Friday, March 24
Riverside, Calif.
All Day
Long Beach State University
at
UCR Spring Track Classic
Photo by: John Fajardo
LBSU Sweeps Decathlon and Heptathlon at UCR; Fick Headlines Competition at UCLA
3/24/2023 8:21:00 PM | Track and Field
Justice Fair and Sofia Bailey won the Decathlon and Heptathlon, respectively, while Ryle Fick nearly broke the 1500m school record.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Long Beach State won both multi-events as they wrapped up competition at the UCR Spring Break Multis on Friday afternoon. Justice Fair finished atop the men's Decathlon standings in dominant fashion while Sofia Bailey pulled off a comeback to win the women's Heptathlon.
Results
Sofia Bailey mounted a comeback on day two of the women's Heptathlon to pass her teammate and claim the top spot in the final standings with 4,638 points. With three events left, the sophomore transfer started her day with a Long Jump of 5.26m (17-3.25) before a second-place finish in Javelin with a throw of 27.33m (89-8). The point separator came in the final event of the Heptathlon, the 800m, where she won the event with a 2:24.99, bumping her into first place in the final standings.
Hailey Fune finished as the runner-up in the Heptathlon totaling 4,586 points after holding the lead at the end of day one. For the day, the senior captain was second in Long Jump (17-4.75), fourth in Javelin (73-11), and fourth in the 800m (2:35.58).
On the men's side, Justice Fair ran away with the competition. He started the day with a 15.26 in a 100m Hurdles victory, then finished second in Discus with a throw of 34.74m (113-11). He followed up with another runner-up finish, clearing the bar at 3.85m (12-7.5) in Pole Vault. He ended the day with a 5:31.19 in the 1500m finishing his weekend with 6,296 points.
Milo Orona stayed in second in the final Decathlon standings, wrapping up the meet with 6,166 points, with Temi Odubola behind him in third with 5,811 points. Orona was a top three finisher in all four events on the day, including a Javelin victory with a throw of 47.60m (156-2). Similarly, Odugbola was top three in three of Friday's four events.
While he finished fifth in final standings Preston Sladek had a tremendous day two with event wins in the Pole Vault and in Discus.
Allison Bryan also wrapped up her first collegiate multis weekend with 3,347 points in the women's Heptathlon.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Beach also had competitors in Los Angeles competing in the Bob Larson Distance Carnival/Rafer Johnson & JJK Invitational, hosted by UCLA. The group consisted of a handful of throwers along with some of the distance runners.
Results
The throwers got the action started at UCLA beginning with Sebastian Coleman in the men's Hammer. After advancing to the three final throws, the senior captain launched the hammer 60.59m (198-9) for a second-place finish. It was the best mark among the Big West competitors at the event.
On the women's side, Keeley Rasmussen led the way with a mark of 50.98m (167-3) in her first attempt. She finished fourth place overall and first among her fellow Big West competitors. Malia Talavou posted a top ten finish with a throw of 46.70m (153-2) to come out in eighth.
On the track, Ryley Fick was the headliner. Running in the first heat of the women's 1500m, she finished second with a time of 4:24.12 for a new lifetime best. The mark also ranks as the second fastest time in program history, just over half a second behind the program record. The senior now ranks number one in the conference this season.
Jaxin Woodward (4:43.72) and Tessa Chen (4:52.58) also posted new lifetime bests in the women's 1500m.
On the men's side, Cameron Gill shined in the 3000m Steeplechase. Posting a new lifetime best, he ran a time of 9:28.05 to finish fifth in his first ever collegiate steeple race.
In the men's 1500m, Michael Phillips led the way with a personal season best time of 3:52.58. Quinn Garity was a top 20 finisher, running a time of 3:55.69 for 19th place with Mario Tavares not far behind at 3:56.12 for 21st.
Long Beach State will be back in action tomorrow at two different meets once again. A few of the distance runners will return to UCLA for the 800m while the bulk of the team will head south for the Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State.
Results
Sofia Bailey mounted a comeback on day two of the women's Heptathlon to pass her teammate and claim the top spot in the final standings with 4,638 points. With three events left, the sophomore transfer started her day with a Long Jump of 5.26m (17-3.25) before a second-place finish in Javelin with a throw of 27.33m (89-8). The point separator came in the final event of the Heptathlon, the 800m, where she won the event with a 2:24.99, bumping her into first place in the final standings.
Hailey Fune finished as the runner-up in the Heptathlon totaling 4,586 points after holding the lead at the end of day one. For the day, the senior captain was second in Long Jump (17-4.75), fourth in Javelin (73-11), and fourth in the 800m (2:35.58).
On the men's side, Justice Fair ran away with the competition. He started the day with a 15.26 in a 100m Hurdles victory, then finished second in Discus with a throw of 34.74m (113-11). He followed up with another runner-up finish, clearing the bar at 3.85m (12-7.5) in Pole Vault. He ended the day with a 5:31.19 in the 1500m finishing his weekend with 6,296 points.
Milo Orona stayed in second in the final Decathlon standings, wrapping up the meet with 6,166 points, with Temi Odubola behind him in third with 5,811 points. Orona was a top three finisher in all four events on the day, including a Javelin victory with a throw of 47.60m (156-2). Similarly, Odugbola was top three in three of Friday's four events.
While he finished fifth in final standings Preston Sladek had a tremendous day two with event wins in the Pole Vault and in Discus.
Allison Bryan also wrapped up her first collegiate multis weekend with 3,347 points in the women's Heptathlon.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Beach also had competitors in Los Angeles competing in the Bob Larson Distance Carnival/Rafer Johnson & JJK Invitational, hosted by UCLA. The group consisted of a handful of throwers along with some of the distance runners.
Results
The throwers got the action started at UCLA beginning with Sebastian Coleman in the men's Hammer. After advancing to the three final throws, the senior captain launched the hammer 60.59m (198-9) for a second-place finish. It was the best mark among the Big West competitors at the event.
On the women's side, Keeley Rasmussen led the way with a mark of 50.98m (167-3) in her first attempt. She finished fourth place overall and first among her fellow Big West competitors. Malia Talavou posted a top ten finish with a throw of 46.70m (153-2) to come out in eighth.
On the track, Ryley Fick was the headliner. Running in the first heat of the women's 1500m, she finished second with a time of 4:24.12 for a new lifetime best. The mark also ranks as the second fastest time in program history, just over half a second behind the program record. The senior now ranks number one in the conference this season.
Jaxin Woodward (4:43.72) and Tessa Chen (4:52.58) also posted new lifetime bests in the women's 1500m.
On the men's side, Cameron Gill shined in the 3000m Steeplechase. Posting a new lifetime best, he ran a time of 9:28.05 to finish fifth in his first ever collegiate steeple race.
In the men's 1500m, Michael Phillips led the way with a personal season best time of 3:52.58. Quinn Garity was a top 20 finisher, running a time of 3:55.69 for 19th place with Mario Tavares not far behind at 3:56.12 for 21st.
Long Beach State will be back in action tomorrow at two different meets once again. A few of the distance runners will return to UCLA for the 800m while the bulk of the team will head south for the Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State.
Players Mentioned
Multi
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Multi
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field2024 Paris Olympics - LaTanya Sheffield - Team USA Head Coach - Women's Track & Field
Thursday, July 25
A Complete Blur: The Justin Watterson Story
Wednesday, May 22
Celebrating Black History: LaTanya Sheffield Track & Field Head Coach
Thursday, February 29
Long Beach State Wins Big West Dennis Farrell Commissioner's Cup
Wednesday, May 31
