The Triton men’s and women’s track and field teams blasted past the competition at Pomona-Pitzer College All-comers meet on Feb. 15 in Claremont, Calif. The meet was UCSD’s first of the 2003 season.
Noteworthy standouts were the sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers, and the many freshmen who distinguished themselves in this “”fairly low-key”” meet by making an immediate impact.
Talented newcomer Mike Cunningham bolstered the team by winning the 400-meter hurdles and placing second in the 110 hurdles, as well as leading the Tritons’ 1,600-meter relay team to victory.
Kaylin Siever, a talented freshman on the women’s squad, which won nine events, placed first in the 110 hurdles, and led UCSD to victory in the 1,600-meter relay .
With an impressive time of 11:05, Trevor Takayama sailed past the opposition in the 100 meters, while Brian Parisi raced out to the lead and captured first in the 800 meters with a time of 1:56.81.
Women’s discus superstar Sara Allsup clinched first with a potent 144’8” performance, while Kendra Canape also came out on top with a jump of 5’4” in the high jump. Other notable performances came from Jackie Vu, who contributed a first-place finish in the pole vault by clearing a height of 11’0″”, Sandy Schaefer’s first in the 400 meters and Hilary Mills’ first in the 800 meters, among others.
This meet allowed the “”new people to get their jitters out, and some of them really stepped up,”” said UCSD head coach Tony Salerno.
The meet gave the coaches and athletes an invaluable opportunity to gauge their progress as they anticipate future successes later on in the year.
With so many strong performances, the Tritons are satisfied with their solid start.
“”I was more than pleased, although there were not too many expectations,”” Salerno said.
Ten college programs, mostly Division III, as well as unattached athletes, participated in the non-scoring competition over the weekend.
The Triton distance squad opted out of the meet, sensibly choosing to keep its energy level high and its legs fresh in anticipation for upcoming meets.
The important March 1 UC Championships will provide UCSD, the sole Division II and non-scholarship school participating, to face off against its sister schools, including UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara, at Riverside at 9 a.m.
This weekend has the Tritons back in action, running against Cal Poly Pomona and the University of La Verne on Feb. 22 in Pomona, Calif., at 9 a.m.