LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's and Women's Track and Field teams returned to competition following the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships last weekend at the Occidental Invitational Saturday. The two teams combined to record 14 Top-8 finishes in the meet that had NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA teams and professional athletes competing.
Men
The Bulldog men had four athletes/relay team get into the Top-8 of their event/race. The 4x400 relay team of Jamir Jones (Fairfield, CA), Jenner Sherman (Eugene, OR), Ronan Byrne (Portola Valley, CA), and Hunter Greer (Wildomar, CA) ran a season best time of 3:21.80 as they took fourth with two of the three teams ahead of them being higher division opponents (DI and DII).
In the individual events Jacob Huset (Tacoma, WA) cleared 1.90m/6' 2.75" on his second height in the High Jump. Huset was fifth and coming right behind him in sixth was Owen Schmitz (Fremont, CA) who also cleared 1.90m/6' 2.75" on his final attempt of his second height.
Markelle Raymond (Fresno, CA) continued his great season with a third-place finish in the Long Jump with a new personal best of 7.14m/23' 5.25". That jump is only 1.5" off the 10th best mark in program history, a Top-10 list that only has three marks this century and none since 2014.
Women
After coming within seven points of winning the 2023 SCIAC Championship Title, the Bulldog women had a very strong showing with 10 Top-8 finishes.
Redlands had a Top-6 finisher in each of the hurdle races with Ella Bachmeier (Rancho Capistrano, CA) taking sixth in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 14.99 and Elee Faulkner (Blaine, WA) fifth in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:04.44.
In the 4x100 relay Sabrina Semmere (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), Alexandra Ackerman (Lake Elsinore, CA), Maigan Adams (Los Angeles, CA), and Sydney Harness (Henderson, NV) were fifth with a time of 47.96. The Bulldogs finished ahead of Pomona-Pitzer and Trinity University (Texas) with two of the Top-4 teams being higher division opponents.
Ciara Aw (Shoreline, WA) was fifth in the Long Jump with a fifth attempt 5.57m/18' 3.25" mark. She was also the top Bulldog finisher in the Triple Jump thanks to a fourth attempt 10.72m/35' 2".
Two places behind Aw in the Triple Jump was Adams who overcame a pair of fouls in her first two attempts to take eighth on a third jump 10.55m/34' 7.5".
Much like the SCIAC Championships, the Bulldogs had great success in the throwing events with four athletes placing inside the Top-8 in three events. Timony Sherry (Shoreline, WA) was fifth in the Shot Put thanks to a fourth throw of 12.09m/39' 8".
In the Discus Caeli Havel (Pahrump, NV) took fourth and Noelle Chavez (Yucaipa, CA) was sixth. Havel's best throw was on her second attempt when she recorded a 39.95m/131' 1". Chavez's best throw was a 37.94m/124' 6" mark on her second to last attempt.
Finally in the Hammer Leslie Sernaque Falcon (Concord, CA) was fifth thanks to a fifth and second-to-last successful throw of 42.90m/140' 9".
This weekend on Friday and Saturday, May 12-13 the Bulldogs will head to Azusa, Calif. for the Azusa Pacific University Franson Last Chance Meet as more athletes will look to get the qualifying times and marks.