LA JOLLA, Calif. – Picked third in both PacWest preseason polls, the Concordia University Irvine track and field teams are turning heads in a variety of events after strong performances across the board at both the Triton Invitational and the Vince O'Boyle Classic.
Entering April, the CUI women's track and field team ranks Top 3 in the discus and 10,000 meter
women's event squad rankings, while also coming in fifth in the rankings for the steeplechase, sixth in javelin and Top 10 in the triple jump.
Down at UC San Diego,
Julia Pisenti broke her own school record in the discus that she set earlier in March. At the
Triton Invitational, her throw of 50.98 meters topped her previous best and placed her in the Top 10 in a crowded elite field. The junior from Grass Valley, Calif. also finished fourth in the javelin, which is another event she already holds the school record.
Meanwhile,
Emma Timmermans placed second in the 5000 meter run while
Whitney Griffith finished fourth in her discus event.
Olivia Holmquist tied for fifth place with five other competitors who all sailed 1.63 meters. That was also the best mark among all NCAA DII student-athletes in that event.
CUI teammate
Alexandra Ortiz was also Top 10 in the women's long jump and
Bridget Bourdon leaped to fifth place in the pole vault.
On the men's side,
Luke Beveridge was fifth in the pole vault as well while
Max Castin came in eighth in the long jump.
Trey Vergenz was ninth in the shot put elite category while fellow Concordia thrower
Tim Weller had an impressive outing in the discus and finished eighth overall out of over 40 competitors.
For the
men's event squad rankings that came out at the end of March, Vergenz and Weller are leading the way with their CUI teammates as the Green and Gold rank 10th in the shot put and 12th in the discus.
Speaking of Weller, at the recent
Vince O'Boyle Classic hosted by UC Irvine in late March, the sophomore from Germany won the men's discus with an outstanding 53.06 meter toss.
Another highlight came from freshman
Logan Jones who won the 800 meter dash against D1 opponents at UCI. Fellow runner
Tyler Harvey came in fourth in the 200 and was again the fastest DII runner in that event.
The women's 4x400 relay also posted their fastest time of the season. Timmermans was second overall in the 1500 while
Addison Barker was a solid second in the pole vault. And not to be outdone, Pisenti and Griffith were second and third respectively in the discus.
CLICK HERE for the updated women's track and field schedule
CLICK HERE for the updated men's track and field schedule
