LA JOLLA, Calif. – The University of California San Diego track and field team will begin its 2020 campaign at the Mangrum Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 8. Hosted by Cal State San Marcos, teams competing include Cal State San Marcos, Point Loma, Concordia Irvine, Chapman University and UC San Diego.
DETAILS
at Mangrum Invitational
Saturday, Feb. 8
Mangrum Field • San Marcos
Throwing, Jumping, Track Events • 10:30am
Live Results |
Meet Schedule (PDF)
MANGRUM INVITE HISTORY
The Tritons have participated in the Mangrum Invitational two times in the last three years, in which both the men and women reigned victorious in back-to-back seasons. In 2017, the men and women combined to win 22 events on the day, while in 2018, both sides finished first with a total of 23 wins as a program.
BLUE/GOLD ALUMNI MEET
The Tritons had their biggest showing ever in the Blue/Gold Alumni Meet that took place Saturday, Feb. 1. An estimated 150 former UC San Diego scholar-athletes were in attendance.
"It was such a wonderful day with perfect weather and we had our biggest turnout ever from the alumni," said Women's Head Coach
Darcy Ahner. "It was great to see our scholar-athletes in their new uniforms for the first time this year and the teams look really strong across all the event areas."
RETURNING NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
In 2020, the Tritons return four standouts that competed at last year's NCAA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
In 2019,
Claudia Cox earned USTFCCCA All-America Second Team, USTFCCCA All-West Region, and All-CCAA honors, and was the individual CCAA Champion in the 400 hurdles. At the national meet, she finished 11th overall in the 400 hurdles (1:1.12). Her first-place time of 59.18 seconds in the 400 hurdles at the CCAA Championship (5/4) ranks second all-time in UC San Diego history. In addition, she competed as member of the All-CCAA 4x400 relay team.
Evan Shimasaki (pole vault),
Blake Walkowiak (discus), and
Gabby Eshiet (shot put) were also NCAA contenders. Each Triton was named to the USTFCCCA All-West Region team for their efforts in their respective events. Shimasaki and Eshiet also took home All-CCAA accolades.
Walkowiak's best toss of 159'4" (48.58) at nationals placed him 20th overall. His toss of 171'6" (52.27) at Arizona State's Sun Angel Classic (4/6) resulted in a first-place finish, and bumped him to second all-time in UC San Diego history.
100-PLUS YEARS AT THE HELM
100-plus years of combined coaching experience sits at the helm of the UC San Diego Track and Field program. Four coaches in particular have bled blue and gold for as long as they can remember. Head Coach Tony Salerno approaches his 21
st year at the top of the men's program, as Head Coach Darcy Ahner enters her 13
th stint leading the women. Sprint Coach Mick Gieskes begins his 24
th year overall and Distance Coach Nate Garcia embarks on season 18. For more on the Triton coaching staff, click
here.
WHAT'S NEXT
Following this weekend's competition, UC San Diego will head to Pomona for the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers Meet on Saturday, Feb. 15.
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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