The 49ers’ men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up action at the Big West Conference Championships Saturday at Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine, with a fourth place and a last place finish. The Northridge Matadors were a true juggernaut, winning both men’s and women’s titles.
The throwers came up big again for the 49er men, scoring 15 points in the discus. Sophomore Rajan Bains led the LBSU contingent as he was a runner-up with a career-best 167-10. Senior Ed Cornell came in fifth at 161-07, while sophomore Peter Fourtounis took sixth (158-09).
Senior Patrick Smith and junior Gabe Rodriguez finished third and fourth, respectively, in the javelin. Smith notched a distance of 199-00, while Rodriguez won his flight at 191-06.
Senior Rodney Hawkins posted his second NCAA West Regional qualifying mark in the triple jump, leaping a career-long 51-07.25, which was good enough for a second-place finish. Freshman Michael Vaughan also scored in the event, taking fourth with a personal-record 49-01.00.
Junior Kenneth Medwood had a runner-up performance in the 400m hurdles, clocking in at 52.55.
Sophomore Christopher Lawson took fourth in the 110m hurdle finals with a lifetime-best 14.41, while classmate Nimrod Piggee came in fifth (14.51).
In the 800-meter finals, junior Alex Freitas was third, crossing the finish line in 1:50.65. Sophomore Jonathan Evans wasn’t far behind in fifth place with a personal-record 1:52.64.
In the 200-meter finals, junior Alex Goldberg had a fourth-place showing, establishing a season-best 21.76.
On the women’s side, senior Carly Harris, who established a school record in the 3000m steeplechase on Friday, finished second in the 5000m, crossing the finish line in 16 minutes, 47.78 seconds. Classmate Sarah Apgar also scored in the event, coming in sixth (17:20.57).
The 4×100 relay team posted a season-low 46.95, which was good enough for fifth place.
Freshman Ashley Campbell took seventh in the 100m (12.09) and 200m (24.91) finals. Senior Ejiro Okoro added a seventh-place finish in the 800-meter run, clocking in at 2:15.41.
In the field events, junior Tayler O’Connor cleared 5-07.00 in the high jump to take third, while freshman Janelle Coulter tied for fifth at 5-05.00. Senior Tiana Johnson placed eighth in the triple jump, leaping 38-04.75.
Freshman Destanie Yarbrough also scored in the shot put, notching a season-long 43-08.50 for a sixth-place finish.
Long Beach State returns to action May 29-30, when it sends 13 athletes to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA West Regionals.
Big West Championships
Anteater Stadium — Irvine, Calif.
May 15-16, 2009
Final Men’s Team Standings
1. CS Northridge 176.50
2. UC Davis 136.50
3. Cal Poly 121.50
4. Long Beach State 109
5. UC Santa Barbara 89
6. UC Riverside 64.50
7. UC Irvine 62.50
8. CS Fullerton 58.50
Final Women’s Team Standings
1. CS Northridge 198
2. Cal Poly 114.50
3. UC Riverside 100.50
4. CS Fullerton 98
5. UC Davis 94
6. UC Irvine 80.50
7. UC Santa Barbara 69
8. Long Beach State 61.50
From LBSU reports