Cal Poly/ShareSLO Invitational
Windsor, Strehlow Career Bests Among Highlights at Cal Poly Invitational
3/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Mustangs Combine to Win 17 of the 38 Events While Going 3-0 vs. Visitors on Each Side
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Mustang men's and women's track and field teams both swept Pepperdine, CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday at the Cal Poly/ShareSLO Invitational, combining to win 17 of the 38 events at the 33rd annual meet also featuring professional stars and alumni.
The women's 800-meter run saw former Cal Poly All-American Maggie Vessey break her own meet record (set a year ago) while winning in 2 minutes, 5.20 seconds.
Right behind her, Mustang junior Ashley Windsor finished at 2:08.85. Her performance surpassed her previous personal record of 2:09.08, a 2014 All-Big West Conference time, which by late May of her sophomore season carried into the NCAA West Regional Championships with a No. 44 ranking.
Although results from around the country are still being reported, Windsor's sub-2:09 would've ranked fifth nationally coming into the day, and also moved her into the Top 10 in school history (exactly at No. 10).
Cal Poly junior Sara Van Dyke also exemplified how loaded the 800 was, coming in third while cutting 3.2 seconds off her PR, getting down to 2:10.19.
Saturday also included a second meet record, as Barbara Nwaba (representing Santa Barbara Track Club) won the 100 hurdles at 13.58 seconds. Mustang freshman Ciara Levy, in third place, was the top collegiate hurdler, at 14.33.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Brown Trafton, throwing unattached, won the women's discus competition with a mark of 182 feet, 1.25 inches. In doing so, the 2003 Cal Poly grad — who went on to win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics before breaking the American record in 2012 — outdistanced the field by a margin of nearly 50 feet.
Cal Poly sophomore Ricky Strehlow comfortably took the men's triple jump crown, posting a PR of 49 feet, 9.5 inches (4-4.25 farther than junior teammate Jirael Hipol). Strehlow put forth a quarter-inch improvement upon his redshirt-freshman peak, which in 2014 was good enough for a No. 32 regional ranking. His mark would've been among the Top 25 in the nation at the start of the day.
The Mustang men also dominated the 1,500 meters, accounting for the race's top six spots, paced by freshmen Garrett Migliozzi (at 3:50.06) and Peter Cotsirilos (3:50.30) going 1-2. Cal Poly produced nearly the same extent of success in the discus, in which sophomore Arnie Sambel's throw of 166-4.25 stood atop three teammates' efforts.
Already for the third time on the young season, Sambel also won the shot put, tossing for 53-8.75 (trailed by junior Nick Bultman at 52-8.25 and sophomore Nate Vickers at 50-0.75).
More wins by Cal Poly's men were turned in by:
- Bultman in the Hammer Throw (at 177-5.5)
- Amir Bradley, so., 400 (48.09, ahead of senior teammate Cliff Lekas' 48.24)
- Ben Hartinger, so., 110 Hurdles (a PR of 14.43, holding steady at No. 5 all-time at Cal Poly)
- Devon Grove, fr., 3,000 Steeplechase (9:27.81 — just in front of fellow freshman Logan Marshall's 9:32.37)
- Joey Sanfilippo, so., 100 (10.77, with wind assistance at 2.1 meters per second)
- Kyle Aube, fr., 5,000 (15:21.48, topping freshman Zachary Wims' runner-up 15:41.54)
- and the 1,600 relay team (3:19.85)
Second-place points were also contributed by:
- Strehlow, Long Jump (at 22-1.75)
- Lekas, 200 (22.12)
- David Namnath, sr., 400 Hurdles (53.82, the top time by an active student-athlete; 2012 Cal Poly grad Eric Surprenant won at 53.46)
- Ivy Adair, so., Javelin (189-10.5, bettering his previous best by 6-3.5 to narrowly slide by junior Alex Ziebart by three-quarters of an inch)
- Danny Shellworth, so., High Jump (6-7, a quarter-inch PR)
The women's squad excelled in the sprints, including a 400 relay win at 47.26. Part of that team, sophomore Daijah Joe-Smith, also won the 100-meter dash, at 11.72 seconds (wind-aided at 2.5), followed by junior Ajah Love at 11.85.
Love came back to claim the 200 victory at 24.35 (barely wind-aided by 2.1), faster than two SBTC competitors also in the first of the three heats.
The Mustang women also chalked up impressive first-place performances from:
- Michelle Read, jr., in the 1,500 (in a career-best 4:35.91)
- Kendal Nielsen, jr., Triple Jump (40-5.25)
- Mallory Patino, so., 400 Hurdles (1:03.52)
In the high jump, junior Danielle Bryan and freshman Danielle Taylor tied for second place, both clearing 5 feet, 5.25 inches (behind the unattached 5-10.75 from Megan Tice). Other second-place showings were had by:
- Kiely Osby, fr., in the Shot Put (at 46-3.5, moving her up into a tie for the No. 7 slot in program history)
- Anna Carskaden, fr., 400 (58.62)
- and the 1,600 relay team (3:56.83)
Moreover, in finishing fourth overall (albeit No. 1 among the collegians entered), junior Mishe' Scott smashed her long jump PR, bounding 18-10.25.
Mustang alums swept in the pole vault, as 2012 All-American John Prader soared over the bar at 17-0.5 and Clara Davis did the same at 11-7.75.
Team scores were as follows:
Women:
Cal Poly 116, CSU Bakersfield 55
Cal Poly 123.5, Pepperdine 36.5
Cal Poly 97.5, Cal Poly Pomona 73.5
Men:
Cal Poly 125, CSU Bakersfield 47
Cal Poly 132, Pepperdine 11
Cal Poly 121, Cal Poly Pomona 52
Cal Poly will next break up into four separate travel groups for meets scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The distance runners will head to the San Francisco State Distance Carnival in Cox Stadium, while the multi-event crew will compete in Montecito at the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational hosted by Westmont. Others will make trips to either the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field or UCLA for the Legends Invitational in Drake Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Alexander Bohlen
