Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Set for Beach Invitational
4/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Long Beach State Set for Beach Invitational
The Long Beach State track & field team has a busy week as the Beach host the Beach Invitational a day after hosting the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate. The Beach Invitational is a two-day meet which begins on Friday, April 14 and concludes Saturday, April 15 at Jack Rose Track.
About The Beach Invitational
The Beach Invitational features some of the best athletes in the world as they will compete at Jack Rose Track prior to making their appearance at the 2017 IAAF World Track & Field Championships held in London this summer. A year ago, the Beach Invitational saw seven stadium records fall including Ralph Boston's 50-year old mark in the long jump which was broken by 2012 Olympic Champion Greg Rutherford of Great Britain. Additionally, several athletes who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games in Rio set 15 new meet records. Lastly, $4000 in prize money will be awarded to non-collegiate winners in select events.
Schedule of Events
The Beach Invitational begins on Friday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. with the Women's Gold Invitational 10,000-meter run. The track events kick off at 9 a.m. with the men's hammer throw and women's javelin. The last event of the day, the men's javelin, will take place at 3:45 p.m.The meet will conclude on Saturday, April 15 with the first events of the day starting at 9 a.m. The meet will wrap with the men's 4x400-meter relay at 6:55 p.m.
Last Home Meet
The Beach Invitational serves as the final home meet of the year for Long Beach State. This year the Beach hosted four meets excelling in all of them. LBSU kicked off the season with the LBSU-UCLA Dual in which the Beach men and women came away with a pair of first place showings. A month later, Long Beach State hosted the Big West Challenge as the men's squad claimed first for the 10th straight year and the women's squad placed second. With the success the Beach have at Jack Rose Track, this weekend's meet is sure to excite.
Big West Honors
Long Beach State claimed three out of the four Big West Conference weekly awards after turning in several successful performances last weekend at the Big West Challenge. The league announced that Kemonie Briggs, Riley Cooks and De'Ondra Young each took home an athlete of the week award for their respective showings.
Briggs, a sophomore sprinter and jumper, was named Big West Men's Track Athlete of the week after posting one first place and three second place finishes to help Long Beach State win the Big West Challenge team title for the 10th consecutive year.
Cooks came away with a pair of first place finishes and two second place showings en route to capturing Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Week honors. She competed in a total of six events and produced three new personal-bests for the senior.
Young shattered the Long Beach State school record in the hammer throw to notch her second Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week honor this season. The junior thrower eclipsed the previous mark by two feet as she cleared 201-06 (61.41m) at the Big West Challenge to win the event.
Up Next
Long Beach State travels to La Jolla, Calif., to take part in the USD Triton Invitational. The two-day meet begins Friday, April 21 and concludes Saturday, April 22. Following the USD Triton Invitational, Long Beach State has just one more meet before the Big West Championships.
Players Mentioned
