It was announced late yesterday that the University of Redlands track & field teams reeled in 27 All-West Region Awards, as recognized by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Bulldogs received 11 men's and 16 women's awards for ranking in the region's top five for individual events and landing among the top three for the relays.
This is only the second season for All-Region awards in outdoor track & field.
For the women, senior Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) headlines the Bulldogs' accolades with four awards for six in her career. She currently tops the charts for the region in the 100 Hurdles (13.86) and the Heptathlon (4,799 points) while also earning the honor in the 100 Meters (12.17). Finally, she anchors the fastest 4x100 Relay in the region that includes freshman Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA), sophomore Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA), and senior Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA). The quartet clocked an impressive time of 47.38 earlier this season.
Kimble shines in her inaugural year with the Maroon and Gray by earning two individual awards in the 200 Meters (25.31-fourth) and 100 Hurdles (15.03-fifth). Ramos joins her in the 200 (25.38-fifth) while also representing Redlands in the 100 (12.24-fourth).
Romani adds another accolade to the list by ranking third in the West with a Heptathlon score of 4,302 points. This marks her third All-Region award.
Junior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) leads the region in the High Jump with a leap of 5-7, as she hauls in her second such award of her career.
Freshmen Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) and Gabi Gould (Bellingham, WA) each haul in their inaugural All-Region honor as first-year Bulldogs. Fields currently sits third in the region for the 100 Hurdles (14.55), while Gould impresses in the Pole Vault with the fifth-best mark of 12' ½".
Finally, junior Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) adds to her recent accolades with her first All-Region award, which follows her record-setting performance in the Shot Put. She ranks first in the region with her recent heave of 48' 1 ¼".
On the men's side, the 4x100 Relay of sophomore Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA), sophomore Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA), freshman Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA), and senior Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA) resulted in the fastest time in the region with an All-Region time of 41.07.
Bohlinger and Speegle also represent Redlands in the 100, with Bohlinger topping the charts with his blistering time of 10.64 for his third All-Region award of his young career. Speegle ranks third in the 100 with a time of 10.72 to become an All-Region honoree for the second time.
In just his second season, Burchett earns back-to-back All-Region nods in the 400 Hurdles, as he sits atop the West by registering a time of 53.30 earlier this season.
Champion gains the first All-Region awards of his young career after posting the region's fourth-best height of 6' 6 ¾" in the High Jump.
In addition, junior Wyatt Pannabecker (Choteau, MT) becomes a two-time honoree in his first year of competition at Redlands. Currently, he ranks fourth in the Long Jump (22' 11") and third in the Triple Jump (46' 11 ½").
Finally, junior Afari La-Anyane (Morgan Hill, CA) garners the distinction in the 110 Hurdles for the second year in a row. He owns the third-fastest time in the West Region at 15.13.
For a complete list of the All-Region recipients, please visit the USTFCCCA website.
Eleven members of the Bulldog track & field teams look forward to competing at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, which take place May 25-27 in Geneva, OH.