The UCSD Track and Field team split its ranks last weekend, April 5 to April 6, with half the squad at the Mangrum Invitational hosted by Cal State San Marcos and the other half competing at the 34th Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State.
UCSD’s top-tier athletes traveled to Tempe, Ariz. in order to both showcase their talent among the nation’s best collegiate athletes and also push for national championship qualifying times. Over the two-day meet, the Tritons came away with some good results.
“The athletes we took to Arizona this weekend all have an NCAA national championship mark,” UCSD assistant coach Nick Howe said in a phone interview. “We do this meet every year to prep our top athletes for NCAAs. While the competition is generally high-caliber, it’s really just on par with our normal season meets, including the Triton Invite, Cal-Nevada and San Diego State Invite.”
Freshman long-jumper Kristin Sato placed third in her event with a mark of 17’6.75”, UCSD’s highest finish at the Sun Angel Classic. Sato — sixth on UCSD’s all-time list for the triple jump — also placed sixth with a jump of 39’3” in the event.
On the track, sophomore Sabrina Pimentel continues to impress. Last season, Pimentel placed ninth with a time of 2:15.25 and this season, the 2012 All-CCAA Freshman of the Year set her personal best in the women’s 800-meter race, clocking in at 2:11.71. Junior Lauren Irish also slated a strong performance, finishing tenth overall at 1:02.88 in the 400-meter hurdles.
“Sabrina Pimentel’s race was great. She had to fight through two girls that didn’t want to let her get past,” Howe said. “She had to fight through 600 meters to get the lead and then put a sizeable ten-meter gap between herself and her competitors in the last 200 meters for a new [personal record].”
In the throws, component seniors Ryan Eckert, Zach Nagengast and A.B. Shaheen all fared favorably. Eckert took sixth in the shot put for a mark of 50’8”. Shaheen and Nagengast placed seventh and eighth respectively in the hammer throw.
Assistant coach Nick Howe — former UCSD two-time All-American — said his younger brother Nash Howe threw well under expectation. Although Nash Howe — just a sophomore — threw the spear 198’8” for a fourth-place finish, the mark was far below his season high of 212’4”, set at the San Diego Collegiate Challenge back in March.
In contrast, competing in San Marcos, freshman Haley Libuit — younger sister to two former UCSD javelin throwers — placed second at the meet, throwing 127’9”.
UCSD is now over halfway through their season, with many Tritons already qualifying with provisional NCAA championship marks, the remainder of the schedule will likely prove an effort to sharpen up before the CCAA championships. Last season, the Tritons placed second in the women’s division to Chico State, while the men placed third.
The Tritons’ next event will be this Saturday, April 13 at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont, Calif.
