SACRAMENTO & SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific Track and Field team split their forces as they headed to northern California for the Capital Invite and the Johnny Mathis Invitational. With distance runners not in the mix, the Sunbirds valiantly competed at both meets, recording personal-bests, national qualifying marks, and ending the day with several event wins under their belts.
Johnny Mathis Invitational (San Francisco State)
Only sprinters and field event athletes participated at the Johnny Mathis Invitational in San Francisco. To start the day, the Sunbirds' speed was on full display in sprints. Sophomore hurdler
Cyan Haslip blazed to a first-place finish in the women's 100m with a personal best (11.92), while the men's squad of
Estevan Gonzalez,
Jackson Paramo, and
Jaih McElroy packed the leaderboard with fourth, fifth, and sixth-place finishes. Haslip wasn't done there—she doubled back to win the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:03.85.
The hurdle crew continued to lead the charge, with
Syndel Lopez placing fifth in the 100mH, followed by
Clara Wagner in seventh (15.43). On the men's side, it was all Sunbirds in the 110m hurdles as
Jonathan Biffle stormed to a first-place finish in 14.45, with
Rome Johnson right behind in second (15.04). The 'Birds dominated the men's 400m hurdles as well, with Biffle grabbing another win with a time of 52.91.
In the 400 meters,
Jerome Brown turned in a strong second-place finish (48.69). Closing out the meet,
Riley Allen (25.25) and Brown (22.12) each secured second-place finishes in their respective 200m races, putting an exclamation point on a strong all-around showing in San Francisco.
In the field events,
Shane Bagley delivered an outstanding performance, winning the Pole Vault completion with a clearance of 17 feet 6¾ inches, securing a national qualifying mark and ranking him second in the country.
Jackson Paramo was the runner-up with a jump of 15 feet 1 inch.
Capital Invitational (Sac City College)
Fresno Pacific kept the momentum rolling over at the Capital Invite, delivering standout performances across sprints, relays, and field events. The women's sprint team put on quite a show, sweeping the 200m as
Mikiyla Royal (24.23),
Shaniya Randolph (25.17), and
Iyanna Fuller (25.20) claimed the Top 3 spots. Royal and Fuller also dominated the 100m, taking first and second, while the 4x100 relay team of Fuller,
Avril Mendoza, Royal, and Randolph competed unrivaled with a time of 46.08. Royal achieved a personal best with her win in the 100 meters (11.71).
In hurdles,
Emma O'Neil captured first in the 400m hurdles (1:02.96), continuing the Sunbirds' dominance in the event.
On the men's side, senior superstar
Shemar Palmer had a huge day, winning both the 200m (21.09) and 400m (47.01), while freshman
Hudson Hergenrader impressed with a first-place finish in his 200m heat.
As the day progressed, the field events were just as dominant.
Aamir Smith soared to first in the long jump (7.05m), while
Chavez Grey led a stacked Sunbird discus group with a winning mark of 49.97.
Eric Romero topped the shot put (13.62) with
Isaac Martinez and
William Jenkins close behind in both throwing events.
On the women's side,
Brooklyn Epperley and
Siolo Lua took first and second in the shot put, while Epperley added another win in the discus (44.19), capping off an impressive weekend for the 'Birds.
"Overall, it was a successful weekend of performances," said head coach
Robert Foster. "As we move into more competitive meets later in the season, prospects look promising for both the men's and women's teams."
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