TRACK ‘amp; FIELD ‘mdash; As school records continue falling, the Tritons once again proved they have no problem going against tough competition.
The women’s 4×100-meter relay team set a university record and three athletes recorded wins in their events. The track and field team had a strong showing at the UCLA Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational from April 9 to April 11. The field included mostly Division-I programs and several world-class athletes.
‘The team generally did really well,’ men’s head coach Tony Salerno said. ‘We’re at the point where we can get on the track at a place like UCLA to compete and do very well.’
The women’s team was led by the 4×100 team, which consisted of junior Christine Merrill, senior Katie Skorupa, sophomore Kelly Fogarty and senior Laiah Blue. Their time of 46.75 seconds was the fastest ever for UCSD and was also a NCAA provisional qualifying performance. Blue had an exceptional meet all around, competing in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles and earning an NCAA automatic qualifying time, as well as a provisional qualifying time, respectively. On Monday, Blue was named California Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week for her performance.
‘Laiah is running spectacularly,’ women’s head coach Darcy Ahner said. ‘She’s an incredible competitor and she really knows how to stay focused.’
The UCSD 4×400-meter team also performed well, finishing seventh in a race that was won by a world-class team, which included two Olympic athletes. The relay team of Merrill, Skorupa, sophomore Deyna Roberson and junior Anna Lee McGregor earned an NCAA automatic qualifying time.
Sophomore Stephanie LeFever won the long jump, edging out sophomore Jasmine Pickett of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to win with a mark of 5.71 meters. The Tritons also had a third-place finish from senior Sarah Hendy in the discus, whose mark of 160’11’ was a personal best and second all-time in school history.
Sophomore Bre Schofield was the distance standout for the Tritons, as her time of 2:14.73 in the 800-meter run was good for ninth overall and was a NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Senior Ashleigh Montgomery finished 10th in the same race, less than one second behind Schofield.
On the men’s side, senior Scott Tsuda won the long jump with a mark of 48’2′, only a half inch short of the school record he already owns. Junior Fred Cook also won for the Tritons in the hammer throw, with a personal best of 170’10’. The mark was the eighth best in UCSD history.
Junior Casey Ryan, who set the record in the high jump last week, finished fifth in his event with a mark of 6’8.75′. The high jump event was won by former Olympian James Nieto.
Salerno stressed the importance of facing elite competition in order for the team to achieve its full potential.
‘It’s really critical and something we think is important to our program,’ he said. ‘It’s an opportunity for us to redefine what we think we’re capable of. The term we use in coaching is ‘taking the lid off,’ where athletes can see what else is out there and redefine what they think they can do.’
The Tritons compete again on April 18 at the Long Beach Invitational before coming home for the Triton Invitational on April 24.
Readers can contact Liam Rose at [email protected].