The University of Redlands track & field teams hosted the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Multi-Dual No. 2 on Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium on Saturday. Under pristine conditions, the Bulldogs put on a display of career bests and top national marks en route to defeating the University of La Verne and Caltech in fine fashion. The No. 25 Redlands women topped the Leopards by a score of 102-52 and cruised by Caltech in a 127-14 decision. The Bulldog men prevailed over both opponents as well, posting margins of 92-71 versus ULV and 137-24 against CIT.
For the women, senior Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) put together a solid day by posting the fastest time in NCAA Division III this season for the 100 Hurdles when she crossed the finish line in 14.17. She also won the Javelin Throw with a heave of 117' 9" and took second in the 200 Meters with a time of 26.07. Finally, she ran anchor on the winning 4x100 Relay that fired off a time of 47.38 to rank second in the nation. Smith joined freshman Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA), senior Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA), and sophomore Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) for a formidable quartet.
In addition, junior Kaylee Jorgensen (Claremont, CA) paced the competition in the 400 Meters by clocking a first-place time of 1:00.66, while junior Justine Keller (Portland, OR) quickly followed in 1:00.99 for second place.
Finally, freshman Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) made her collegiate debut in the 3000 Steeplechase with a winning time of 12:14.68. Ramos and Kimble also provided quality times in the 100 Meters en route to taking second (12.69) and third (12.76) place, respectively.
In the field events, junior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) registered a first-place mark in the High Jump by clearing a height of 5' 3", as senior Caitlin Nardi (San Diego, CA) took second for the Maroon and Gray with a 4' 11" showing.
Romani also shined in the Long Jump with a leap of 17' 6 ¾" to earn first place, while junior Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) recorded a second-place mark of 10' 11 ¾" in the Pole Vault.
For the men, sophomore Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA) and senior Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA) fired off amazing times in each of their respective events to combine for five first-place showings. The dynamic duo teamed up with freshman Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA) and junior Coleton Fitzgerald (Spokane, WA) for an impressive 4x100 Relay that uncorked a winning time of 42.30 to now rank 14th in the nation. Burchett also won the 400 Meters with a time of 48.77 to rank fifth in all of NCAA Division III, before running the ninth-best time in the nation in the 400 Hurdles at 54.59. Speegle surged past the competition in the 100 (11.07) and 200 (22.38) for a pair of first-place efforts as well.
Sophomore Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA) unleashed a time of 11.19 in the 100 Meters to finish second, while sophomore Drew Kargol (Honolulu, HI) shaved off more than 15 seconds from his previous time in the 3000 Steeplechase for a second-place time of 10:39.18.
Junior Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) scored quality points in the hurdle events by winning the 110 Hurdles (15.42) and coming in third in the 400 Hurdles (58.21).
In the field events, La-Anyane added a second-place showing in the High Jump with a mark of 5' 10 ¾", which was just off of his teammate's height, as Champion cleared 6' 2 ¾" to win the event.
Freshman Cooper Adamo (Bakersfield, CA) and junior Wyatt Pannabecker (Choteau, MT) added a pair of second-place leaps in the Long Jump (22' 3 ¾") and Triple Jump (45' ¼"), respectively, while sophomore Matt Hayashi (Hacienda Heights, CA) recorded a second-place heave in the Shot Put with a mark of 46' 2".
Redlands looks forward to competing in the Jim Click Multis Shootout, which takes place on Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7, in Tucson, AZ. The squad then heads to the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday, April 8.
