CLAREMONT, Calif. - With the opening day of the Cal/Nevada Track and Field Championships in the books, there was plenty for the UC San Diego coaching staff to smile about on Saturday.
Junior thrower Nick Howe continued to excel in his primary event, winning the men's javelin by just two inches in an extremely competitive field. The Aptos, Calif. native uncorked the second best throw of his career, hitting a mark of 222'2" to narrowly beat out Cal Poly Pomona's Lance Walkington. He entered the meet as the second seed in the event.
Howe wasn't the only thrower to post solid results on the day, as seniors Danielle Thu and Theresa Richards had strong showings in the hammer and javelin for UCSD on the women's side, respectively. Thu's mark of 180'8" was second only to UC Davis' Chid Onyewuenyi (185'6"), while Richards finished sixth at 135'1".
The Tritons also fared well in the long jump as senior Stephanie LeFever placed fifth and senior Erin Langford took ninth in the women's final. LeFever posted a mark of 19'0.5", while Langford hit 18'2.5". Sophomore Shaun Tu was a scorer for UCSD in the long jump on the men's side, finishing seventh with a leap of 22'11.25".
Junior John Svet's performance in the 10,000 was the highlight for the Triton distance squad as he finished fourth with an impressive time of 32:08.88 -- one that ranks 10th all-time in the event. Teammate Jeremy Riley placed seventh in the event at 32:47.60, while Jesse Morrill was eighth in the steeplechase with a time of 9:28.68.
While the throwers and distance runners were competing in the finals of their events, the sprinters were running prelims on Saturday but that didn't stop senior Kelly Fogarty from stealing the show. Seeded first in both the 100 and 200-meters, she posted the top time in the 100 and the second-fastest time in the 200 and broke her own school records in both events in the process. She posted an outstanding time of 11.52 in the shorter event and then clocked in with an equally impressive 23.56 in the 200.
The Danville, Calif. native has now improved her 200 time in three of the last four meets.
"There were some great performances today and I thought our people really showed good strength in day one," women's head coach Darcy Ahner said. "We're excited to carry it into tomorrows competition."
The Cal/Nevada Championships conclude on Sunday with field event finals in the shot put, discus, pole vault and triple jump as well as the finals for all track events. The two-day competition features teams from all over the state at California and Nevada, with several Division I schools amongst those competing.
