The University of Redlands track & field squad saw plenty of action last week, starting with the two-day Claremont Classic XII Decathlon/Heptathlon in Claremont on Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, and continuing on Saturday, May 9, when select members competed in the Occidental Invitational in Eagle Rock.
Sophomore Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) competed in just her second heptathlon last week and took fifth as the highest finisher from the NCAA Division III with 4365 points. She improved upon her inaugural showing from a year ago by five slots in the standings and 192 points overall. This year, she placed among the top 10 in all but one event, with her best finish coming in the 100 Hurdles during which she fired off a time of 14.72 for third place. She also took fifth in the Javelin with a mark of 103' 6" and seventh in the 200 Meters with a time of 26.02, highlighting her solid effort in the heptathlon that now ranks her 20th in all of NCAA Division III.
Amongst the high-caliber competition at the Oxy Invitational, numerous student-athletes competed in one of two final events before the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Senior Maddie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) highlighted the women's performances, as she placed tied-for-eighth in the High Jump.
Senior Merritt ten Hope (Phoenix, AZ) had a nice showing in the Pole Vault by placing 11th overall with a height of 11' 3 ¾". Freshman Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) finished just behind her in 13th place after clearing 10' 10".
Senior Lauren Tritz (Orange, CA) placed among the top-15 in the Long Jump with a 13th-place mark of 15' 7 ¾".
The men's performances were highlighted by a 4x100 Relay of freshman Dale Stoller (Santa Cruz, CA), junior Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA), sophomore Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA), and senior Taylor Browning (Carbondale, CO) hauling in the silver medal with a time of 41.74.
Senior Peirce Clark (La Cañada, CA) leaped to a sixth-place showing in the High Jump by almost reaching his career-best mark with a 6' 6" showing.
Freshman Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) finished 16th in the 110 Hurdles with a time of 15.75, while sophomore Auston Tribble (Glenwood Springs, CO) completed the 400 Hurdles with a top-20 time of 55.06.
The team returns home to Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, for the Redlands Final Qualifying Meet, starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday.