Reports From LBSU

The Long Beach State track and field team will send a split squad to the prestigious Drake Relays (April 22-24) and the UCSD Triton Invitational (April 23-24) this weekend.

DRAKE RELAYS
The 49ers have a small contingent of athletes traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, for the 101st annual Drake Relays. Alex Shaw and Randi Hicks will compete in the women’s javelin on Friday at 2 p.m., while Kenneth Medwood and Sam Jeter are slated to represent the LBSU men in the 400m hurdles on Saturday (1:49 p.m.). Medwood enters the week ranked eighth in the nation in the 400H, while Hicks and Shaw are seventh and 11th, respectively.

UCSD TRITON INVITATIONAL
Long Beach State is also set to take a group of sprinters, distance runners and throwers to the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. The meet gets underway with the women’s hammer, women’s discus and men’s and women’s pole vault on Friday, before action continues with a full day of events on Saturday. Competition for both days is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start at Triton Stadium.

MEDWOOD SETS SCHOOL RECORD IN 400H AT BEACH INVITE
Senior Kenneth Medwood highlighted the host 49ers’ stay at the Beach Invitational as he broke a 24-year old school record in the 400-meter hurdles. Medwood won the race in a blistering 50.37 seconds, whileSam Jeter made it a one-two finish for LBSU, clocking in with a lifetime-best 51.26. Medwood also had a third-place showing in the long jump (23-10.25) and a sixth-place performance in the 200m dash (21.49).

In other events, Mario Granville ran a personal-record 1:53.66 in the 800m, while Alex Black tied for third in the high jump (6-07.50).Rajan Bains also had a third-place performance in the hammer with a toss of 176-01. Cesar Puga was the 49ers’ top finisher in the discus and shot put as he took fifth and sixth, respectively.

On the women’s side, Tayler O’Connor matched her lifetime best in the high jump, clearing 5-08.75 to earn runner-up honors. Rachel Hammar also posted a top 10 finish in the discus with a personal-record 153-04.

AROUND THE BIG WEST
A handful of 49ers rank among the Big West leaders in their respective events. Randi Hicks and Alex Shaw (164-11) still hold the top two marks in the women’s javelin. Hicks’ toss of 170-11, which she established at the Ben Brown Invitational, is a school and conference record. Kenneth Medwood also moved to the top of the leaderboard in the 400 hurdles with his record-breaking performance at the Beach Invitational, while Nicholas Armstrong and Alex Black are tied for first in the men’s high jump after clearing 6-10.75 at the USC Trojan Invitational. Cesar Puga (Discus), Matt Maldonado (1500m), Nimrod Piggee (110H) and Kenneth Medwood (Long Jump) also sit at No. 2 in the conference.

Heading into the weekend, Long Beach State has 25 Big West qualifiers in 42 events on the men’s side and 19 qualifiers in 23 events on the women’s side.

UP NEXT
Long Beach State returns to action next weekend when it makes the short trip to Irvine for the UCI/Steve Scott Invitational, May 1-2.