The University of Redlands track & field program enjoyed its first home meet of the 2015 season by hosting the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Multi-Dual No. 1 with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Occidental College, and Whittier College. While scoring against CMS and Whittier, both squads split results while defeating the Poets by a solid margin.
Overall, the men's team notched nine finishes among the top two for a solid day at Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium.
Among the highlights, freshman Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hills, CA) took first in the 110 Hurdles with a time of 15.15, while seniors Darren Centi (Auburn, CA) and Antwain Morgan (Granada Hills, CA) combined efforts for a 1-2 punch in the 400 Meters. Centi crossed the line first with a sub-50-second time of 49.48, as Morgan quickly followed in second place at 50.40.
Both men's relays broke the tape first with strong showings as well. The 4x100 Relay of freshman Dale Stoller (Santa Cruz, CA), junior Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA), sophomore Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA), and senior Taylor Browning (Carbondale, CO) fired off a winning time of 42.17, while the 4x400 Relay of Morgan, sophomore Auston Tribble (Glenwood Springs, CO), senior Dominic Lopez (Las Vegas, NV), and Browning cruised to a first-place showing in 3:21.75, which was nearly a full second ahead of the second-place quartet from Occidental.
Browning also notched a time of 21.97 in the 200 Meters for second place, while Speegle added a runner-up finish in the 100 Meters with a time of 10.86. Lopez continued the trend with his second-place performance in the 800 (1:56.40), as Tribble uncorked a silver-medal time of 55.60 in the 400 Hurdles.
In the field events, freshman Brenden Harlan (Albuquerque, NM) represented the Bulldogs well with a pair of third-place leaps. He reached a distance of 20' 7 ¼" for a season-best mark in the Long Jump, before flying 42' 11 ¾" in the Triple Jump.
The Bulldog women posted similar success with nine top-two finishes that included a pair of event-wins. Senior Merritt ten Hope (Phoenix, AZ) won the Pole Vault by clearing 10' 10", while senior Maddie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) remained impressive in the High Jump with her first-place mark of 5'5". Redlands boasted three additional women among the top High Jump results, with freshman Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) finishing second with the same height, followed by sophomore Caitlin Nardi (El Cajon, CA) and freshman Jade Mahan (San Diego, CA).
Sophomore Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) and junior Kylie Scott (Snohomish, WA) teamed up for quality showings in the Javelin Throw. A. Smith took second with a distance of 103' 5", while Scott closely followed in third at 102' 2".
Sophomore Maddie O'Leary (Vernonia, OR) shined in her throwing events with a second-place toss of 36' 2 ¾" in the Shot Put to go along with a third-place effort in the Discus at 115' 11".
On the track, senior Della Lyle (Buffalo, WY) aided the team's point total with her second-place time of 11:31.55 in the 3000 Steeplechase, which places her third all-time in Redlands history in just her first attempt. She also took third in the 800 Meters with a time of 2:24.70 for another career-best.
Furthermore, freshman Kaylee Jorgensen (Claremont, CA) fired off a second-place time of 2:21.73 in the first 800 of her young Bulldog career, while junior Lauren Roberts (Portland, OR) uncorked a career-best effort of 18:46.12 in the 5000 Meters for the silver.
The Bulldogs' 4x100 Relay of senior Alexandra Blalock (Indian Wells, CA), sophomore Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA),freshman Sophie Brooks (Seattle, WA), and freshman Ellen Meyers (Portland, OR) stepped up with a second-place showing by completing the loop in 50.21.
Redlands continues a busy slate of events this weekend. M. Smith heads to the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships for the High Jump on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, in Winston-Salem, NC, while the remaining Bulldogs compete in the Oxy Distance Carnival and Sprint Festival on Friday.