WHITTIER, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's and women's track and field delivered a strong performance at the SCIAC Quad Cup Final on Saturday, earning nine event wins and 23 personal bests.
The Regals finished second in the women's standings, while the Kingsmen claimed fourth on the men's side to secure a combined second-place finish as a program.
The women showcased their depth across multiple events, with their jumpers and throwers leading the way.
Niani Jones and
Aaliyah Kendricks combined for a 1-2 finish in the triple jump, with Jones winning at 10.70m and Kendricks placing second at 9.82m. Jones also finished third in the long jump with 4.88m.
Fatima Cervantes added another win for the Regals in the high jump, clearing 1.56m.
On the track,
Gracie Gervacio sprinted to second-place finishes in both the 100 (12.71) and 200 (26.51), while
Summer Gelman won the 1500 (4:50.03) and placed fourth in the 800 (2:26.85). In the 100 hurdles,
Jodie Oparanaku claimed victory with a time of 16.36, competing against her CLU teammates. The 4x100 relay team of
Jennyfer Hernandez Rosas, Cervantes,
Gabriela Pullen, and Gervacio placed second with a time of 51.01.
The throws events were dominated by
Cheyanne Rodriguez, who won the discus (34.89m) and hammer (45.65m), placed second in the javelin (32.84m), and finished third in the shot put (9.33m). Her performances in the hammer and javelin now rank seventh all-time in CLU history.
The men found success in the jumps, winning three events and securing multiple podium finishes.
Drew Nees and
Camden Hyde went 1-2 in the high jump, with Nees clearing 1.85m for the win and Hyde finishing at 1.80m. Hyde later captured the long jump title (6.61m), while
Aidan Crawford placed second (6.43m). Crawford and Hyde swapped positions in the triple jump, with Crawford taking the win with 12.87m, just one centimeter ahead of Hyde (12.86m).
On the track,
Joseph Papa placed third in the 400 (53.35),
Eric Talbert took third in the 5k (16:18.84), and
Dominic De Leon finished fourth in the 400 hurdles (1:00.09). The 4x400 relay team of
Brady Karsten, De Leon,
Adrian Rodriguez, and Crawford earned a third-place finish with 3:31.71.
In the throws,
Wyatt Nowak placed third in the hammer (41.63m) and fourth in the shot put (11.28m) to round out the Kingsmen's top performances.
With five of six jumps titles going to Cal Lutheran and multiple standout performances across the board, the team left Whittier plenty of momentum. They look to build on their success at the Moorpark College Open on Friday, April 4.
