SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Vanguard men's track and field compiled six podium finishes to close out the 2023 Golden State Athletic Conference Championships on Friday.
The Lions concluded the meet in fourth place, a one spot improvement over 2022. VU accumulated 85 points, ahead of Jessup (58), OUAZ (33), Menlo (29) and Hope International (22). The Master's won with 238 points, host Westmont came in second with 194, and Arizona Christian was third with 191.
Chase Mars won gold in the 100 meters for the second year in a row, as the sophomore crossed the line in 10.97 seconds.
Mars also teamed up with Terence Williams, Chris Watson and Gemaal Britt to win the 4x100 relay in 41.61, which ranked No. 3 all-time at Vanguard and met the NAIA "B" qualifying standard.
In the 400 meters, Williams broke into the VU all-time top 10 with a second place finish. His time of 49.07 ranked No. 7 in program history, and lowered his 49.19 personal-best from a day earlier. Williams also finished sixth in the 200 meters in 22.83 seconds.
Watson also finished with silver in the 110 meter hurdles with a personal-best 14.84, an improvement over his 14.94 in the prelims. He nearly nipped Menlo's Neil-Matthew Sutherland (14.81) at the finish line.
In his career debut in the decathlon, Justin Bartlebaugh turned heads with 4,211 points, good for third place. Normally a distance runner, Bartlebaugh clubbed the competition in the 1500 meters, clocking 4:19.72 and winning by 41 seconds over his closest competitor. He also finished third in the discus (21.02m).
Freshman Edgar Sactic also took the podium with a bronze medal in the triple jump. His top effort was 13.16m (43-02.25). Sactic also came in 11th place in the high jump (1.73m).
Isaiah Feaver posted a personal-best in the 800 meters, coming in sixth place in a time of 1:57.55, just a little over a second outside the VU top-10.
Anthony Kennen was 13th in the 5000 meters in 16:19.41.
The 4x400 relay team consisting of Kuba Bartnik, Payton Kubalsky, Aaron Solorzano and Feaver clocked 3:28.31 for a fourth place finish.
Fresh off a second place finish in the javelin on Friday, Blake Rodriguez scored more points for the Lions with his seventh place showing in the discus on Saturday. He tied his lifetime-best with a throw of 35.48m (116-05), as he remained No. 7 all-time on the VU list.
What Was Said?: "As coaches, we are so proud of our men's team and how they performed the past two days," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "GSAC is a very special meet that we love participating in. We welcome and respect the friendly and fierce competition. Our men's team stepped up with amazing effort including some very big, surprising performances, including Justin Bartlebaugh in the decathlon."
What's Next?: The Lions compete in the APU Last Chance Qualifier on Saturday, May 13.
