The Long Beach State track and field team had nine athletes compete at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., on Saturday.
Matt Maldonado led the 49ers, shattering the school record in the mile with a time of 4:03.94 to finish fifth in his heat. LBSU’s previous best in the mile was held by Mario Cobian at 4:11.85.
Travis Kuhlman posted the second-best mark in 49er history in the 3000-meter run at 8:25.45, while Steven DeCastro clocked in at 8:29.60 to rank fourth on the all-time charts.
Alex Freitas finished eighth overall in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:51.84, while Mario Granville added a season-low 1:55.75 in the same event.
Alex Black also had a strong showing in the high jump, clearing 6-08.75.
Annie Randall finished fifth in her heat in the mile run, clocking in with the sixth-best time in school history (4:59.85). Jessica Barnard also competed in the event, finishing seventh in her section at 5:13.29.
The 49er distance runners will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 14, when they take part in the UW Indoor Open.
NAU INVITATIONAL
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Long Beach State track and field team wrapped up action at the NAU Invitational Saturday afternoon at J.L. Walkup Skydome.
Colin Dunbar led the men with a pair of third-place finishes in the weight throw (61-07) and shot put (53-10.25). His mark in the shot put ranks him sixth all-time at LBSU. Rajan Bains also took fourth in the shot with a distance of 51-07.
In the 60m hurdle preliminaries, Nimrod Piggee ran a lifetime-best 8.27 to move up to third among the 49er all-time top 10. Piggee finished third overall in the finals.
Nicholas Armstrong also posted the ninth-fastest time in school history as he crossed the finish line in 8.52 seconds to take sixth.
Nathan Alade added a top 10 finish in the 60-meter dash. He clocked in at 7.01 seconds in the preliminaries, which ranks him sixth all-time at LBSU.
Chris Sweeney posted a second-place performance in the 400m with a season-low 49.38. Alex Goldberg wasn’t far behind in fourth at 50.34.
LBSU took second and third in the triple jump as Manny Nezier led the way with the sixth-longest leap in school history (47-04.25). Kevin Jenkins also had a solid jump with a mark of 46-04.25.
On the women’s side, Kayla Kamaka posted a fifth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing a season-high 12-01.50. Amanda Klinchuchalso had a top 10 performance with a season-best 10-08.
In other jumping events, Katrina Graves-Johnson took sixth in the high jump (5-05), while Stephanie Glick notched a personal-record 35-11.25 in the triple jump.
Kristen Kiefer led a quartet of 49ers in the 60-meter hurdles, placing sixth overall with a lifetime-best 9.15. That mark ties her for ninth all-time in school history. Sophomore Aiyana Welsh (9.28) and freshman Krissy Knowles (9.29), finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Brenda Finney was LBSU’s top peformer in the 400m, clocking in with a personal-record 1:00.91.
In the 800m run, sophomore Denise Nunez ran the ninth-fastest time in 49er history, crossing the finish line in 2 minutes, 24.26 seconds to take seventh overall.
In the throws, Rachel Hammar was the 49ers’ top finisher in the shot put, taking ninth with a season-best 40-05.50. Alexandra Cervantesalso tossed a season-long 46-06.75 in the weight throw to place 12th overall.
Long Beach State will take a week off from competition before heading to Seattle, Wash., for the MPSF Indoor Championships, Feb. 26-27.
Reports From LBSU