ALISO VIEJO, Calif. -- VU men's track and field also completed its indoor event slate with the Soka Indoor qualifier, and the Lions had seven podiums and two individual victories on Saturday.
What Happened? On the field,
Blake Bazaldua heaved the shot put 10.85m (35' 7 ¼") to finish in seventh, with a third-place result in the weight throw after a throw of 11.14m (36' 6 ¾").
Deyton Ford was the lone VU participant in the long jump, and he placed seventh with a maximum distance of 6.19m (20' 3 ¾"). Meanwhile,
Addison Altermatt completed the high jump with a 1.75m leap (5' 8 ¾"), and
Robert Torrez ended sixth in the pole vault after clearing 2.90m (9' 6 ¼").
The Blue and Gold had two entries in the 4x400m relay, and
Isaiah Feaver,
Cooper Anderson,
Jayden Sanchez, and
Jonathan Krynicki placed third with a time of 3:28.27. The quartet of
Cohen Swift,
Landon Torres,
Josiah Kirby, and
Jack Slavin placed seventh in 3:43.85.
In the two fastest events of the day,
Chris Watson topped the 60m hurdles in 8.33 seconds, while
Lenier Pitts Jr. placed fifth in the 60m dash after crossing the line in 7.03. Krynicki ended third in the 200m race, notching a 22.06, almost a second ahead of
Donovan Ralls, who was seventh in 22.72.
The best event for the Lions during the day was the 600m competition, as
Cooper Anderson (1:22.26), Feaver(1:22.5), Slavin (1:22.94), and Swift (1:25.75) took the top four spots in the race.
In the long distance races, VU had three placers in the top 10 of the 5,000m run, with
Jesse O'Campo taking seventh (15:10.15),
Ommar Arroyo eighth (15:10.71), and
Caleb Dickerson 10th (16:06.14).
What was Said? "Another special day for VU track! Loads of event winners and personal bests," said Head Coach
Bryan Wilkins. "Our athletes supported one another with great enthusiasm and displayed a high level of sportsmanship and connection with other teams throughout the day. I'm so proud of our team!"
What's Next? The Carl Rossi Relays at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps beckon in two Saturdays (February 28) for the Blue and Gold.
