It was announced earlier today that the University of Redlands track & field program raked in 17 All-Region awards that represent 12 different student-athletes, as selected by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). To qualify for an All-Region nod, student-athletes must be ranked among the top 5 regionally or part of a relay team that is in the top 3. Overall, the Bulldog men hauled in 11 honors, while the Redlands women earned six.
Senior Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA) headlines the Maroon and Gray's accolades by earning All-Region honors in three events. He currently ranks first in the 100 Meters among the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and the West Region with a time of 10.59. His time of 21.40 in the 200 places him third among the region, just 0.28 behind the leader. He looks forward to competing at the NCAA Division III Championships in these events later this week.
Colucci gains another All-Region nod as a member of the Bulldogs' 4x100 Relay that recorded a time of 41.53 to sit third in the West. Freshman Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA), freshman Nathan Munoz (Rio Rancho, NM), and junior Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA) join him on Redlands' All-Region quartet.
Furthermore, Speegle rakes in the honor for the 100 Meters with his time of 10.74, which places him fourth in the West and qualified him for nationals. In addition, Munoz and sophomore Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) earn the USTFCCCA's postseason award for their individual efforts in the 110 Hurdles. La-Anyane currently ranks second in the region with a time of 14.68, while Munoz owns the fourth-fastest mark of 14.74.
Freshman Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA) and senior Nathan Meier (Riverside, CA) complete the men's list of honorees with their respective top-five times in the 400 Hurdles (53.59) and 3000 Steeplechase (9:39.43), with Burchett representing the Maroon and Gray at the NCAA meet on May 26-28.
For the women, junior Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) garnered a pair of All-Region awards. She leads the West in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 14.23 and ranks second in the Heptathlon with 4,432 points. She looks forward to competing at the NCAA Championships in the 100 Hurdles.
In addition, sophomore Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) ranks first in the region in the High Jump and qualified for the national meet with her excellent mark of 5' 6 ½".
Finally, sophomore Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) joins her teammates among the elite company with her top-ranking regional mark of 11' 10 ½" in the Pole Vault to earn this year's honor. Senior Lauren Roberts (Portland, OR) adds to her impressive repertoire of accolades with an All-Region award in the 10K after posting the second-fastest time in the West at 37:15.70. Finally, freshman Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) completes this solid list of Bulldog honorees with her accolade in the Long Jump that came after leaping 18' 7" to rank third in the region.
For a complete list of All-Region winners, please visit the USTFCCCA web site.