LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego track and field teams completed the 2010 Triton Invitational on Saturday, with several student-athletes winning events against top competition from around the world.
Theresa Richards and
Leon Baham each notched top-five marks in Division II and entered the Triton record books with performances at the event, while
Christine Merrill won two events on the final day of action. Both
Caprice Thompson and
Linda Rainwater were also able to earn victories during a highly competitive meet at the Triton Track and Field Stadium.
"It was one of the best Triton Invitational we ever had," said head coach Tony Salerno. "It's always a great opportunity to have our athletes gain experience against elite and world class athletes at home."
Among the nearly 1,000 athletes across the nation and world who competed at the event was Olympic and World 400 meter hurdle Champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republican. Sanchez won the 400 dash with a final time of 45.99, with UCSD's Bryan Dieffenbach finishing ninth in the event at 50.03.
World leader Ryan Whiting of Arizona State also competed, winning the shot put with a throw of 69'6", a mark that fell just short of John Godina's stadium record, 70'5", set five seasons ago.
Richards' performance in the javelin throw, a toss that traveled a distance of 149'9", topped marks from athletes from the University of Kansas and Tennessee and ranks as second-best in program history. She is also currently fifth on the Division II leaderboard with the mark.
Merrill was a winner in the 100 hurdles event, finishing with a time of 13.92 to hold off entrants from UCLA and UNLV. Teammate Stephanie LeFever placed fifth in the event with a time of 14.89. Merrill want on to post a second victory in the 400 hurdles event, topping UCLA's Ryann Krais with a time of 58.93. Allison Rudd was fifth in 1:04.98 and Miriam Asaki finished in 1:05.96.
Thompson's time of 11:27.20 was good for a victory in the 3000 meter steeplechase, while Rainwater topped the high jump field with a mark of 5'10". Kelly Fogarty placed second in the 200 (24.09) and third in the 100 (11.86), while Leah Murphy and LeFever placed second and third in the triple jump, respectively.
On the men's side, Baham tied for first in the 400 hurdles with a time of 52.18 that ranks fifth in D-II this season and third all-time at UCSD. In the 110 hurdles, Baham placed second in 15.03.
Max Mullender was third in the 3000 steeplechase at 9:56.26, Nick Howe was third in the javelin with a throw of 210'2", and Jeremy Riley was fifth in the 5000 at 15:19.60. Anthony Heredia finished seventh in the 1500 with a time of 4:01.25 and Shaun Tu was seventh in the long jump at 22'1.75".
"For our to athletes be in a field like that and actually win events, there's no better way to prepare for conference and nationals," Salerno said.
UCSD will play host to the CCAA Championships May 6-8 at Triton Track and Field Stadium, before traveling to Los Angeles for the Cal State L.A. Invitational on May 15 to conclude the 2010 regular season.
