CLAREMONT, Calif. – Vanguard commenced the 2025 track and field season as several men's athletes competed at the OIDFE Challenge on Saturday.

Sophomore Jonathan Krynicki and freshman Zachary Velasco were event winners. Krynicki captured first place in the 200 meters with a time of 22.06 seconds.  He also participated in the 60 meter dash, finishing fourth in the preliminaries and improving to second in the finals. His 7.00 effort was a personal-best and moved him to No. 8 all-time in the VU record book.

Velasco made his collegiate debut in the high jump and cleared six feet at his first meet. He won the event with a mark of 6-00.75 (1.85m).

Other freshmen impacted the lineup on day one of the season. 

Trevor Bode finished second in the long jump with a top leap of 19 feet, 8.25 inches (6.00m). He also placed 10th in the 60 meter dash prelims in 7.33 seconds.

Sprinter Donovan Ralls collected a fifth place finish in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.12 seconds. He also finished third in the 200 in 22.48.

The Lions posted a second place showing in the distance medley relay as Ommar Arroyo, Cooper Anderson, Jesse O'Campo and Evan Hernandez timed the event in 11:19.97.

Hernandez was the first Lion to cross the line in the 3000 meters, posting a 15th place finish in 9:23.90, followed by Arroyo (9:24.91) and O'Campo (9:29.87).

What Was Said?: "After a lot of hard work throughout the offseason, it was a joy to see our athletes back in action today," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "We witnessed some great performances but one thing that stood out the most was how empty our team site was throughout the day. Everyone was out cheering on their teammates between their own events. I love the camaraderie of this team!"

What's Next?: The Lions return to action on February 7-8 at the Riverside City College Early Bird.