Last Chance National Qualifier at BU
McCarthy Looks to Secure Berth to Indoor Nationals on Sunday in Boston
2/27/2025 4:00:00 PM | Track and Field
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Four Cal Poly track and field distance runners along with sprinter Chase Walter are headed to Boston University this Sunday to take part in a Last Chance National Qualifier at the BU Track & Tennis Center.
Aidan McCarthy will be running the men’s 800-meter at the meet looking to lock up a berth to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the event, while Spencer Pickren, Carson Smith and Lewis Westwood will all be looking to improve their times in the men’s mile. Walter is pacing the section of the 800 McCarthy is entered in with hopes of helping the 2023 NCAA Outdoor All-American in the 800 go sub-1:46 in the event.
The meet will be streamed live on FloTrack with the purchase of a subscription. Follow Cal Poly track and field on Instagram (@calpolytfxc) and Twitter/X (@CalPolyTrack_XC) for live updates throughout the meet.
McCarthy is set to hit the track first at approximately 10:25 a.m. PST in Section 1 of the men’s 800. The men’s invitational mile for Pickren, Smith and Westwood is set to start at roughly 12:35 p.m. PST Sunday.
McCarthy is looking to continue his sensational indoor season, which has seen him break a total of three school records between the men’s 800, 1,000 and mile. McCarthy posted an indoor personal best of 1:46.55 in the 800 at the UW Invitational on Feb. 1, which currently ranks as the 13th-best time ran in Division I this season. The top 16 marks recorded nationally in each event qualify for the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships held on March 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Currently, McCarthy also owns the 10th-fastest mile time ran in the nation this indoor season, posting a blistering time of 3:52.83 at the Husky Classic two weeks ago.
Pickren (3:57.31), Smith (3:59.22) and Westwood (3:59.37) currently rank second, fourth and fifth respectively on Cal Poly’s all-time list in the mile. Pickren is also the school record holder in the men’s indoor 3,000 (7:53.96).
The rest of the Cal Poly track and field team is preparing for the outdoor season which starts next week with a trio of meets on the road — the Sam Adams Combined Events hosted by UC Santa Barbara on March 5-6, the Ben Brown Invite Distance Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton on March 7 and the Bulldog Invite hosted by Fresno State on March 8.
