yanielys Torres, who had set the previous mark of 60.95 meters in 2023.

Representing UPR-Río Piedras, athletes set new records in the 10,000-meter race walk. Jonathan de la Cruz clocked a time of 45:39.71, breaking the previous record of 46:04.09 set in 2025 by Sebastián Quiñones of Ana G. Méndez.

Sharon Herrera improved upon both her own personal best and the LAI record of 47:20.68, which she had originally established in 2025. In this edition, she stopped the clock at 46:42.21.

Finally, the MVPs of Las Justas were Katiria González of Pontifical Catholic University and Angie Palacio of Ana G. Méndez University on the women’s side; and Uriel Muñoz of Inter-American among the men.