UCLA
John Jacobs Invitational
UCLA Excels at Mt. SAC, John Jacobs Invitational
April 20, 2018 | Track & Field
The UCLA track and field teams continued to hone their skills and improve their results across a pair of off-campus meets on Friday, breaking school records and setting a slew of new PRs at the Mt. SAC Relays across town and at the John Jacobs Invitational hosted by the University of Oklahoma.
The Bruins conclude competition at both locations tomorrow, though forecasted inclement weather in Oklahoma has the chance to alter the meet schedule. Check back to UCLABruins.com for any potential updates.
Mt. SAC Relays
Though the second day of the Mt. SAC Relays, held at El Camino College's Murdock Stadium, began around 10:30 a.m., most of the Bruins who took part in the meet didn't have their events until much later in the day.
Those Bruins who did complete late proved it was worth the wait though, with a number of runners notching notable results. Most of those came in the 5000m, as five Bruins competed at that distance over two separate events.
Robert Brandt had a historic showing in the first 5000m, recording the third-best time in UCLA history at 13:41.23 and beating his old PR by almostย 12 seconds. Senior Daniel De La Torre notched his first sub-14:00 time of 2018 in the 5000m with a 13:54.32 finish, which landed him in 24th place.
In the later event, a pair of Bruins finished in the top five, led by Colin Burke's second-place showing of 13:58.77, a new personal-best. George Gleason's time of 14:01.35, also a new PR, landed him a fifth-place finish. Senior Myles Smith made it three for three for Bruin PRs in the second 5000m race, as he established a new collegiate best at 14:16.66.
Sophomore Cassandra Durgy and freshman Kelly Bernd opened the action for UCLA on Friday, with each posting top-15 times in the women's 1500m. Durgy finished sixth among collegiate participants with a 4:31.00 finish, almost four seconds better than her time at last weekend's Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational. Bernd meanwhile came in 11th among NCAA participants and set a new PR with a time of 4:34.20.
Competing in the 1500m for the first time this season, sophomore Carter Blunt registered a time of 3:49.49, good for a third-place finish among collegiate runners. The mark was just more than a second off his personal best, set at the 2017 NCAA Regionals. ย
John Jacobs Invitational
Another eye-catching day from the throwers headlined another solid team performance by UCLA on the first day of the John Jacobs Invitational, hosted by the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
Freshman Alyssa Wilson and junior Justin Stafford exemplified that trend with career-best outings in the hammer throw.
Fresh off her first career triple at last week's Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at Drake Stadium, Wilson followed that up with a new PR of 61.43m (201-6) in the hammer throw. That launch moved Wilson up to sixth all-time in Bruin lore in the hammer and set a new UCLA freshman record for that event.
On the men's side, junior Justin Stafford landed a PR himself at 64.67 (212-2) to win the hammer throw in the third consecutive meet at which he's competed.
UCLA had two of the top-four finishers in the women's shot put, as Wilson finished second at 16.95m (55-7.5) just ahead of Ashlie Blake's 16.21m (53-2.5) launch. Christina Chenault, a junior pentathlete, came in with a distance of 11.33m, a 2018-best. A 16.21m shot effort on the men's side gave Kai Wong the seventh 16-meter throw of his career and the first of 2018.
Three of the top eight finishers in the women's 1500m were Bruins, led by Jessica Cushing-murray's fifth-place time of 4:47.26. Sophomore Taylor Taite finished seventh at 4:50.76 and freshman Kennedy Meyer was eighth at 5:19.31. Bruins dominated the men's side of the 1500m as well, with three of the top four and four of the top six times coming from UCLA runners.
Tyler Janes, who placed second at 3:59.59, went under the four-minute mark in that even for the first time. Chris Morzenti (3:59.75) and Millen Trujillo (3:59.78) also snuck in under the 4:00 mark, with the former notching a new career-best in that event.
Players Mentioned
