The University of Redlands track & field program wrapped up the 2014 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship meet on Saturday, with the men finishing third with 135 points and the women taking fourth with 68 points. Combining this meet's results with the dual-meet standings, the Bulldog men take second and the women sit fourth in the final conference standings.
In addition to yesterday's results, the Maroon and Gray recorded five championship performances on day two of the high-caliber meet.
Sophomore Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA) won the 100 by uncorking a time of 10.68 for a career-best mark. This also places him 15th among all NCAA Division III competitors this season and ranks him second all-time at Redlands.
Senior Jorge Cervantes (Indio, CA) successfully defended his Discus title when he fired off a heave of 146' 7" for first place. He won by more than two feet in Saturday's final. Cervantes also contributed points with his seventh-place showing in the Hammer Throw with a distance of 143' 6".
The men's third championship performance came in the 4x400 Relay, as junior Taylor Browning (Carbondale, CO), junior Darren Centi (Auburn, CA), junior Antwain Morgan (Granada Hills, CA), and freshman Auston Tribble (Glenwood Springs, CO) joined forces for the winning time of 3:15.50. The quartet now sits among the best in the country, ranking 15th in all of Division III.
Furthermore, the Bulldogs gained All-Conference showings in multiple events. Freshman Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA) took third in the 200 with his fastest time of 21.95, while Centi came in second in the 400 at 47.89, improving upon his career-best in the process.
After winning the Long Jump on Friday, senior Darron Usher (Rialto, CA) notched a second-place time of 15.16 in the 110 Hurdles to go along with a tied-for-second-place leap of 6' 3 ½" in the High Jump. He also contributed stellar showings in the Triple Jump (fourth – 44' 2 ½") and 400 Hurdles (sixth – 56.30).
Usher's strong meet also included being named the co- recipient of the Dixon Farmer SCIAC Character Award. Occidental's Kevin Cox and Usher split the votes, resulting in two awards for the standout competitors. Named in honor of Farmer, an Occidental graduate and national champion in the 440-yard hurdles, this honor is based on ability, personal characteristics, and sincerity of purpose in academics as voted upon by the member institutions.
Finally, the 4x100 Relay of Browning, Colucci, Speegle, and Centi uncorked a season-best time of 41.28 to finish third in the race.
For the women, freshman Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) and junior Maddie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) registered the only two event-wins for the Bulldogs, while numerous others contributed critical points by finishing among the top eight. A. Smith won the 100 Hurdles with a career-best time of 14.89. She also contributed points in the Javelin (fourth – 113' 4") and 200 (seventh – 26.31).
M. Smith captured her third-consecutive title in the High Jump, clearing this year's winning height of 5' 5 ¾".
Additional All-SCIAC performers include the third-place effort of the all-freshman 4x100 Relay of Tracy Cresta (Pasadena, CA), Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA), A. Smith, and Samantha Vigil (Pacifica, CA). The quartet crossed the finish line in 49.76 for its fastest mark of the season.
The Bulldogs look forward to competing in the Oxy Invitational on May 10 at 11 a.m. in Eagle Rock.
