Melissa Navarro captured the Big West Conference title in the women's javelin Saturday at UC Davis.
Photo by: Bill Payne | The Big West
3 Mustangs capture Big West Conference Titles
5/14/2022 8:47:00 PM | Track and Field
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DAVIS, Calif. — Three Mustangs claimed conference titles on the final day of the Big West Track and Field Championships on Saturday at UC Davis.
Aidan McCarthy, Melissa Navarro and Mathis Bresko all secured individual glory in their respective events. As a team, the Cal Poly men finished fourth with 118.5 points and the women, the 2021 champions, brought home fifth with 91 points.
On Saturday, eight more Mustangs collected individual All-Conference honors by finishing in the top three in their events.
Acting Track and Field Director Chris Baptista said his team rose to the occasion across the two-day competition.
"Overall, our athletes really stepped up," Baptista said. "If you look at where we were in a lot of those events coming in … we moved up in just about every area other than a couple spots, so I was really proud of the way our team performed this week."
Aidan McCarthy won the conference title in the men's 800-meter Saturday.
McCarthy, a redshirt freshman, made history en route to his conference title in the men's 800-meter. His time of 1 minute, 49.38 seconds is a personal record and the fifth fastest in school history. McCarthy is the third Mustang ever to win a Big West title in the event, and first since Bobby Poynter in 2019.
"That's the fastest 800-meter time that we've had since 2013," Baptista said. "He's talented and he's going to have a very bright future."
On her fifth attempt in the javelin, Navarro recorded a throw of 155 feet, 2 inches to soar past her competitors and earn the first Big West title for Cal Poly in the women's javelin since Megan Mooney in 2016 and the fourth in program history. Navarro was ranked first in the event heading into the championships, and she lived up to those expectations.
"She was a kid that when we recruited her, we had a lot of expectations for," Baptista said. "She's someone we signed back in the fall who came in this spring … and she really came through today and that was exciting to see her do that."
Bresko was also seeded first in his event entering the meet and he delivered a stellar performance in the men's pole vault. Bresko, who finished third last year, edged out Cal State Fullerton's Daniel Palacio to capture the Mustangs' ninth Big West title in the event and first since John Prader went back-to-back in 2012-2013. Cal Poly's Christian Valles also tied for fourth and Zachary Volpe came in seventh.
"He's been consistent, and he's won a lot of meets [this year]," Baptista said about Bresko. "He's been vaulting right at 17 feet all year."
Xian Shively brought home second in the men's 1,500 (3:49.63) to earn a podium finish and conference accolades. Teammate Elias Opsahl was close behind in sixth place (3:51.76).
The men's distance crew had an impressive showing in the 5,000. Jake Ritter secured second (14:29.62), William Fallini-Haas fourth and John Bennett sixth. Ritter was also runner-up in the 10,000 on Friday.
Isabella Rigby nabbed a spot on the All-Conference squad with a runner-up finish in the women's discus (159-7). Amaya Lopez-Fuller, who placed third in 2021, took fifth in the event (146-6).
Mathis Bresko won the Big West title in the men's pole vault.
The Cal Poly women nearly defended their conference title in the 4x400 relay. Katelyn Carro, Anisa Rind, Kaila Bishop and Cassidy Hubert powered the Mustangs to a second-place finish. They crossed the line just over a second behind Hawai'i.
Both Hubert and Rind also received individual All-Conference recognition for the second straight year. Hubert was third in the women's 800 (2:10.06) and Rind captured third in the women's 400 (56.86). In 2021, Rind won the Big West title in the 400.
Melody Nwagwu took third in the women's triple jump with a personal best (40-3.5) to grab All-Conference honors. On Friday, Nwagwu placed fourth in the long jump. She scored a total of 11 team points for the Mustangs.
In the 400 hurdles, Jonathan Chagnon captured fourth on the men's side and Shimona Draper placed fifth in the women's race with a career best (1:01.43).
Maia Garcia tied her career best in the women's high jump Saturday (5-3.25) to earn sixth, Kevin Fernandez grabbed seventh in the men's triple jump with a personal record (47-6.5) and Devon Cetti secured eighth in the men's hammer (189-1) to score a point for the Mustangs.
Overall, 15 athletes and one relay secured podium finishes for Cal Poly at the Big West Championships.
Just over a month ago, Mark Conover, Cal Poly's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country for more than 13 years, passed away after a year-long battle with an aggressive squamous cell carcinoma. It wasn't easy without their leader, but the team remained resilient and kept performing at a high level every week. Baptista said he couldn't be prouder of the way this group handled the adversity they faced this season.
"This week when we had our senior speeches there was a lot of emotion that came out," Baptista said. "People really fought for each other this weekend, for every spot and every opportunity."
Now the Mustangs wait to see who has earned a berth to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on May 25-28 at the University of Arkansas. The field, comprised of the top 48 individual marks and top 24 relay times west of the Mississippi, will be announced in the next few days.
Below is a list of all the athletes who received All-Conference honors at the Big West Championships:
