University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Tyson Invitational
Bruins Finish Up at Tyson Invite, Husky Classic
February 14, 2026 | Track & Field
The UCLA track & field team had a number of notable performances over the weekend as the squad competed at a pair of meets in the Tyson Invitational hosted by Arkansas and the Husky Classic hosted by Washington.
The weekend was highlighted by the team's performances in Fayetteville, Ark., where the Bruins earned three medals in championship sections as well as a school record in the men's weight throw courtesy of Michael Pinckney. UCLA also logged plenty of all-time top-10 times/marks along the way.
It marked the second time this season that Pinckney broke the school record, which he himself set in 2023. His mark of 22.40m (73-6) was incrementally longer than his previous season-best of 22.33m. It was the third time in his collegiate career that he broke the 22-meter mark. He remains the lone Bruin in program history to ever hit 22 meters in the WT.
Silver medals in championship events for UCLA came via Taylor Snaer (200m) and Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck (60m hurdles) while a third-place result came courtesy of Valentina Fakrogha (high jump).
Naomi Johnson added a bronze in the university-section 200m. She also had UCLA's first notable result of the weekend on the track, as her time of 52.28 in the 400m earned a fourth-place finish and moved her into No. 2 in school history.
Ndjip-Nyemeck added a silver medal for the Bruins in the 60mH. She led all collegians in the championship prelim, and clocked an 8.00 in the final to place second. It matched her second-fastest 60mH as a collegian.
Ailish Hawkins had the Bruins' top performance in Seattle on Friday, as her time of 9:26.56 in the 3000m represented a PR and the No. 5 time in school indoor history. The UCLA men added a win in the non-invite distance medley relay, as the quartet of Everett Capelle, Aaron Cantu, Arrin Sagiraju, and Jack Falkowski checked in at 9:50.67, eight seconds better than the runner-up.
Senior Mackenzie Kirk got the Bruins off to a strong start on Saturday with a personal-best performance in the women's triple jump, as she hit a PR at 13.17m (43-2.5) to move up to No. 5 in program history. It was her first time breaking the 13-meter mark in her career.
Snaer was the first Bruin to medal on Saturday, as she matched her fastest 200m time of the year at 23.10 to place second in the championship section.
Likewise, Fakrogha turned in her second-highest clearance of the season in the high jump championship (1.81m / 5-11.25) to earn a bronze.
Though she just missed out on a medal, graduate pole vaulter Paige Sommers acquitted herself well in the championship section by matching her PR at 4.30m (14-1.25) to place top-five and improve to No. 4 in UCLA indoor history.
The Bruins finished up at the Tyson invite with solid efforts from both 4x400 relay squads. The men (Gabriel Clement II, Chris Paige, Tamaal Myers, Zaire Waring) notched the No. 8 time in school history at 3:08.74. The women (Ava Simms, Snaer, Keilee Hall, Johnson) meanwhile checked in with the last spot of the program's all-time top-10 at 3:33.64.
UCLA's Seattle standouts on Saturday included Kaho Cichon (her 4:48.49 mile was a PR and No. 10 in school history), Sagiraju (his 4:00.54 mile was No. 7 in school history), and Kaitlyn Arciaga (her time of 2:06.18 in the 800m was sixth-fastest in the program's all-time top-10).
The Bruins return to action Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22, at the Saucony Battle for Boston hosted by Boston University. It will serve as UCLA's final competition before the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Indianapolis.
Players Mentioned
