The University of Redlands track & field teams hosted the 2021 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships on Friday on Ashel Cunningham Track. Amidst multiple podium finishes and personal-best performances, both teams secured a first-place showing, with the women dominating with 116.5 points, while the men protected their spot at the top with a one-point win with 80 points. Between the two teams, the Bulldogs earned 20 first-place finishes, with the women garnering 12 and the men earning eight.
Kicking off the winning effort in the field, first-year Noelle Chavez (Yucaipa, CA) and senior Katie Gonzalez (San Gabriel, CA) topped the podium in the Discus and Hammer Throw, respectively. Chavez lobbed a toss of 40.85m, while Gonzalez tossed a winning throw of 45.81m.
The Bulldog women impressively took the top-three spots in the Long Jump. Senior Brenna Dolen (Redlands, CA) soared to a 5.44m-distance. Sophomore Ciara Aw (Seattle, WA) and senior Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR) followed her with jumps of 5.26m and 5.10m.
Dolen and Aw went on to take a one-two punch in the Triple Jump, as well. Dolen rocketed to 11.39m, while Aw leaped 9.99m.
Rounding out the field events, the women took the top three spots in the Pole Vault, as senior Claire Jamison (Louisville, CO) won the event with a height of 3.05m, followed by sophomore Josephine Weis (Napa, CA) (2.75m) and sophomore Savannah Engler (Petaluma, CA) (2.75m).
The women's team also excelled on the track, as first-year Ella Bachmeier (Rancho Capistrano, CA), sophomore Iman Musinovic (Evanston, IL), and first-year Kiki Stradford (Lake Forest, CA) landed 1, 2, 3 in the 100M Hurdles. Bachmeier and Musinovic registered a photo finish, both stopping the clock in 15.51, as Stradford followed on their heels in 15.53.
Sophomore Alexandra Ackerman (Lake Elsinore, CA) led the charge in the 100 and 200M Dash with speedy times of 12.32 and 25.46, respectively. Junior Courtney O'Neal (Las Vegas, NV) and first-year Sydney Harness (Henderson, NV) chased in second and third with times of 12.46 and 12.70. The two also came in second and third in the 200M, as Harness just beat out O'Neal with times of 25.95 and 26.80.
Senior Andrea Lyon (Danville, CA) landed atop the podium in the 400M Dash crossing the finish line in 57.32. She then combined talents with Bachmeier, Ackerman, and Albrecht to take first in the challenging 4x400 Relay with a 4:08.65 finish. Lyon, Ackerman, and Albrecht combined efforts with O'Neal for a first-place finish in the 4x100 Relay with a time of 47.63, three seconds ahead of second place.
In addition, junior Isabella Glenn (Seattle, WA) added solid points with her first-place finish in the 3000m Steeplechase, stopping the clock in 11:47.82.
In the men's field events, sophomore Jack Gordon (Las Vegas, NV) grabbed first place in the Pole Vault, launching himself to a height of 4.55m. First-year Tyler Davies (Lake Forest, CA) landed atop the podium in the Shot Put with a toss of 13.31m for an impressive rookie season in the Maroon and Gray.
Senior Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) won both the 800M and 5000M run, stopping the clock in 2:01.01 and 15:37.94, respectively. His win in the 5000 came after an impressive kick in the final few laps to overtake two leading runners from Cal Lutheran University.
Additionally, junior Riley Lathrop (Honolulu, HI) and senior Trevor Brouelette (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) took second and third in the 1500M run to add crucial points for the Bulldogs, finishing in 4:14.10 and 4:16.94.
Sophomore Christian Megas (Palmdale, CA) and junior Jamir Jones (Fairfield, CA) showed off their speed in the 200M and 400M Dash. Megas finished the 200 with a first-place time of 22.61, while Jones crossed the finish line ahead of everyone else with a time of 50.37.
Along with that, Megas also took first in the 100M Dash in 10.81. Seniors Cooper Malerstein (Huntington Beach, CA) and Anthony Bonini (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) placed second and third in 10.92 and 10.98.
Megas, Malerstein, and Bonini teamed up with sophomore Joseph Pang (Henderson, NV) for a solid podium finish in the 4x100 Relay with a quick time of 43.35.
With the team competition coming down to the wire against Cal Lutheran and the final event looming, the Maroon and Gray quartet of first-year Nathan Mestre (Chula Vista, CA), Megas, Brouelette, and Jones dug deep to move up from third to second place for three points in the 4x400 Relay. This difference in points propelled the Bulldogs to a first-place total of 80 points in the team standings, only one in front of the Kingsmen.
The Bulldog track & field teams return to action for the Redlands Final Qualifier on Wednesday, May 19, and Thursday, May 20, on Ashel Cunningham Track.