The University of Redlands track & field teams hosted the Redlands Invitational on Friday, competing on Ashel Cunningham Track for the first time in 2014. Among the excitement, four venue records fell, and multiple Bulldogs landed among the NCAA Division III's top performances for the season thus far.
Recent graduate Ross Blanchard reset the Ashel Cunningham mark for the 110 Hurdles with his first-place time of 14.33. On the women's side, unattached runner Shevon Stoddart broke the facility's record for the 100 and 200 with winning times of 11.74 and 23.99, respectively. Finally, Biola University competitor Alexandra Sciarra fired off a record-setting time of 2:14.12 in the 800.
For the Bulldogs, senior Darron Usher (Rialto, CA) highlighted the team's strong performances with his career-best mark of 23' 5 ½" in the Long Jump, placing him first at the meet. This distance also lands him at the top of the list for current competitors among the NCAA Division III.
Watch Usher's career-best jump.
Junior Darren Centi (Auburn, CA) won the 400 with the fastest time of his career, crossing the finish line at 49.18 for the fifth-best mark among NCAA Division III runners this year. Teammate junior Taylor Browning (Carbondale, CO) quickly followed in second place with a time of 49.41.
Junior Dominic Lopez (Las Vegas, NV) made the most of his debut in the 1500 by winning the race with a time of 4:11.02. While staying among the pack through most of the competition, Lopez made an impressive move on the final lap to take over the top spot in his first-ever appearance in this event.
Sophomore Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA) uncorked his best effort of 2014 in the 200 while recording the 10th-fastest time in Division III this season at 22.08.
Freshman Auston Tribble (Glenwood Springs CO) fired off a season-best time of 57.01 for third place in the 110 Hurdles, while sophomore Pekthra Chhor (Loma Linda, CA) also shined in this event with his first sub-minute mark at 57.57 for fourth.
Freshman Keaton Meidinger (Olympia, WA) and sophomore Trevor Lee (San Mateo, CA) represented the team well in the Triple Jump. Meidinger registered a second-place mark of 42' 3 ½", while Lee came in third at 40' 2 ¼".
Senior Jorge Cervantes (Indio, CA) put together a solid meet with top-two finishes in all three throws. He won the Discus with a heave of 152' 5" to rank sixth among Division III competitors this year. He also took second in the Shot Put (42' 7") and Hammer Throw (147' 11").
Redlands' relays also impressed with a pair of first-place performances. Browning, Colucci, freshman Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA), and Usher combined forces in the 4x100 for a Division III-leading time of 41.60. Browning, Centi, junior Antwain Morgan (Granada Hills, CA), and Tribble led the pack in the 4x400 with a time of 3:23.62.
Watch the impressive 4x100 Relay here.
For the women, junior Maddie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) captured the Bulldogs' only first-place mark, as she prevailed in the High Jump with a height of 5' 3 ¾". Currently, she ranks seventh among Division III competitors for 2014. Junior Alexandra Blalock (Indian Wells, CA) cleared a mark of 4' 11 ¾" for second place in the same event.
Freshman Bree Wilkinson (Lafayette, CA) unleashed a toss of 110' 1" in the Discus for second place, while junior Lauren Tritz (Orange, CA) uncorked a distance of 34' 5 ¾" in the Triple Jump for third. Finally, sophomore Kylie Scott (Snohomish, WA) came in fourth in the Hammer Throw with a career-best effort of 133' 4".
On the track, freshman Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) fired off a season-best time of 15.02 in the 100 Hurdles for second place, ranking her sixth among the NCAA Division III this season.
Sophomore Meghan Gressel (Loyalton, CA) tallied a second-place time of 1:13.64 in the 400 Hurdles for her fastest mark of the 2014 season.
In addition, the 4x400 Relay of junior Casey Foster (Riverside, CA), freshman Jessika Snincsak (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), freshman Tracy Cresta (Pasadena, CA), and Blalock put together a second-place showing of 4:15.75.
Redlands returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Sat., March 29, when it heads to the University of La Verne for the SCIAC Multi-Dual Meet No. 2.
