THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's and women's track and field wrapped up the final weekend of regular-season competition by splitting squads between the Cal State LA Twilight on Thursday and the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday and Saturday, combining for standout performances, personal bests, and multiple program top-10 marks heading into the postseason.
At Cal State LA, the Regals turned in a strong showing across the board, highlighted by distance success and key marks in the hurdles and jumps.
Alexis Gonzalez led the way with a runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters, crossing in 19:12.16, while
Ellie Sinclair also placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:13.16), moving to seventh all-time in program history.
Angelina Diaz added a seventh-place finish in the 1500 meters (5:15.53).
Jodie Oparanaku paced the sprint and hurdle group, placing 17th in the 100 meters (13.29) and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (15.65), with her hurdle time moving her into 10th all-time at Cal Lutheran. In the field events,
Taylor Dominguez and
Kaitlyn Brongiel led the high jump group with third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, while Dominguez also took third in the pole vault.
On the men's side, the Kingsmen saw a balanced effort highlighted by strong middle-distance and field event performances.
Tristan Kanner (5th, 4:27.85) and
Jacob Witt (7th, 4:32.82) led the way in the 1500 meters, while
Caden Ferguson (7th, 52.17) and
Nicolas Martinez (9th, 52.38) turned in solid finishes in the 400 meters.
In the field,
Drew Nees continued his strong season with a third-place finish in the high jump (1.90m), while
Darrin Parham recorded a runner-up finish in the triple jump (13.12m). The Kingsmen added depth in the distance events with
Daniel Velasquez and
Diego Romero competing in the 5,000 meters.
As a team, Cal Lutheran totaled 16 personal-best performances at CSULA along with two program top-10 marks.
A select group of qualifiers then competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational, one of the premier meets in the nation, where the Kingsmen and Regals faced deep, high-level fields.
Michael Holland highlighted the weekend on the men's side, recording personal bests in both the 100 meters (10.71) and 200 meters (21.58), winning his section in the 200 and moving to fourth all-time in program history in both events.
Craig Jackson also competed in the 100-meter prelims, while
Tyler Thompson added a mark of 6.67 meters in the long jump.
In the throws,
Kyndrie Bolton led the way with a personal-best toss of 13.61 meters in the shot put, while
Wyatt Nowak and Bolton both competed in the hammer alongside
Jaden Ruiz.
For the Regals,
Sloan Pullen delivered one of the top performances of the weekend, placing third in her section of the 1500 meters with a time of 4:37.14, moving up to sixth all-time in program history.
Summer Gelman added a strong showing in both distance events, including a season-best 5,000 meters that ranks as the second-fastest in program history.
Gracie Gervacio competed in the invitational 100-meter prelims, while
Niani Jones (triple jump) and
Sophia Green (hammer) rounded out the field event competitors.
In total, 12 athletes represented Cal Lutheran at Bryan Clay, combining for multiple personal bests and program top-10 performances against elite competition.
With the regular season complete, Cal Lutheran now turns its focus to the SCIAC Championships, set for Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, at Redlands.