University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational
Bruins Total 13 Event Wins at Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invite
April 11, 2026 | Track & Field
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA track & field team combined for 13 events wins and 32 medals on Saturday at during the 2026 Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at Drake Stadium.
The meet marked the Bruins' final home meet of the campaign. UCLA honored 27 seniors and graduate students before the start of the meet.
The Bruins โ either those on the roster or others competing unattached โ won virtually every event in which they had an entry, as only Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State LA were essentially the only other colleges to compete at the meet (USC had one entry).
Senior sprinter Naomi Johnson led the way for the Bruins with a sprint double. She started it off with an 11.43 in the 100m โ her second-fastest time ever in that event โ then picked up her second win after clocking in at 23.23 in the 200m. Taylor Snaer (11.48) was right behind Johnson in the 100m dash to clinch a 1-2 finish for UCLA.
Other notable results for UCLA came in the men's throws, the women's 400m hurdles, the women's long jump, the women's triple jump, and the men's pole vault.
Jake Stafford led all collegiate entrants in both the hammer (59.88m / 196-5) and the discus (55.67m / 182-8). Teammate Derek Smith set a PB in the discus at 54.39m (178-5) en route to a third-place finish.
Back on the track, freshman Olivia Griffin picked up a big win for the Bruins in the 400m hurdles after setting a PB at 58.06. She held off USC's Falyn Lott, the only non-Bruin Division I entry in the entire meet, to secure the victory.
ย The late part of the meet saw several standout field performances by UCLA athletes.
In the women's long jump, Sydney Johnson โ fresh off completing a heptathlon earlier this week at the Bryan Clay multis โ won by a large margin at 6.31m (20-8.5), a season best for her and a regional-qualifying mark based on last year's rankings.
Then in the triple jump, Mackenzie Kirk recorded a sizable win of her own with a mark of 12.76m (41-10.5). Like Johnson, it was a season-best mark and would have qualified for NCAA Regionals a season ago.
Cade Sommers capped off the meet for UCLA with an outdoor PB and an event win in the men's pole vault at 5.20m (17-0.25).
UCLA returns to action next week at a pair of meets, traveling across town for the Mt. SAC Relays (Apr. 15-18) and the Bryan Clay Invitational (Apr. 16-18).
Players Mentioned
