Long Beach State University
Air Force Invitational
LBSU Finishes Strong Opening Weekend at Air Force Invitational
1/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Indoor Track
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The opening meet of the 2018 indoor track & field season was a success for Long Beach State, as the Beach produced three event winners on the women's side, leading to a team victory at the Air Force Invitational.
De'Ondra Young earned an event victory on Friday in the women's weight throw, and she was joined by a pair of event winners on Saturday. Freshman Taylor Owen won the women's 800-meter with a time of 2:18.01 and senior Courtne' Davis won the women's 60-meter dash with a time of 7.34.The LBSU women earned 100.5 total points, edging out Nebraska at 99 points for the team title and the LBSU men took fourth with 62 total points.
"I felt this was a perfect environment to see a competitive meet and gauge ourselves against tough competition," said LBSU head coach Andy Sythe of his team's performance on the weekend. "I'm pleased and quite proud of how the team handled themselves here. We found out that this team has a lot of heart, and a culture where you've got a lot of heart and drive is a winning combination--period. You strive for that kind of culture in a program, and to have it start off that way makes our job easier, and we can focus on a lot of other important things a lot quicker. It's impressive and my hat's off to this group."
Davis broke a pair of school records on Saturday, winning the 60 with an altitude-adjusted time of 7.38. That broke the previous Long Beach State record of 7.47, set back in 1999 by Amaris Buchanan. Later that year, Buchanan would break the world junior record in the women's 4x100 relay as a member of Team USA at the Pan American Junior Track and Field Championships. Davis also ran an adjusted time of 24.17 to set a school record in the 200-meter, taking a runner-up finish in Saturday's final. That shattered the previous indoor school record of 24.58, set by Cathy Roberts in 1988.
There were a total of 12 different point scorers on the women's side, displaying the quality of depth in the team. Mikayla Florez took second in the mile run with a time of 5:15.62, and teammate Julie Vargas was fifth at 5:34.58. Freshmen Shyann Reynolds and Shalee Reynolds were also point scorers in the 400-meter, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. In the sprints, Azaria Hill was fifth in the 60 and seventh in the 200, while Ashleigh Chambers placed fifth in the 200 and seventh in the 60.
Senior Elijah McDonald had a very busy weekend, running six total races at the meet. She came through with a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday, followed closely by teammate Melanee Williams in fifth. In a highly competitive high jump event, sophomore Bria Palmer took fifth with a mark of 5-08.75. The women's 4x400 relay got off to one of the best starts to the season in recent memory, posting a converted time of 3:51.89, good for fourth all-time at LBSU. It's a promising start for a young team comprised of two freshmen (Shyann and Shalee Reynolds) and two sophomores (Anaya Alexander and Tavajia Richardson).
On the men's side, Raleigh Adams set a new school record in the 60-meter hurdles, running an altitude-adjusted time of 8.04 to finish fifth in the event. Senior Daniel York-Mouton also had a solid day, taking fourth in the 400-meter with a time of 49.58. Freshman Faris Babineaux was sixth in that event with a time of 50.20.
Jason Smith recorded a third-place finish in the long jump with a best mark of 6-09.75 and also took third in the triple jump by posting a leap of 48-08. Junior Blair Robinson also did well in the triple jump, taking fifth with a mark of 47-07.75. Senior Kent Harris scored in multiple events for LBSU on Saturday, finishing sixth in the 60-meter dash and fifth in the 200-meter.
Beach track & field will return to action on Feb. 9-10 at the Don Kirby Elite in Albuquerque, N.M. and the Husky Classic in Seattle. Those meets will serve as final preparation for the MPSF Championships Feb. 23-24, also in Seattle.
Players Mentioned
