Redlands Track & Field Impresses with a Pair of Second-Place Finishes at the SCIAC Championship Meet

Photo credit: Mollie Craighead
Photo credit: Mollie Craighead

The University of Redlands track & field teams completed day two of the 2018 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships with strong results on Saturday on Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium. The Bulldog women finished second with 162 points, while the men also took second by earning 161.50 points. During Saturday's competition, the Maroon and Gray captured an incredible 12 titles and 21 All-SCIAC marks in a fine showing.

For the women, sophomore Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) captured the double by winning the 100 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles. She fired off a 100-hurdle time of 14.07 to now rank first in all of NCAA Division III. Her 62.06 time in the 400 Hurdles lands her 10th in the nation.

Senior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) snagged her third-consecutive conference title in the High Jump with her large leap of 5' 3 ¾".

Additionally, first-year Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR) was tabbed an All-SCIAC team member with her third-place finish in the 400 Meters with a time of 58.90. She also contributed her talents to the second-place 4x100 relay and third-place 4x400 relay. Accompanied by sophomore Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA), junior Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA), and senior Sophie Brooks (Seattle, WA), the quartet crossed the finish line in 48 seconds flat in the 4x100 relay to now rank 15th in Division III. Now joined by Fields, Kimble, and senior Justine Keller (Portland, OR), this 4x400 group uncorked an All-SCIAC time of 4:01.28.   

After her third-place finish in the Discus yesterday, sophomore Katie Gonzalez (San Gabriel, CA) returned to the podium today with her All-Conference heave of 149'00" in the Hammer Throw.

The men impressed with nine first-place finishes. Starting with junior Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA), who stole the show in the sprinting competitions with a pair of title-winning finishes in the 100 Meters and 200 Meters. Bohlinger now ranks second in all of Division III in each event, with a quick 100 time of 10.51 and a speedy 200 time of 21.08. He also contributed his talents to the first place 4x100 quartet that also included junior Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA), sophomore Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA), and first-year Domanick Murray (Palm Springs, CA). This speedy group ranks second in the Nation with a time of 41.47.

Champion also tied for third in the High Jump with a leap of 6' 3 ½". 

The 4x400 relay of Burchett, sophomore Jordan Washecheck (Tulsa, OK), first-year Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) and first-year Marvin Perkins Jr. (Las Vegas, NV) uncorked a winning time of 3:18.45 to take home All-Conference honors.  

Three of the four men in the 4x400 relay also captured titles in individual events. Burchett turned up the heat by crossing the finish line first in the 400 Hurdles with a time of 54.34 for 25th in the Nation. Washecheck kept things rolling with his top time of 48.70 in the 400 Meters. Finally, Cargile uncorked a fast time of 1:52.97, nearly a whole second in front of his second-place competitor, in the 800 Meters.

Furthermore, senior Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) won the 110 Hurdles with an impressive time of 14.91.

It was all Redlands in the men's Triple Jump, as senior Wyatt Pannabecker (Choteau, MT) and sophomore Mykel Campos (Dinuba, CA) snagged the one and two spots on the podium with their leaps. Pannabecker grabbed first place with a 47' 9 ¾" jump, while Campos followed closely behind with a leap of 46' 10 ¼". Pannabecker ranks 12th in Division III and Campos takes the 26th spot.

Rounding out the impressive outing, junior Matthew Hayashi (Hacienda Heights, CA) registered a second-place Shot Put heave of 46' 2 ¾".  

Various members of the teams look forward to taking on the competition at the Oxy Invitational on Saturday, May 12.