Reports From LBSU
The Long Beach State track and field team saw 10 lifetime bests and five Big West qualifying marks established on the second and final day of the UCSD Triton Invitational.
Nathan Alade paced the 49er men with a pair of top 10 finishes as he took fourth in the 100-meter dash (10.83) and sixth in the 200m (22.08). Both times were season bests, while his mark in the 100m was a Big West qualifier. Louis Ward also clocked in with his fastest 200 time of the year (22.11), which was good enough for eighth place.
Alex Freitas registered a season-low 1:50.34 to earn runner-up honors in the 800m. Matt Maldonado wasn’t far behind in third with a personal-record 1:51.95. Mark Thomas also bettered his top 800m time by just over four seconds as he finished the race in 1:53.88. Brett Hasvold added a fourth-place showing in the 1500m (3:56.92).
Over in the field events, Alex Black led a quartet of high jumpers, finishing third with a height of 6-07.
Cesar Puga was LBSU’s top finisher in the shot put (53-01.75) and discus (171-02), while Peter Fourtounisled The Beach in the hammer toss (170-11). Ryan Rosales also chipped in a lifetime-best 171-11 in the javelin.
Katrina Graves-Johnson led the Long Beach State women as she tied for second in the high jump, clearing a lifetime-best 5-08.
Rachel Hammar also had a personal record and Big West qualifying mark in the shot put with a toss of 43-07.25, which was good enough for 10th.
Jessica Barnard had a fourth-place showing in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in 2:14.02. Missy Barclay was right on her heels as she finished fifth with a lifetime-best 2:14.21.
Annie Randall, Denise Nunez and Prism Garcia rounded out the top 10 in the 1500m. Randall led the trio in eighth place with a time of 4:46.06, while Nunez notched a personal-record 4:49.68 to claim ninth and Garcia took 10th (4:50.12).
Veronica Franco registered a lifetime best in her 3000m steeplechase season debut as she placed fourth in 11:43.04.
Dee Lars (25.80) and Krissy Knowles (26.70) both finished in the top 30 with season bests in the 200-meter dash.
DES MOINES, Iowa – Sam Jeter and Kenneth Medwood represented the Long Beach State men in the 400-meter hurdles Saturday at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
Jeter led the way, placing sixth overall with a time of 51.65. Medwood, the reigning Big West Male Track Athlete of the Week, finished 21st in 53.33 seconds. Medwood was coming off a school-record breaking performance in the 400H (50.37) at the Beach Invitational last weekend.
Long Beach State returns to action next weekend when it makes the short trip to Irvine for the UCI/Steve Scott Invitational on Saturday, May 1.