Long Beach State University
Big West Championships
Men's Track And Field Takes Big West Title
5/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 17, 2008
Northridge, Calif. - Open with a win, close with a win. Long Beach State's men rode a wave of success, starting with the decathlon last week and taking both relay titles to bookend a conference-winning performance at the Big West Championships on Saturday.
The 49er men finished with 185 total points, winning the meet by 26 points in a matchup that was projected as being very close with Cal State Northridge entering the meet. Long Beach State's women finished fourth with 110.5 points.
With the track events postponed due to 100-plus degree temperatures in Northridge, the men started off the evening with a scorching 4x100m time of 39.66, setting the school record on the way to the gold in the event, and kickstarting a big comeback to pass Cal State Northridge with a great day from the sprinters.
The relays continued to be a highlight, as the team of Alex Goldberg, Brent Gray, Austin Fowler and Kelsey Caesar coupled their early success with a 3:08.64 in the 4x400 relay, beating the nearest competition by nearly three seconds. That combined with the improved marks from the men's distance runners helped the 49ers take the men's title.
The meet also allowed for a few more Beach athletes a last chance for NCAA qualifying, which was met by a quartet of 49ers. Lawson, on top of two fast relays posted a second-place finish in the 400m dash in a regional time of 46.65.
The Beach also had two hurdlers earn a trip back to Northridge, as Chris Lawson's 52.01 in the 400 hurdles was good for a silver, and Kristen Kiefer ran a season-high 60.61" to slip into the Regionals as well as posting a podium finish in third.
Ed Cornell was the last new qualifier, finally pushing over the top in the discus with a best of 173'3" to earn another LBSU spot in the discus.
Along with Caesar, Gray and Fowler also had strong performances in the sprints. Gray was a double winner on the day, taking the 100m dash with a 10.42 before winning the 200m with a time of 20.58. As for Fowler, he also stood on the podium twice, taking third in the 100 with a time of 10.50 before finishing second in the 200 in 21.14.
On the women's side, Miia Mobley won the triple jump with a lifetime best 41'1" jump, and Katelyn Ciarelli was an easy winner in the discus at 163'6", winning by nearly ten feet.
Jessica Branker also had a strong day in the sprints for Long Beach State, taking three silvers on the day. Starting with the anchor leg of the 4x100m, she also finished second in the 100 with a time of the 11.66 before posting a 23.53 in the 200m dash.
Next up for the LBSU track and field is the NCAA Western Regional for athletes that qualified throughout the season. That event will also be held in Northridge, beginning on May 30.
