SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The FPU track and field teams opened the 2021 season on Saturday, taking part in the Sunshine Open. The Sunbirds brought home a total of 11 first place finishes to start the season on a high note. 

INSIDE THE MEET:  

• Event: Sunshine Open
• Host: Westmont College
• Track: Westmont Track
• Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. 
• Results

QUOTABLE:   

• "We are so grateful for Westmont putting on a safe and quality track meet, and today served as a great preseason rust buster after the longest layoff most of this roster has ever had. Our challenge was to simply compete and assess where we are and wake up our bodies and minds to competition level performance again. Based on the outcomes today, it looks like we have every reason to believe that our off-season investments will reap great benefits by season's end." – head coach Ray Winter

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• Madison Flores picked up first-place finishes in the 60m (7.76) and the 200m (24.89).
• Chloe Sharp gave FPU another top finish, turning in a time of 57.30 in the 400m. 
• Danae Manibog came in second in the 600m, finishing in 1:35.28. 
• Flores, Sharp and Manibog, all returning All-Americans for the 'Birds, teamed up with Kyra Bailey to run away with the 4x400 relay (3:55.17).
• Kristi Yorke matched her lifetime best in the pole vault, recording a first-place distance of 11'8 ¾".
• Faith Jensen turned in an impressive debut in the triple jump with a distance of 35'10".
• Christy Norris-Dow was strong all day for FPU, coming in third in the shot put (40'0") and second in the weight throw (44'8 ¾"). She also gave the Blue and Orange a 1-2 finish in the discus, as her distance of 132'8" was second to only teammate Klaryssa Moreno, who went 136'9". 
• Alicia Garcia threw the javelin 92'7" to take first place. 
• Cullin Bates gave FPU a win in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.47 before helping the men's 4x4 team (Brett Lombardi, Bjoern Adden, Kaden Bolton) to a second-place finish (3:26.91). 
• Lombardi and Adden tied one another for second in the high jump (6'2¼"). 
• Bolton placed third in the 800m with a time of 2:01.88.
• Adden and Isaac Davis took first and second respectively in the long jump with distances of 22'2½" and 21'7½".
• Davis turned in a first-place distance of 45'9¼"  in the triple jump, while Lombardi's 162'7" was good enough for first in the javelin by more than seven feet. 
• Moe Bradley placed first in the shot put (47'9¾") and second in the discus (154'11") in his collegiate debut, with the latter good enough for fourth on FPU's all-time list. 
• Bryan Banuelos had a strong day on the distance circuits, running the mile in 4:24.51 to finish in second and the 3K in 8:47.72 to place sixth.  

 
UP NEXT:  

• The Sunbirds will be back in action next Saturday, when they host the Sunbird Invitational at FPU Track. The field events are set to begin at noon, with track events set to follow at 2 p.m.

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