The years of 2010-2019 saw a team reach the mountain top and take home a red banner, two individuals win at the national level, the launch of multiple new programs, and the ongoing drive to create world-changing leaders through sports. In all, the Blue and Gold suited up for 3,364 contests, taking home 1,785 victories in the process. They combined to earn 267 All-Conference Awards, 257 GSAC Player of the Week recognitions, 125 NAIA All-American Selections, and 32 Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
This decade has been one of the most successful in team history as an NAIA National Champion was crowned in Track & Field for the first time since 1996, and the program saw a boost in the number of student-athletes who qualify for the NAIA National Championships in both indoor and outdoor seasons. When the committee went to evaluate the breakdown for Track & Field, a decision was made to combine the standard 21 events into five total categories.
Multi Events - Winston Lawson
Lawson had one of the most stellar careers during his time wearing the Blue and Gold. This was by far the easiest selection on this list since he won the NAIA National Championship in 2018 for the Heptathlon. In all, he is a seven-time NAIA All-American and was twice named Vanguard Male Athlete of the Year. He is the NAIA record holder in the 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.13 and is a school record holder in the Heptathlon with 5,321 points. In the Decathlon, he ranks second all time with 6,801 points. At the GSAC Championships in 2017, he earned Athlete of the Meet honors and was a two-time GSAC Champion.
Distance - Josh Espinoza
Espinoza was electrifying for Vanguard University after transferring in prior to his junior season. Already listed as one of the Top Five runners of the decade for Cross-Country and now add this recognition to his awards shelf. He was a five-time NAIA All- American and was the NAIA National Champion Runner-up in the 1,000m in 2014. Espinoza holds the school record of 2:26.14 in the 1,000m, 4:11.05 in the mile, 8:59.50 in the 3,000m Steeplechase, and 14:31.54 in the 5,000m. After the 2014-15 school year, he was recognized as Co-Male Athlete of the Year for Vanguard University.
Sprints/Hurdles – Gabe Warner
Warner, another transfer to Vanguard University, was a four-time GSAC Champion and qualified for the NAIA National Championships in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m Relay, and 4x400m Relay. He has the second fasted time in the 100m at Vanguard with a time of 10.66 and is third in program history with a mark of 21.28 in the 200m and 47.87 in the 400m. In 2019, he was a member of the 4x100m relay team which broke the school record and was recognized as Co-Athlete of the Year that same season.
Jumps/Vault – Mason Sallee
Producing one of the best freshman seasons in program history, Sallee won the GSAC Championship in the Triple Jump and quafified for the NAIA National Championships in 2019. During his lone campaign with the Lions, he set the school record in the Triple Jump at 47'1" – which he still holds.
Throws – Tyler Moulton
A look at the Track & Field Top 10 Leaderboard, and one name quickly leaps off the page in the throws category. Moulton is second all-time in discus and hammer throw and is third in shot put. His discus distance was 151'10", a toss of 119'10" in the hammer, and 46'5.25" in the shot put. During the 2017 GSAC Championships hosted in Santa Barbara, he won the event in the discus.
To view the entire Men's Track & Field Record Book, click here.
Keeping in mind all of the blood, sweat, and tears that student-athletes pour into their sport year-round, a few conditions were created in the selection process. Priority was given to players who were recognized both within the GSAC and the NAIA as well as the role they played on the team during their career. To be eligible a player only needed to compete in one year within the decade, but all of the student-athletes' accomplishments would be applied to their candidacy - even if some of those honors and statistics happened prior to 2010.
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