SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Two Vanguard athletes broke their own school records in another successful meet for the track and field team on Saturday at the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational hosted by Point Loma Nazarene.
Chase Mars (SO/Chino Hills, CA) rewrote the VU history book in the 100 meter dash and Jaelah Butler (SR/La Quinta, CA) did the same in the women's discus as a full Lion squad participated in 25 events.
Mars, who initially set the record on April 15, 2022, with a time of 10.53 seconds, trimmed his personal-best down to 10.50 on Saturday. He won the race involving 48 competitors.
The sophomore earned the double with a victory in the 200 meter dash. He came tantalizingly close to breaking the 49-year old record held by Mike Singletary, coming within .01 of the 21.02 top mark. Mars finished with a time of 21.03, outracing several competitors from NCAA Division I program Navy.
Mars established NAIA "A" standards in both races, which earned him automatic qualification to the NAIA Championships in May.
Continuing an outstanding distance season, Evan Hernandez (SO/Menifee, CA) produced a second place finish in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase. He clocked 9:29.76 to meet the NAIA "B" standard. His performance currently ranks No. 1 in the country.
Blake Rodriguez (SR/Yucaipa, CA) finished 10th in the men's javelin with a clearance of 50.51m (165-08). Isaiah Feaver (FR/Redding, CA) placed 18th in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:58.15.
In addition, Terence Williams (FR/La Palma, CA) was the fastest VU runner in the 400 meter dash, coming in 18th overall in 51.07 seconds.
The women also had a solid afternoon for the Lions. Butler broke her own school record by nearly an inch. She heaved the discus 39.65m (130-01), eclipsing her previous PR of 129-03 set on March 19, 2022.
Butler also competed in the hammer (36.26m – 118-11) and shot put (11.34m – 37-02.50).
Eryn Burke (SO/Yucaipa, CA) qualified for the NAIA Championships with "A" standard times in both the 200 and 400 meters. She finished third overall in 24.49 seconds in the 200, covering the "A" mark of 24.65. Her time is currently ranked No. 1 nationally.
In the 400, Burke took on NCAA Division I athletes and more than held her own. She posted a time of 55.43 seconds to finish third, behind only Navy's Molly Mangan (53.70) and Montana State's Caroline Hawkes (54.80).
Penelopi Leach (JR/Madera, CA) turned in one of the more impressive performances for the Blue and Gold. She lopped off 1.20 seconds on her PR in the 100 meter hurdles, finishing ninth in 15.03 seconds. She moved from fourth to second on the VU all-time list and sits atop this season's Golden State Athletic Conference list.
The top three Lion finishers in the women's 1500 meter run also set personal-bests with Kate Baranski (SO/El Cajon, CA) placing eighth overall in 4:46.13 and trimming four seconds off of her previous best effort. Jessina Morales (SO/Lake Elsinore, CA) took off eight seconds from her previous best, clocking 4:49.78. Karla Sanchez-Ruiz (SO/Los Angeles, CA) ran her race in 4:52.97 to cut five seconds off her PR.
India Moors (SO/Oceanside, CA) crossed the line in 12:52.88 to finish fifth in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Top Lion performer in the javelin was Elsa Riddle (FR/Corvallis, OR) in 18th place with a heave of 28.86m (94-08), while Faith Hunt (JR/Yorba Linda, CA) also came in 18th in both the long jump (4.91m – 16-01.50) and triple jump (10.16m – 33-04).
What Was Said?: "Our athletes enjoyed the sunshine and stunningly beautiful Point Loma venue Saturday while performing at a high level once again," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "This team continues to make progress each week and we love the support and camaraderie they display for one another."
