Long Beach State University
Triton Invitational
Sprint Medley Tops Weekend For Track And Field
4/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 28, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - Austin Fowler, Brent Gray, Kelseay Caesar and Alex Frietas combined for the biggest win of the weekend, taking the sprint medley title at the Drake Relays this past weekend. One of the top events in the country, the 49ers sent a small detachment to participate this weekend.
The sprint medley combines two 200m legs, one 400m leg and one 800m leg, an event that hit each runner in their individual best events, hitting 3 of 4 regional qualifiers. Running in the fastest heat, the 49ers were the only team to break 3:20, finishing in 3:18.73 to win the event by nearly three seconds, a blowout win in the event.
The 49ers also had a few other competitors at the event. Alex Goldberg, taking the place of Frietas along with the other three runners from the sprint medley ran a 41.14 in the 4x100m relay to qualify for the finals in that event. That same foursome just missed the finals in the 4x400m relay, running a season best 3:11.64 to miss the finals by one spot.
Alex Shaw also had a nice mark in the women's javelin, taking fifth-place overall with a throw of 157'2," at the Drake Relays.
With a split squad the 49ers also headed to the Triton Invitational in San Diego, where the 49ers had a number of additional qualifiers. Jill Reynolds was the top finisher of the day, earning her third straight trip to the NCAAs after clearing 12'7.5"
Jazmin Brooks grabbed her second Big West qualifier of the season, running 12.39 in the 100m dash to earn entry into that event along with the 200m dash mark she had earlier in the year.
In other marks of note, Katelyn Ciarelli set a new lifetime best in the discus with a throw of 171'5," topping her previous best by nearly two feet. That mark also solidifies her place as the favorite in the conference heading in to the final few weeks of the season.
On the men's side, the absence of some of the team's top sprinters gave other athletes a chance to shine. Dylan Jaedtke was an event winner in San Diego, easily taking the steeplechase with a time of 9:17.47, almost a full 20 seconds faster than his nearest competitor.
In the sprints, both Josh Caesar and Spencer Phillips posted PRs in the 100m dash, running nearly identical races to finish in 11.21 and 11.22 respectively. Also getting a chance in the 400m was Richard Crawford who was top finisher for the Beach in a lifetime-best 49.17.
The field events also saw a number of personal bests. Erick Haman tied his best pole vault height by topping 15'1", and Rajan Bains put a 51'2.25" shot for a PR in that event. Long Beach State also saw two discus PRs, as David Sampson tossed a 173'1" throw and Peter Fourtounis ended with a 158'3" mark.
Coming up this weekend for track and field is the Steve Scott Invitational at UC Irvine. The two-day event marks one of the final tune-ups for the Big West Championships, which begin with the heptathlon and decathlon on May 9-10.
Players Mentioned
