Senior Jennifer Onyeagbako posted a school record and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the hammer throw on the first day of the Cal-Nevada Championships held at Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA.
Onyeagbako topped the previous 49er record of 193-05, set by Stephanie Sampson in 2004, with a career-long 199-05 to finish third overall.
In other field events, sophomore Phylicia Johnson leapt a season-best 18-10.50 to place fourth in the long jump. Classmate Katelyn Beighton tied her career-high in the pole vault, clearing 12-01.50, while senior Katie Crowe did the same at 11-07.50.
Freshman Ashley Campbell led the women on the track, qualifying for the finals in the 200-meter dash with a lifetime-best 24.60. Classmate BJ Triplett also notched a personal record in the 200m at 25.22.
Senior Ejiro Okoro advanced to the finals of the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in 2 minutes, 16.16 seconds, while sophomore Denise Nunez recorded a lifetime-best 2:16.53 in the same event.
The LBSU men had three top 10 finishes in the javelin throw, led by junior Gabe Rodriguez, who was the runner-up with a mark of 196-10. Senior Patrick Smith (190-08) and junior Colin Dunbar (180-11) rounded out the trio in sixth and 10th place, respectively.
Dunbar was also the top finisher for The Beach in the hammer throw with a mark of 170-00. Sophomore Rajan Bains added a lifetime-best 161-08 in the hammer.
Freshman Cameron Gillett placed fifth in the long jump with a career-long 22-02.25, while junior Alex Black tied his season-high in the high jump at 6-06.75 (8th place).
Over on the track, senior Austin Fowler qualified for the finals in both the 100m (10.83) and 200m (21.68) dashes. Junior Kenneth Medwood and sophomore Christopher Lawson also advanced to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. Medwood ran a lifetime-best 52.37 in the prelims, while Lawson crossed the finish line in 53.07. Lawson will also make an appearance in the 110-meter hurdles final after clocking in at 14.99 seconds.
Sophomore Josh Arrietta posted an eighth-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:34.50, while classmate Jonathan Evans added a lifetime-best performance in the 800-meter run (1:54.64).
Sophomore Steven DeCastro wrapped up the first day of action with a second-place performance in the 10000-meter run, clocking in with a personal-record 31:23.76.
Overall, the 49er men and women established 22 Big West qualifying marks on the first day of the Cal-Nevada Championships. The Beach will conclude action at the two-day meet on Sunday.
Report By LBSU