SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Vanguard women's track and field racked up 18 podium finishes and broke its fifth record of the 2023 outdoor season, highlighting its run to a second straight title with a whopping 266 points at the Golden State Athletic Conference Championships on Friday.
The Lions scorched the field, winning by 86 points over runner-up and host Westmont, which finished with 180. The Master's placed third with 169.5 points, followed by Jessup in fourth with 126.5. Arizona Christian (47), OUAZ (40), Hope International (9) and Menlo (4) rounded out the standings.
It was a dominating performance that came on the heels of the 2022 title in which the Lions scored 247 points.
The Blue and Gold collected eight first-place finishes, six second place and four third place on day two. The sprinters showed their collective depth, accumulating 111 of the team's total points across six events.
Among a sea of highlights was one that stood out – the 4x400 relay team smashed the school and GSAC record. Elizabeth Betten, Ariana Rodriguez, Brooke Dalgity and Eryn Burke posted the second-fastest time in the NAIA this season in a blazing 3:48.40. The previous GSAC Championship record was 3:49.99 by Westmont in 2013. The old VU record was 3:49.24, accomplished at the NAIA Championships last season.
Eryn Burke contributed to three additional victories on Friday. She joined forces with Dorothy Jackson, Jordyn Burke and Armiyah Johnson to capture gold in the 4x100 relay, cruising to a time of 46.72 seconds.
Individually, the sophomore repeated as champion in the 200 and 400 meters. She clocked 24.73 in the 200 and 54.96 in the 400, finishing below the 55-second mark for the second time this season. Dalgity (56.73) and Betten (57.36) followed in second and third in the 400, respectively.
Behind Burke, the Lions also had the second through fourth finishers in the 200, with Johnson (25.31), Dalgity (25.35) and Betten (25.44) racking up key points.
Dorothy Jackson topped the field in the 100 meter dash in 12.37 seconds, while Jordyn Burke finished second in 12.43.
Jordyn Burke won her second consecutive gold in the 400 meter hurdles, crossing the line in 1:02.89 and winning by nearly four seconds.
In the heptathlon, Penelopi Leach had a banner day with a gold medal performance of 3,668 points. She helped her cause by winning the 800 meters in 2:27.28 and finishing third in the long jump (4.59m). Outside of the heptathlon competition, Leach backed up her abilities in the 100 meter hurdles with a runner-up finish in 15.15 seconds.
Olivia Finch picked up six points while finishing third in the heptathlon with a total of 3,041 points.
In the field events, Jaelah Butler captured gold in the hammer with a top throw of 44.16m (144-10). The senior also scored eight points in the shot put, posting a personal-best mark of 12.26m (40-02.75) that improved upon her No. 3 spot in VU history.
Teammate Kaylee Jones reached the podium with a third place effort in the shot put. She cleared 10.67m (35-00.25).
Julianna Holm finished second in the high jump with a mark of 1.58m (5-02.25).
Kate Baranski continued to show improvement in her two staple events – the 800 and 1500 meters. The sophomore recorded personal-bests in both races, clocking 2:19.31 in the 800 and 4:45.59 in the 1500.
In the 5000 meters, Jessina Morales finished eighth in 19 minutes, 32.18 seconds.
Faith Hunt just missed an all-conference performance in the triple jump, coming in fourth place with a leap of 10.24m (33-07.25).
What Was Said?: "As coaches, we're extremely proud of our women's team for capturing their back-to-back championships today," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "Our ladies competed at a high level from start to finish and every athlete contributed to this victory! This special group of ladies really supports one another as a family. The love, prayers, camaraderie, and affirmations, were off the charts the past two days. What an amazing experience. We give all the glory to God and are blessed to be part of this memorable journey."
What's Next?: The Lions compete in the APU Last Chance Qualifier on Saturday, May 13.
