The St. John’s track and field teams continued their hot hand last weekend at the Collegiate Invite on Feb. 15.

The 169th Street Armory was home to the competition that featured 25 of the top teams in the country.

The Red Storm wouldn’t let that phase them, and the team pulled off a first place finish overall.

In the 400 meters junior Dewayne Barrett came in first place and set a new school record with a time of 47.29.

“Dewayne Barrett’s 400m performance was outstanding,” St. John’s Head Coach Jim Hurt said. “It was among the best performances I have ever seen in my 20 years coaching.”

Barrett’s performance beat the school record by a full second, and came close to the 47.25 time required for the NCAA Championships.

Other notables for the men’s team were Ben Catalano, Mohamed Kanu and Phil McLean, who together earned a time of 3:15.13 and placed first in the 4×400 relay.

For the women, it was another strong performance for Kay-Dian Reid, Charline Sealy, Judy Williams and Sheanette Hyatt-Davis, who in the 4×400 relay placed first with a time of 3:48.78.

Hurt and his staff had nothing but smiles after the meet.

“We are very pleased,” Hurt said. “We’re moving forward at the right time, our times are dropping and our hard work is paying off.”

Next up for the Johnnies will be the 2003 Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships in Syracuse on Feb. 22-23.

“Our confidence is rising and we always like to do our best efforts at the end of the year,” Hurt said. “We have been tested against high level competition recently, and we’re looking forward to testing our skills in the Carrier Dome this weekend.”

With the momentum coming off the Collegiate Invite first place finish, St. John’s is looking to pose a serious threat and challenge for the Big East title this weekend.