The University of Redlands track and field teams headed to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday, March 7, for the first meet in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic (SCIAC) competition. The Bulldogs did extremely well against Pomona-Pitzer, La Verne, and Cal Lutheran in dual-meet action.
Taking first in the 100 Hurdles for the women, senior Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) ran a 14.27 against nearly a two-mile an hour wind for the win. First-year Alexandra Ackerman (Lake Elsinore, CA) crossed the line in second in the 100 Meter Dash with a time of 12.26, while sophomore Courtney O'Neal (Atlanta, GA) also took second place in the 200 Meter Dash by stopping the clock in 26.34.
The relay teams performed well also with a first and a second-place finish. The 4x100 squad of O'Neal, Ackerman, junior Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR), and junior Andrea Lyon (San Ramon, CA) came in first by touching the wall in 48.20, while the quartet of junior Desiree Cadena (San Jose, CA), Albrecht, senior Carly Veasy (Camas, WA), and Lyon earned second place with a 4:08.03 finish in the 4x400.
In the mid-distance races, Albrecht battled for first place in a tight 400 Meter race with a time of 58.83. Lyon was close behind in third with a time of 59.43. In the 800 Meter, Cadena clocked in at 2:26.37 to claim a gold-medal finish.
The Maroon and Gray also took advantage as the only team in the 3,000 Steeplechase with a 1-2-3-4 finish. Claiming the win was senior Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) with a time of 11:28.92.
Over in the field events, junior Bryanna Neagle (Las Vegas, NV) tied for first in the High Jump with a height of 5' 1".
Junior Claire Jamison (Louisville, CO) and first-year Savannah Engler (Petaluma, CA) took one-two in the Pole Vault with impressive 10' 0" leaps form both. Their finish was nearly four inches higher than any other competitor.
Junior Brenna Dolen (Redlands, CA) performed well by taking first in the Triple Jump with a distance of 38' 0" and second in the Long Jump with a bound of 17' 11". In addition, graduate student Katie Gonzalez (San Gabriel, CA) claimed first in the Discus and Hammer Throw with distances of 134' 4" and 154' 11", respectively.
For the men, first-year Christian Megas (Palmdale, CA) started his day on the right note with a first-place time of 11.02 in the 100 Meter Dash. Junior Marvin Perkins Jr. (Las Vegas, NV) closed the gap and took third with a time of 11.14. Senior Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA) dominated the 200 Meter Dash by nearly a second with a first-place time of 21.53. Perkins finished right outside of the top-three with a fourth-place finish in 22.63.
In the 1500, junior Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) battled neck-and-neck in front of the pack down the final stretch but earned second place with a time of 3:58.47, just .19 seconds off of first.
The Bulldogs also received third-place points from junior Jason Waters (Troutdale, OR) in the 110 Hurdles with a time of 15.82, and junior Quentin Olive-Larson (Fort Collins, CO) in the 3,000 Steeplechase with a time of 9:53.04.
In the 4x100 relay, the team comprised of junior Domanick Murray (Palm Springs, CA) Megas, Perkins, and Champion ran a smooth race to take first with a time of 42.09. Senior Tyler Lufkin (Yucaipa, CA), sophomore Jamir Jones (Fairfield, CA), senior Jordan Washecheck (Tulsa, OK), and Cargile clocked a 3:27.23 to take third in the 4x400 Relay.
The men also turned in strong performances in the field, starting with a first-place leap of 5' 8" from first-year Owen Schmitz (Fremont, CA) in the High Jump. He continued his momentum with a huge spring of 43' 11.75" to take first place in the Triple Jump. His win was nearly a foot further than second place and was against the strongest headwind of two miles an hour in the field.
Ending the day, first-year Jack Gordon (Las Vegas, NV) made his mark with a first-place height of 14' 7.25' in the Pole Vault, while first-year Steve Nakamura (San Jose, CA) leaped 20' 4.25" to place third in the Long Jump.
Some of the Redlands track and field squad prepares for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina while others will head to the Oxy Distance Festival and Sprint Carnival and on Friday, March 13.