Bryan Clay Invitational
Track & Field Records 14 Top-10 Marks to Highlight Strong Showing in SoCal
4/20/2025 8:00:00 AM | Track and Field
AZUSA, Calif. — Highlighted by an impressive showing by the distance team, 14 new top-10 marks in program history and countless standout individual performances, the Cal Poly track and field program shined across four meets Southern California this Wednesday through Saturday.
Cal Poly’s top distance runners took part in the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational held at Azusa Pacific’s Cougar Athletic Stadium on Wednesday through Friday, while eight Mustangs raced in distance events at University of La Verne’s Leopard Invitational on Thursday and Friday. The Mustangs’ best sprinters, jumpers, throwers, hurdlers and pole vaulters descended upon legendary Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Thursday through Saturday for the 65th annual Mt. SAC Relays, and a handful of athletes also competed in the Beach Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Jack Rose Track, the site of the 2025 Big West Championships.
Across the four meets, 23 individual personal bests were recorded between the over 60 Mustangs that competed, with the distance team leading the way with 14 PRs posted at Bryan Clay and four ran at the Leopard Invite. Below are some of the highlights from each of the meets.
Bryan Clay Invitational
The distance squad tore up the track at Azusa Pacific, posting a total of nine top-10 marks in school history at the Bryan Clay Invitational, the fastest and largest collegiate meet in the U.S. Eight out of the 11 men that competed in the meet recorded PRs, while six of the eight women that hit the track PR’d.
The sensational showing by the Mustangs was highlighted by the outdoor season debut by phenom Aidan McCarthy, who earned First Team All-American honors in the indoor 800-meter just over a month ago by placing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Taking part in his first outdoor track meet since running the 800 at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, McCarthy picked up right where he left off, running a blistering lifetime best of 3:36.49 in the 1,500-meter to place fourth overall in the elite invite Friday night. He improved his second best time in school history, which only trails former teammate Davis Bove (3:35.35). In his first 1,500 since May 6, 2023, McCarthy recorded over a three-second personal best and the time currently ranks No. 3 in the West Region and No. 7 in Division I this season.
Junior Carson Smith improved his fourth best time in school history in the men’s 1,500 that same night (3:41.25), while on the women’s side junior Tatian Cornejo had a performance to remember in the same event. Running her first 1,500 since winning the Big West title last May, Cornejo took first in her heat with an impressive time of 4:15.14 to place eighth overall in the invite section. The time is the fastest ran by a Mustang in 36 years, No. 3 in school history, No. 25 in the West Region and No. 50 in the nation this season. The performance in the 1,500 comes just two weeks after Cornejo broke a 42-year-old school record in the women’s 5,000 at the Stanford Invitational.
“I felt really strong,” Cornejo said after the race. “Going into the race I was more nervous than usual just because I haven’t ran a faster race in about a year, so definitely the nerves were kicking in but you kind of have to try to channel that into adrenaline which is what I did … I think execution wise, I nailed it.”
On Thursday under the lights, sophomore Chris Caudillo stole the spotlight for the Mustangs, winning his heat in the men’s 5,000 by running the second-fastest time in school history (13:44.89) and the best by a Mustang since school record holder Ben Bruce in 2005 (13:40.90). Teammate Spencer Pickren also ran the sixth-fastest 5,000 time in program history (13:50.59) in the same heat.
“I think it means I’m on the right track and I think I came to the right program,” Caudillo said after his race Thursday. “Being able to be just a few seconds off the school record in basically my first ever 5K as a sophomore, I think says a lot.”
The steeplechase squad got the incredible week for the Cal Poly distance program started on Wednesday by posting three top-10 times in school history. Senior Bryce Kueker dropped another significant lifetime best in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase, running the third-fastest time in school history (8:36.78) and the best by a Mustang in 20 years. The time currently ranks No. 13 in the West Region this outdoor season and No. 19 in Division I. On the women’s side, redshirt junior Isabel Sanchez and sophomore Sydney Sundgren both moved up the top-10 list in the event with lifetime bests. Sundgren ran the fifth-fastest time in school history (10:38.76), while Sanchez posted the sixth-fastest in program history (10:38.95).
Later Wednesday night, Kelli Gaffney continued her stellar sophomore track season, running the fourth-fastest women’s 10,000 time in school history (34:12.89) and the best by a Mustang in 35 years. It was her first time running the 10,000.
Mt. SAC Relays
At the distinguished Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College, senior Corban Payne and junior Rory Devaney both had standout individual performances, while Cal Poly’s relays continued to impress.
On Saturday in the elite section of the men’s shot put, Payne tossed a lifetime best of 60 feet, 4.5 inches (18.40 meters) to rise to No. 2 in school history and place fourth overall. The mark is No. 24 in West Region and Payne was just over a foot away from Andy Sverchek’s 1999 school record (61-5.5).
Devaney had quite the day Saturday as well, competing in the elite invite in both the men’s discus and hammer throw. First, Devaney took sixth in the discus with a season best and his second-best toss ever (180-5) and then in the hammer throw he recorded a lifetime best of 226-11 to improve his No. 2 mark in school history and secure a fifth-place finish. Teammate Travis Martin, the current school record holder, placed seventh in the hammer (221-2). Martin and Devaney currently rank seventh and eighth respectively in the West Region in the event, and No. 12 and No. 13 in Division I.
Graduate student Chase Walter won his heat of the men’s elite 400-meter invite Saturday, running down Washington State’s Grant Buckmiller in the final 100 meters to finish with a time of 46.08 seconds, .01 seconds off his personal best which ranks No. 2 in school history and No. 21 in the West Region this season. Walter also ran the third leg on Cal Poly’s 4x400 relay on Friday, which posted the fifth-fastest time in school history (3:09.26) to place second overall in the collegiate division. Sophomores Alexander Franco and Levi Romero, and freshman Vincent Atilano ran the other three legs on the relay.
Cal Poly’s women’s 4x400 relay also shined, posting the team’s fastest time since 2008 and the third best time in Division I program history. Sophomore Elianah DeMange, freshman Avery Adelman, and sophomores Jordan Jackson and Kalia Estes led the Mustangs to a blistering time of 3:42.49. The women’s 4x100 also posted a season best time of 45.91 seconds thanks to freshmen Desie Armstrong and Madison Easter, sophomore Ciella Seals and senior Cadence Roy-Williams.
Leopard Invitational
True freshman Renae Searls was the highlight of the Leopard Invitational for the Mustangs as she won the women’s 3,000 steeplechase by over 10 seconds with the fourth-fastest time in school history (10:34.54), breaking the Ortmayer Stadium facility record in the process. It was nearly a 27-second personal best for Searls in just her second time running the event.
Colton Swinth, a two-time All-Big West honoree in the men’s 10,000, also ran a 15-second PR in the 5,000 (14:15.64) to place second overall.
Beach Invitational
A pair of women’s hammer throwers stole the spotlight for the Mustangs at the Beach Invitational as senior Anna Grexton and freshman Brooklyn Epperley both posted top-10 marks in school history. Grexton moved up to No. 3 in school history in the hammer throw with a PR of 180 feet, 10 inches, while Epperley climbed up to No. 9 in program history (155-10).
A total of 12 Mustangs competed in the meet.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly travels to Goleta next Saturday, April 26, to compete in the UCSB Invite.
Cal Poly Results
Bryan Clay Invitational
WOMEN
800-meter Open: 25, Elianah DeMange, 2:11.68. 151, Ella Echsner, 2:19.91.
1,500-meter invite: 8, Tatiana Cornejo, 4:15.14.
1,500-meter Open A. 41, Melisse Djomby Enyawe, 4:29.44.
3,000-meter steeplechase Open: 42, Sydney Sundgren, 10:38.76. 43, Isabel Sanchez, 10:38.95.
5,000-meter Open Heat 2: 18, Hana Catsimanes, 16:57.89.
10,000-meter invite Heat 2: 7, Kelli Gaffney, 34:12.89.
MEN
800-meter Open: 16, Jeffrey Overgaard, 1:51.99. 32, Taj Clark, 1:52.40.
1,500-meter elite invite: 4, Aidan McCarthy, 3:36.49.
1,500-meter invite: 19, Carson Smith, 3:41.25. 51, Lewis Westwood, 3:43.70.
1,500-meter Open A: 43, Ibzan Felix, 3:48.52. 54, Mateo Malko-Allen, 3:48.89.
3,000-meter steeplechase invite: 13, Bryce Kueker, 8:36.78.
3,000-meter steeplechase Open: 52, Dheeraj Gurusamy, 9:02.67.
5,000-meter open A heat 3: 1, Chris Caudillo, 13:44.89. 6, Spencer Pickren, 13:50.59.
Mt. SAC Relays
WOMEN
100-meter collegiate: 22, Desie Armstrong, 12.01.
200-meter collegiate: 32, Madison Easter, 24.61.
400-meter collegiate: 12, Jordan Jackson, 55.35.
400-meter hurdles collegiate: 19, Kalia Estes, 1:01.57. 29, Avery Adelman, 1:04.70.
4x100-meter relay collegiate: 5, Cal Poly (Desie Armstrong, Madison Easter, Ciella Seals, Cadence Roy-Williams), 45.91.
4x400-meter relay collegiate: 10, Cal Poly (Elianah DeMange, Avery Adelman, Jordan Jackson, Kalia Estes), 3:42.49.
Pole vault elite invite: 5, Lexi Evans, 13-7.25.
High jump collegiate A: 10, Melanie Castelli, 5-5.
Long jump collegiate: 15, Cadence Roy-Williams, 18-11.25. 20, Tayhlore Hoagland, 18-5.
Triple jump collegiate: 7, Melody Nwagwu, 40-3.25.
MEN
400-meter collegiate: 21, Alexander Franco, 48.11.
400-meter elite invite: 13, Chase Walter, 46.08.
400-meter hurdles collegiate: 12, Vincent Atilano, 52.63.
4x400-meter relay collegiate: 2, Cal Poly (Alexander Franco, Vincent Atilano, Chase Walter, Levi Romero), 3:09.26.
High jump collegiate B: 5, Nathan Fifer, 6-4.75.
Pole vault collegiate A: 4, Ben Feyrer, 16-4.75.
Long jump collegiate: 16, Noah Bustos, 22-11.25.
Shot put elite invite: 4, Corban Payne, 60-4.5.
Discus elite invite: 6, Rory Devaney, 180-5.
Hammer throw elite invite: 5, Rory Devaney, 226-11. 7, Travis Martin, 221-2.
Javelin elite invite: 6, Colby Neron, 217-2.
Leopard Invitational
WOMEN
3,000-meter steeplechase: 1, Renae Searls, 10:34.54.
5,000-meter: 13, Ashlyn Leath, 17:48.26.
MEN
1,500-meter Fast: 4, Tyler Downs, 3:52.48. 6, Devin Ibarra, 3:53.69. 7, Eddie Sion, 3:53.91.
3,000-meter steeplechase: 18, Teg Pandher, 9:37.16.
5,000-meter: 2, Colton Swinth, 14:15.64. 12, Aiden Aldana, 14:41.17.
Beach Invitational
WOMEN
100-meter Open: 7, Ava Fortier, 12.33.
Triple jump: 4, Grace Sloan, 37-6.75.
Shot put: 26, Taylor Hofland, 44-1.5.
Discus: 53, Brooklyn Epperley, 134-3.
Hammer throw: 13, Anna Grexton, 180-10. 45, Brooklyn Epperley, 155-10 (PR). 55, Gracelyn Brown, 155-10.
Javelin: 9, Leala Willman, 137-6. 11, Chase Kubinski, 131-8.
MEN
100-meter Open: 12, Ryan Teeple, 10.88. 22, Jonathan Yu, 11.03.
200-meter Open: 8, Ryan Teeple, 21.71.
Long jump: 3, Jonathan Yu, 21-6.75.
Shot put: 30, Albert Beerbower, 53-0.25.
Javelin: 22, Ben Lammers, 165-1.
