LA JOLLA, Calif. – The University of California San Diego track and field teams exhibited powerful performances at the San Diego Collegiate Challenge on March 7. It was the Tritons' ninth season in a row hosting the event.
The UC San Diego men came in second-place (162), three points off from a first-place US Naval Academy (165) and ahead of future Big West contender UC Santa Barbara (147). On the women's side, the Tritons turned in strong results as well, placing third with a point total of 108.5.
"Today's meet was strong across all the event areas," said Women's Head Coach
Darcy Ahner. "We really saw some heat with Navy and UC Santa Barbara. You always want to come out on top, but it was nice to see both the men's and the women's teams compete fearlessly against the Division I schools, even though we have a fairly young team. With eight provisional NCAA qualifiers after only two opportunities, we are excited to see how the season progresses."
Men's Events
Junior
Evan Shimasaki posted a provisional qualifying mark in the pole vault with a winning leap of 16'6.75". The mark was a personal best for Shimasaki and tied UC San Diego's all-time record at number one.
The Tritons took 2-3-4 in the shot put as senior
Devin Lecakes-Jones (53'11.0"), freshman
Matthew Amankonah (53'1.75"), and junior
Blake Walkowiak (52'1.25") secured the respective positions. Lecakes-Jones' toss was sufficient for a provisional-qualifying mark which moved him to fourth all-time in UC San Diego history. Amankonah took the fifth slot on the top-ten sheet.
Reigning CCAA Champion in the 800, junior
Jake Selstad was crowned overall winner at the San Diego Collegiate Challenge in the same event. Selstad crossed the line in 1:52.42 to overcome a Gaucho counterpart that was right on his tail.
Freshman
Leyikun Solomon placed third in the 400 hurdles (53.34) which was good for a pro-qualifying mark and ties him for ninth all-time at UC San Diego. In addition, he finished second in the 110 hurdles (14.93). Fellow classmate
Nathan Yoder held a first-place lead in the triple jump with an initial leap of 22'3.50", but was ultimately ousted by Gaucho counterpart (22'3.75").
The men's 4 x 400 squad of sophomore
Maximilian Halvax, senior
Makhai Husband, Solomon and freshman
Jake Heinlein took home first (3:14.81), which places them third all-time in the Triton record books.
Women's Events
Senior
Gabby Eshiet reached a provisional qualifying mark in the hammer event. Her toss of 172'9" was just shy of her personal best and UC San Diego's all-time second best of 176'0".
Seniors
Claudia Cox and
Erikka Linn punched in additional pro-qualifying marks in the 400 hurdles (1st/1:01.82) and triple jump (1st/39'5.25), respectively.
The 4 x 400 Triton unit of sophomore
Ellie Flint, freshman
Gloria Kalt, junior
Jenna Mencarelli, and Cox crossed the finish line first (3:52.48) as well.
In the high jump, senior
Chelsea Challacombe finished first overall with a 5'5.75' display.
Up Next
The Tritons will compete again next weekend on March 14 in Point Loma as part of the Ross and Sharon Irwin Scoring Meet.
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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