In the final Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Multi-Dual Meet of the 2014 campaign, the University of Redlands track & field teams shined on Saturday, with the men sweeping away the competition for a 3-0 record at the meet, and the women performing well and finishing 3-1 overall. With one school record falling and a number of career-best marks registered, the Bulldogs enjoyed a wildly successful day while building towards the SCIAC Championships.
The Bulldog men defeated Occidental College (120-38), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (93-70), and Whittier College (125-28). The Maroon and Gray women took down Chapman University (116-41), Occidental (92.50-63.50), and Whittier (121-29), while falling to CMS (55-108). With the results, the U of R men finish the SCIAC Multi-Duals undefeated at 7-0, while the Bulldog women finish with a solid mark of 5-3.
On the men's side, the Bulldogs started and ended the meet with winning relays. The 4x100 quartet of senior Darron Usher (Rialto, CA), sophomore Joey Colucci (San Jose, CA), freshman Myles Speegle (Castro Valley, CA), and junior Taylor Browning (Carbondale, CO) combined for a season-best time of 41.37 for the first-place finish. Closing out the meet in style, the Bulldog foursome of Browning, junior Darren Centi (Auburn, CA), junior Antwain Morgan (Granada Hills, CA), and freshman Auston Tribble (Glenwood Springs, CA) crossed the finish line first in the 4x400 Relay, cranking out a time of 3:18.54.
In the 100 Meters, Colucci uncorked a career-best time of 10.71 seconds to win the race, while Speegle also ran a career-best time of 10.90 seconds for third place.
The 200 Meters saw Centi nab top honors with a mark of 21.80 seconds, finishing just in front of Browning who crossed the finish line in 21.82 seconds for second place. Centi continued to shine for the U of R men, winning the 400 Meters with a time of 48.53 seconds.
Usher showed off his diversity for Redlands throughout the meet, and in the 110 Hurdles he ran a new career-best time of 15.23 seconds for first place. He then finished in second in the 400 Hurdles (55.02) to Tribble who recorded another first-place mark for the Bulldogs (54.95). Usher went on to win the High Jump and tied his career-best mark (6' 6 ¾") in the process, while taking second in both the Long Jump (22' 5") and Triple Jump (43' 9 ¼").
In the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, sophomore Jarron Helbock (San Diego, CA) ran well for the Maroon and Gray, taking third overall with a time of 9:58.80.
Senior Chris Bode (Elk, WA) won the Pole Vault for Redlands, clearing a season-best height of 14' 5 ½". In the Javelin, Bode, also earned top honors for the Bulldogs with a heave of 171' 2".
Also in the field events, senior Jorge Cervantes (Indio, CA) dominated by winning the Shot Put (47' 8") and the Discus (157' 6"), while taking fourth in the Hammer (137' 1"). For Cervantes, both marks in the Shot Put and the Discus were career-best throws.
For the Bulldog women, junior Maddie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) provided the highlight of the day when she broke the school record in the High Jump, clearing a mark of 5' 7 ¼". The previous school record, set by Staci Nichols, was 5' 7" and had stood as the Bulldog standard since the year 2000.
Watch an interview with Smith after the school-record jump.
In the 100 Meters, freshman Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA) ran a career-best time of 12.64 seconds to win the race for Redlands.
Watch Ramos win the race here.
Fellow freshman Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) shined in the 100 Hurdles, uncorking a career-best mark of 15.02 seconds for the win. A. Smith also tallied a new career-best mark in the Javelin (113' 03") to take second place in the event.
In the 800 Meters, Jessika Snincsak (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) placed third for the U of R, registering a time of 2:27.44.
In the field events, junior Merritt ten Hope (Phoenix, AZ) notched a season-best mark in the Pole Vault (11' 4 ¼") to win the event. Fellow junior Lauren Tritz (Orange, CA) tallied a pair of third-place finishes in the Long Jump (16' 10") and in the Triple Jump (35' ¼"). Both marks for Tritz were new career-bests.
Finally, in the throwing events, freshman Madeline O'Leary (Vernonia, OR) and sophomore Kylie Scott (Snohomish, WA) led the way for the U of R. O'Leary garnered top honors in the Discus with a throw of 121' 10", while taking second in the Shot Put with a career-best mark of 34' 3 ½". Scott took first for Redlands in the Javelin with a career-best heave of 113' 9", while in the Shot Put, she took third with another career-best mark of 33' 11 ¼".
Prior to the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 3 on Saturday, one Redlands runner competed at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday. Junior Dominic Lopez (Las Vegas, NV) of the Bulldog men's team finished second in his heat of the 800 Meters with a time of 1:54.31.
Redlands takes a break from competition during Commencement week, but looks forward to returning to action at the SCIAC Championships on May 2-3. The SCIAC Championships are set to begin at Occidental College at 12 p.m. on both days. For a complete schedule of the conference finale, please visit the event page.
