UCSD’s track and field team came back with some good results from the Soka Peace Invitational in Aliso Viejo, Calif. last weekend in its last meet before the postseason. The team faced both local and out-of-state competitors in the meet, April 19 and April 20, and earned 17 first-place marks and four podium sweeps on Friday and Saturday. The women took 11 of the 17 first place finishes and three podium sweeps and earned first place in six of the seven track events. The men had six first place marks and one podium sweep as well.
Top competitor and sophomore Sabrina Pimentel earned a new personal best in the women’s 400-meter dash with 55.95 seconds. This new record earned her a No. 3 spot on UCSD’s all-time top 10 list for the 400-meter event.
Other women’s track wins included senior Chelsey Kamson’s victory in the 200-meter (25.18) and senior Raquel Ormsby in the 100 hurdles (15.20). Junior Lorato Anderson earned a first-place finish in the 800-meter race with 2:15.27, and junior Lauren Irish took the win in the 400-meter hurdles with 1:04.12. In the 4×400-meter relay, Pimentel, sophomore Ellexi Snover, Kamson and Irish took the win with 3:51.21.
On the field, junior Eva Isaacs moved to the No. 4 spot from her previous No. 6 place on UCSD’s all-time top 10 list for the women’s shot put with her new personal best of 43’3.25”. Freshman Julia Wildenthaler leapt for an impressive 5’3” mark to tie for first in the long jump, and fellow freshman Sydney Blakeley won the high jump (11’11.75”) and the pole vault. In the triple jump, sophomore Chantia Justice leapt for 39’4” to take first place.
Junior Aletha Vassilakis won first with a season-best of 127’1” in the javelin.
In the men’s events, senior A.B. Shaheen earned a new Lebanese national record after he won the hammer throw, improving his personal-best distance to 191’3”. Shaheen beat out three state competitors and moved to the No. 3 spot on UCSD’s all-time top 10 list for the hammer throw.
Senior Ryan Eckert took first with his winning toss of 51’2.75” in the shot put, while fellow senior Kiley Libuit won the javelin with 197’3”. Junior Benjamin Berthet cleared a 15’5” height to win the pole vault, and senior Quentin McWhorter won with a leap of 21’10”.
UCSD men’s track and field head coach Tony Salerno spoke highly of his team and the strength in the younger competitors over the weekend.
“We got exactly what we wanted out of the meet,” Salerno said to the UCSD Athletics Department. “We had some outstanding performances in several events, but more importantly, we had some of our younger people make some significant breakthroughs.”
UCSD will have its fourth and final home meet of the season this Thursday through Saturday, April 25 to April 27, at the Triton Invitational. The elite discus competition will start on Thursday, the women’s hammer throw and five other field events will begin on Friday and the remaining events will take place on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
