The University of Redlands track & field teams had the pleasure of hosting day one of the 2018 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships on Friday, April 27. The Bulldogs impressed as 25 student-athletes qualified in 12 events whose final heats will take place tomorrow afternoon, while six student-athletes snagged a spot on the podium in today's finals. With 12 events completed, the Maroon and Gray sits in second place with 95 points.
The Bulldog women impressed, landing five on the podium among the top three in four events. Highlighting the day, senior Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) won the title in the Pole Vault by clearing a height of 11' 10 ½". Sophomore Gabriella Gould (Bellingham, WA) closely followed with a tied-for-second-place finish at 11' 6 ¾". Senior Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) also took the top spot on the podium for an All-Conference nod with her toss of 45' 7 ¼" in the Shot Put. Additionally, sophomore Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) paced herself to snag second place in the 10,000 Meters with a time of 37:19.04. Finally, sophomore Katie Gonzalez (San Gabriel, CA) placed third in Discus with a heave of 124' 10".
For the men, junior Joseph Esparza (Arcata, CA) finished in second place by crossing the line in 9:17.53 in the finals for the 3000 Steeplechase to snag a place on the podium and All-SCIAC honors.
In the preliminaries, sophomore Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) packed a 1-2 punch 100 and 400 meter hurdles by taking first in both events. She smoked the competition by clocking a time of 14.31 in the 100 and 63.37 in the 400. Sophomore Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA) and junior Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) also qualified in the 100 Hurdles with a third-place time of 14.53 and eighth-place time of 15.39, respectively.
Senior Justine Keller (Portland, OR) and first-year Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR) both advanced to the finals with a first- and third-place showing in the 400 Meters. Keller uncorked a winning time of 59.21, while Albrecht completed the race in 59.81.
The men also impressed in the day-one, preliminary events with three, first-place results.
Continuing his dominating performance, senior Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) crossed the finish line first in the 110 Hurdles with a quick time of 14.85. First-year Andrew Clark (Palm Springs, CA), junior John Pease (Fallbrook, CA), and first-year Jason Waters (Troutdale, OR) also clocked qualifying times in this event for the most Redlands student-athletes to be represented in a final.
Junior Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA) out-ran the competition in the 100 Meters with a conquering time of 10.43. First-year MJ Wheeler (St. Louis, MO) also slipped into the finals with a ninth-place time of 10.96. In addition, Bohlinger made the cut in the 200 Meters with a third-place finish of 21.85. Sophomore Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA) will join him in the finals with a ninth-place time of 22.24.
Sophomore Jordan Washecheck (Tulsa, OK) continued the team's outstanding results by completing the 400 Meters in a speedy time of 49.18 for first place and a spot in the finals.
For the distance competition, first-year Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) paced himself to come in second in the 800 Meters, as he crossed the finish in 1:56.82. Junior Benjamin Casey (Highland Park, IL) will join Cargile in the event after posting the ninth qualifying time of 1:56.59.
Last but certainly not least, junior Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA) turned it on towards the end of the 400 Hurdles to grab third place with a time of 55.70. In addition to the 100 Meters, Pease will also run in the finals of this event, as he finished in sixth with a time of 57.23.
Redlands continues the 2018 SCIAC Track & Field Championships on Saturday, April 28, at Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium. The field events will start at 4 p.m. while the running events go off at 5:30 p.m.
