Turner Breaks Own School Record to Highlight Competition at Aztec Invitational

Saturday, March 25

Los Angeles, Calif.

All Day

Long Beach State University

Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invite

Photo by: Wesley Hitt Photography

Turner Breaks Own School Record to Highlight Competition at Aztec Invitational

3/25/2023 8:23:00 PM | Track and Field

Kash Powell was five-hundredths of a second shy of breaking a school record of his own.

By: Collin Robinson, Associate Director of Athletic Communications

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Rahni Turner continued her historic career on Saturday afternoon, breaking her own school record to headline Long Beach State's day at the Aztec Invitational.

Results

After breaking the near two decade old school record at her last meet in Fullerton, Turner bested herself down in San Diego. Running a time of 13.45, she broke her own school record by three-hundredths of a second to finish second in the event.

Kaitlyn Williams also sprinted her way into the record books again, this time in the 200m Dash. Finishing 15th in the event, the senior ran a 23.99 for a new personal best. It ranks as the eighth fastest women's 200m time in program history.

Both Turner and Williams also ran legs in the 4x100m Relay joined by Jaelyn Predium and Jayda Rustemoglu. Together, the quartet ran a 45.71, the fastest time this season for the Beach.

On the men's side, Caleb Roberson had a tremendous day running in the 200m, 400m, and both Relay races and pulling off four top ten finishes on the day. His best placement came in the 4x100m with Mekhi Mays, Malik Harness, and Tristyn Flores with the quartet finishing third at 40.38. He also posted personal bests in the 200m (21.07) and the 400m (47.58).

Similarly, Mays also ran in both Relay races as well as the 100m and 200m, posting top tens in all of them. His 21.12 in the 200m marked a new lifetime best for the junior.

The only event victory in San Diego for the Beach came in men's Triple Jump courtesy of Elijah Harris. With a mark of 15.09m (49-6.25), the sophomore transfer claimed the top spot of the podium and new lifetime best in the event.

On the women's side of the jumps events, the duo of Maggie Lear and Natasha Tehrani finished top five in Pole Vault. Both matched each other in height, clearing the bar at 3.87m (12-8.25) for new personal bests. The mark also ranks as the eighth best in program history.

The men's throwers wrapped up the day at SDSU with Sebastian Coleman and Aidan Pastorian each finishing in the top five of Shot Put. Coleman's mark of 16.30m (53-5.75) was good for fourth while Pastorian's 16.18m (53-1) put him in fifth. The senior captain also finished top five in Discus at 54.43m (178-7).

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Eight of Long Beach State's distance runners competed in the 800m at the Rafer Johnson and JJK Invitational, hosted by UCLA on Saturday afternoon. Kash Powell and Mohamed Mohammed shined in the event, finishing one-two in the race.

Results

Powell picked up his second 800m victory of the season with a new lifetime best time of 1:47.57. The time also ranks as the second fastest in program history, just five-hundredths of a second behind the all-time record. The time was also just under a second faster than the runner-up, teammate Mohammed Mohamed.

Mohamed's time of 1:48.49 is a new personal best for him as well. It moves him up to fourth on the LBSU top ten list for the men's 800m. It is a four-tenths improvement on his previous lifetime best that already ranked on the Beach's all-time list.

Cristian Martinez (1:52.99) and Daniel Erickson (1:56.55) also ran in the race, finishing 12th and 21st, respectively.

On the women's side, Jaxin Woodward led the Long Beach trio of runners with a time of 2:14.40 for an 11th place finish. Jessica Lucatero (2:18.64) and Kendall Harrison (2:20.97) also competed in the women's 800m with Lucatero setting a new personal best in the race.