SAN DIEGO, Calif. – It was a jam-packed day for Vanguard men's track and field, as the Blue and Gold posted five podium finishes and saw 10 faces cement themselves in the record books at the Arnie Robinson Invite hosted by San Diego Mesa.

Beau Swett was among many Lions who enjoyed themselves inside Merrill Douglas Stadium, as the sophomore transfer became just the second Lion in school history to reach 23' in the long jump. He cleared the second farthest leap in program history, with a personal best 23' 00.50" to document a fifth-place finish. It was the best leap since the program's record holder, Devario Johnson (23'2), breached the margin in February 2002.  However, while Swett might be second on the all-time list, he is now in sole possession of the longest jump during the outdoor season, as Johnson's was set in the NAIA indoor campaign.

Swett also went on to tie his personal-best mark in high jump (6' 02.75"), cashing in a podium spot in third. He's equaled his career-best in the event in back-to-back meets now.

Addison Altermatt and Deyton Ford were the other Lions taking the stage on the jumping team. Altermatt was at 5' 07.00" for high jump and 18' 06.05" in long jump. Ford finished in 12th in the long jump with a new personal-best (21' 09.50"). It was the 10th best VU long jump all-time.

Taking a look at the sprinters, Andre Hackett was the top VU finisher in the 100m race, coming in 10.80 to rank ninth. It was a new personal-best for the freshman and tied for the ninth fastest time in program history, tying Marquis Rogers's race from April 2021. Lenier Pitts Jr. rolled in at 10.95 to finish in 18th. Brandon Pereira was 41st (11.26) in his debut in the event, and was closely followed by Joab Vela in 43rd (11.33). Trevor Bode was 63rd with an 11.71 time.

The 200m race was a tough heat, with eight of the top 10 finishers in the event all putting up personal bests. Hackett worked through the competitive cast to take 10th (22.02) and racked in the 10th fastest time in program history, overtaking Aze Perkins (22.07) from March 2009.

Pitts Jr. was close behind, having a career-best run at 22.61. The transfer in Ford also had a personal best run at 23.38 to close out the VU competitors.

The 400m was represented by Jonathan Krynicki, who finished in 50.47 to post 10th place among the pack.

The 4x100m relay team of Deyton Ford, Lenier Pitts Jr., Brandon Pereira, and Andre Hackett was also rampant. They staked a 41.75 racw, which tied fifth place, and in the VU record books, marked the fifth-fastest time in school history and best since 2023.

Chris Watson showed out in the 100m hurdles, just .02 seconds behind a podium spot with a 15.17 time, placing him in fourth in the event and fifth all-time in program history. His efforts eclipse Quinton Alexander's mark (15.38) in April 2016.

As far as Lions go, the 400H was a tight race between Landon Torres and Cohen Swift, who ended one spot apart. Torres was 11th, running a 57.45, while Cohen Swift had a season-best run through the event with a 58.08 time. Torres now has the fourth fastest time ever for VU in the 400H, while Swift locked into the eighth fastest all-time tick. Robert Torrez was 20th on the day with a 1:02.40 time.

Isaiah Feaver was the runner-up in the 800m. His 1:56.78 race was only 24 hundredths of a second away from taking top spot. Freshman Jayden Sanchez set a new personal best at 1:59.16 to take 12th, and Cooper Anderson carved a 23rd-place finish with a 2:00.98 time.

The Vanguard duo of Ommar Arroyo and Caleb Dickerson put out a strong showing in the 3000m steeplechase event. Arroyo was the runner-up and one of two runners at the event, coming in under 10 minutes. He kept a steady split through laps four to seven to finish with a 9:38.60 time, the eighth-best time in the event in program history. Dickerson came in third place to book another VU podium mark and glided past the finish line at 10:17.27.

In the 5000m, Jesse O'Campo racked in a podium spot with a 15:25.88, which was third place on the afternoon. Ryan Starnes was in at 17:34.12, which was 16th.

The 4x400m relay team (Jack Slavin, Cooper Anderson, Jayden Sanchez, Isaiah Feaver) posted a time of 3:26.58, which was 10th and a season best for the squad. The second group, consisting of Brandon Pereira, Cohen Swift, Robert Torrez, and Landon Torres, finished in 3:36.75, which was 19th.

Blake Bazaldua was 16th for a personal best 37.78m (123' 11") in discus throw. The mark puts him fifth all-time in the VU record books and overtakes his previous personal best by over three meters. Bazaldua also appeared in the hammer throw and shot put for Vanguard, where he was 17th (33.60m) and 19th (10.89m), respectively.

What's Next? The Lions head to Santa Barbara for the two-day Jim Klein Decathlon-Heptathlon next week, March 26-27.