Report by LBSU
Junior Randi Hicks claimed the women’s javelin title to highlight the first day of the Big West Conference Championships for the Long Beach State track and field team Friday afternoon at Matador Track in Northridge.
Hicks won the event with a toss of 162-04, which ties the conference meet record. The Oxnard, Calif., native broke the Big West and school record earlier this year with a lifetime-best 170-11. Senior Alex Shaw made it a one-two finish for The Beach as she earned runner-up honors (159-06). Sophomore Rebecca Hamilton also scored for the 49ers, finishing eighth with a lifetime-best 120-10.
Freshman Alexandra Cervantes (hammer) and junior Kate Beighton (pole vault) each picked up a point for Long Beach State with eighth-place performances in their respective events. Cervantes had a lifetime-best 157-07 in the hammer, while Beighton registered a season-high 11-05 in the pole vault.
Over on the track, sophomore Jessica Barnard ran a personal-record 10:46.31 to take fourth in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Barnard’s mark was the fourth-fastest in school history. She also recorded the second-fastest 800-meter qualifying time, crossing the finish line in a lifetime-best 2:12.85.
Seniors Jennifer Rodriguez (4:44.82) and Missy Barclay (4:47.38), and freshman Annie Randall (4:46.48) all qualified for the 1500m finals as they finished among the top 12 in the preliminary round.
In the 400m hurdles, sophomore Kristen Kiefer placed fifth in the prelims with a season-best 62.72. Senior Anastasiya Kholev also advanced to the finals with a seventh-place showing (63.10).
Senior Kenneth Medwood led the 49er men on the first day of the Big West Championships. Medwood notched a runner-up finish in the long jump with a lifetime-best 24-07. He also advanced to the 400 hurdle (2nd, 52.05) and 200m (3rd, 21.49) finals. Junior Sam Jeter had the top 400H qualifying time, clocking in at 51.30.
Also scoring in the long jump were juniors Eric Nowell (4th, 24-02.25) and sophomore Cameron Gillett (6th, 23-05.50). Both Nowell and Gillett established lifetime bests.
Junior Richard Crawford qualified for the 100m (10.81) and 200m (21.75) finals as he registered personal records in both events.
Both sophomore Chris Sweeney and senior Alex Goldberg were among the top nine in the 400-meter dash to move on to Saturday’s finals. Sweeney’s mark was a personal record, while Goldberg established a season best.
Junior Nimrod Piggee also ran a lifetime best in the 110m hurdles as he clocked in at 14.18 to finish second overall in the preliminaries. Piggee’s mark ranks him seventh in the 49er record books.
In the distance events, sophomore Matt Maldonado had the second-best qualifying mark in the 1500m (3:53.19), while junior Mark Thomas also qualified for the finals, finishing 12th overall. Senior Alex Freitas moved on to the 800m finals, finishing fourth with a time of 1:52.00.
Junior Steven DeCastro put two points on the board for LBSU, finishing seventh in the 3000m steeplechase (9:21.69). Sophomore Brett Hasvold also scored in the 10,000m as he took sixth (31:50.07).
In the field events, junior Nicholas Armstrong led a quartet of 49ers in the high jump, tying for fifth with a height of 6-08.25. Senior Alex Black also scored for The Beach, clearing 6-06.25 for seventh place.
Junior Peter Fourtounis took fifth in the hammer (170-05), while freshman Ryan Rosales placed sixth overall with a personal-record 173-09 in the javelin.
Long Beach State returns to Matador Track on Saturday, May 15, when it wraps up action at the Big West Championships.
Men’s Standings
1. Cal State Northridge 67
2. UC Davis 62
3. UC Santa Barbara 56.5
4. Long Beach State 42
5. Cal State Fullerton 21.5
6. UC Davis 13
7. UC Riverside 11
8. UC Irvine 0
Women’s Standings
1. Cal State Northridge 79
2. UC Santa Barbara 65
3. UC Davis 39
4. Cal State Fullerton 31
5. Long Beach State 27
6. Cal Poly 16
7. UC Riverside 14
8. UC Irvine 2