Reports From LBSU
Junior Randi Hicks had a record-breaking performance in the women’s javelin to highlight a solid day of action for the Long Beach State track and field team at the Ben Brown Invitational on Saturday.
Hicks won the javelin with a toss of 170-11, putting her first on the 49er all-time top 10 list. That mark also broke the Big West Conference record (as of 1999 due to change in javelin specifications). Senior Alex Shaw made it a 1-2 finish for The Beach, recording a distance of 164-01.
Sophomore Rachel Hammar posted lifetime bests and was LBSU’s top finisher in the discus (2nd, 127-07) and shot put (5th, 42-04.25). In the high jump, sophomore Katrina Graves-Johnson was the runner-up, clearing a personal-record 5-07. Sophomore Sara Macey wasn’t far behind in third place (5-05).
Over on the track, freshman Annie Randall took second in the 5000-meter run “B” with a time of 17:29.26. In the same heat, sophomore Alisia Barajas (17:38.52) and senior Jennifer Rodriguez (17:44.81) placed fifth and seventh, respectively.
Sophomore Kristen Kiefer was the 49ers’ top performer in the 100m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 15.23 seconds for a fourth-place finish. Senior Brenda Finney also finished sixth in the 400m hurdles (65.47).
On the men’s side, junior transfer Sam Jeter finished ahead of the pack in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.28.
Senior Kenneth Medwood added a fourth-place performance in the 400m dash, clocking in at 48.85 seconds.
Six men’s distance runners competed in three different heats of the 5000m run. Sophomore Matt Maldonado was the 49ers’ top finisher at 14:31.41, whileSteven DeCastro posted a lifetime-best 14:49.86.
In the field events, senior Alex Black and junior Kevin Jenkins tied for fourth in the high jump (6-06.75). Junior Rajan Bains had a third-place showing in the discus with a distance of 161-02, while freshman Cesar Puga took fifth in the shot put (50-07.50).
Long Beach State will continue the outdoor season next weekend at the Aztec Invitational (March 12-13).