CLAREMONT, Calif. – Four individuals from the University of California San Diego track and field team posted NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the Rossi Relays on Saturday, Feb. 22. In addition, four more Tritons displayed performances that cracked UC San Diego's all-time list.
 
With it being the first date countable for NCAA qualifying marks, the blue and gold took promising steps forward in just its third meet of the 2020 campaign.

Competing in the meet were various Division II institutions, unattached athletes, as well as foreign sub-elites including Japanese and Australian club athletes.

"It was a good day," said Men's Head Coach Tony Salerno. "When you can register four NCAA marks and four more marks that made the all-time list, that's great. To have a day like this early in the season, it bodes well for the season ahead."

Men's Events
On the men's side, junior Blake Walkowiak nearly broke the school record in the discus. His winning toss of 173'1.0" just about assured qualification for the national meet in late May and put him second all-time in UC San Diego history. 

Freshman Nathan Yoder's leap of 48'2.75" in the triple jump was good for a provisional qualifying mark and seventh all-time, as well as first-place over collegiate contenders.
 
Senior Devin Lecakes-Jones (shot put/52'9.50") and freshman Leyikun Solomon (110 hurdles/14.75) produced all-time results at fifth and eighth, respectively. Lecakes-Jones' throw was first among collegian athletes in the event, while Solomon's time was second. Redshirt freshman Sebastian Garcia also entered the all-time list with his 161'6.0" toss in the discus, tied for seventh.  
 
Other overall event winners among collegian participants include redshirt senior Samuel Blake in the 3000 meter run (8:25.26), junior Kiasa Salgado in the 400 hurdles (53.99) and sophomore Zachary Aanstoots in the high jump (6'6.0").
 
The 4x800 relay unit consisting of senior Timothy Corvese, junior Jake Selstad, sophomore Andrew Thomas and freshman Jake Heinlein took home first-place with a time of 7:51.00.
 
Women's Events
For the women, Claudia Cox ran 60.94 in the 400 hurdles, which would suffice for a provisional qualifying mark for the senior. Fellow classmate, Erikka Linn earned a provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump (39'8.75"), which places her fourth all-time in program history.
 
Linn also collected first-place in the long jump (18'1.0").
 
In the pole vault, Naomi Chin cleared 11'11.75", obtaining the four slot in the all-time files in just her rookie season.
 
The women's 4x800 squad of freshmen Sarah Meng and Isabelle Shepherd, junior Czarina Dominguez and senior Chelsea Challacombe placed first with at time of 9:51.62. The 4x400 team of freshman Gloria Kalt, sophomore Ellie Flint, junior Jenna Mencarelli and Cox also crossed the finish line first (3:54.32). 
 
Freshman Kate Macnaughton was the overall event winner in the high jump (5'3.75").
 
Up Next
UC San Diego will have next weekend off from competing. The Tritons are set to host their first of three home meets this year on March 7 for the San Diego Collegiate Challenge. Meet info (PDF) can be found, here. For the tentative schedule, click here (PDF).

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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