Mike Fanelli Track Classic
Two School Records Fall as Cal Poly Impresses at Stanford Invite, Mike Fanelli Classic
4/5/2025 11:00:00 PM | Track and Field
STANFORD, Calif. — Senior Travis Martin and junior Tatiana Cornejo both shattered school records, graduate student Chase Walter ran the program’s fastest 400-meter time in 44 years and a total of nine top-10 marks were recorded across two days of action for the Cal Poly track and field team at the Stanford Invitational and Mike Fanelli Track Classic on Friday and Saturday.
60 Mustangs participated in the two meets in the Bay Area with 52 taking part in the prestigious Stanford Invitational. The defending Big West Champions had plenty of stellar performances to highlight another strong weekend by the program. Across the two meets, 20 personal bests were recorded.
Cornejo was responsible for one of the most impressive individual performances of the weekend. On Friday night at Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field, Cornejo ran a nearly 10-second lifetime best in the women’s 5,000-meter (15:44.59) to obliterate Amy Harper’s 1983 school record (15:50.64) by over six seconds. The time is the 14th best in the West Region and No. 19 in the NCAA this season. It was her first race of the track season after Cornejo secured USTFCCCA All-West Region honors in cross country for the second straight year this fall. Last year, Cornejo was named Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Meet at the conference meet after becoming the first Mustang ever to sweep the Big West titles in the women's 800 and 1,500. She also qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries in the 5,000 last season and likely punched her ticket to the meet again with her performance Friday.
For the sixth time in his career and the first time this season, Martin broke the school record in the men’s hammer throw Saturday in Stanford. Martin recorded a nearly 6-foot personal best of 228 feet, 1 inch to surpass teammate Rory Devaney’s school record of 223-0, which he set in the first outdoor meet this season on March 8. Martin’s mark is currently the eighth best in the nation and No. 6 in the West Region. The PR allowed Martin to capture first in the invitational section at the meet, while Devaney finished second (216-0). Last year, Martin placed second in the event at the Big West Championships and qualified for the NCAA West Prelims.
The victory by Martin was one of five event victories that the Mustangs secured at the Stanford Invitational — all on the men’s side. Cal Poly swept the relays at the meet, winning the men’s 4x100 and 4x400. In the 4x400, sophomore Alexander Franco, Walter, freshman Vincent Atilano and sophomore Levi Romero posted a time of 3:09.06, the third fastest in school history and the best since the Mustangs placed third at last year's Big West meet with a time of 3:08.96. In the 4x100, senior Noah Bustos, junior MacGregor TeSelle, Atilano and sophomore Ryan Teeple secured first with a time of 40.10, the program’s fastest since 2004, the sixth best in school history and the second best in the Division I era.
Walter had a sensational showing in the men’s 400 on the opening day of the meet Friday, running the second fastest time in school history (46.07 seconds) to place second at the meet. It was the fastest 400 time by a Mustang since 1981 and ranks No. 10 in the West Region and No. 19 in the nation.
Graduate student Corban Payne and senior Colby Neron each captured first in their events to highlight a strong meet from the Cal Poly throws squad. Payne won the men’s invitational shot put with a mark of 59 feet, 0.75 inches, less than a foot off his No. 4 mark in school history. Neron earned the top spot in the men’s invitational javelin with a mark of 223-4. He surpassed the 70-meter mark in the event earlier this season and currently ranks No. 3 in school history, No. 6 in the West Region and No. 16 in the country.
Four top-10 marks in school history were recorded in the 3,000-meter steeplechase across the two meets. On the men’s side, senior Bryce Kueker won his section at the Stanford Invitational with the fourth-fastest time in school history (8:43.17) while redshirt junior Michael Chambers took second in his section with the 10th best time in program history (8:49.23). Kueker’s time ranks 12th in the West Region this outdoor season and No. 19 in Division I, and it’s the fastest men’s 3,000 steeplechase time by a Mustang in 19 years. On the women’s side, sophomore Sydney Sundgren captured first in the 3,000 steeplechase at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic with the sixth-fastest time in school history (10:44.07) and an over 30-second PR. At the Stanford Invitational on Friday, senior Isabel Sanchez ran a PR in the steeplechase of 10:48.11 but moved down to No. 10 on Cal Poly’s all-time list due to Sundgren’s lifetime best. Freshman Renae Searls also posted a lifetime best of 11:01.28 at Mike Fanelli in her first time running the event.
Sophomore Elianah DeMange secured the first top-10 mark of the entire weekend for the Mustangs, running the eighth-fastest 400 time in school history (55.33 seconds) Friday. She also ran the second leg on Cal Poly’s 4x400 relay, which posted the program’s fastest time in the event in 17 years (3:44.76). Sophomores Kalia Estes and Jordan Jackson, and freshman Avery Adelman ran the other three legs on the relay.
Sophomore Taylor Hofland took second in the collegiate division of the women’s shot put at the Stanford Invitational with a personal best (45-3.5) while freshman Tayhlore Hoagland earned the same finish in the collegiate division of the women’s long jump with a PR (19-1.5). Sophomore Melanie Castelli matched her outdoor personal best to place second in the women’s high jump, and junior Lewis Westwood ran the 12th-fastest men’s 800 time (1:50.58) in school history Saturday. Atilano was just .06 seconds off No. 10 all-time in school history in the men’s 400 hurdles with a PR of 52.20 seconds.
Junior Lexi Evans, who broke the school record two weeks ago at the Mark Conover Classic, grabbed third in the women’s pole vault (13-8.25) while Devaney also secured a third-place finish in the men’s discus (173-6). A total of five personal bests were recorded in the men’s 5,000 at Mike Fanelli with redshirt freshman Rory Catsimanes leading the way (14:07.02).
Cal Poly returns to the track in about a week and a half to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 16-18 and the Mt. SAC Relays on April 17-19.
Stanford Invitational Results
WOMEN
100-meter: 11, Desie Armstrong, 12.06. 19, Cadence Roy-Williams, 12.17. 26, Ciella Seals, 12.29.
200-meter: 24, Madison Easter, 25.12.
400-meter: 9, Elianah DeMange, 55.33. 11, Jordan Jackson, 55.49.
5,000-meter Section 2: 3, Tatiana Cornejo, 15:44.59.
5,000-meter Section 3: 18, Kelli Gaffney, 16:42.97.
5,000-meter Section 4: 8, Hana Catsimanes, 16:46.87.
400-meter hurdles: 8, Kalia Estes, 1:01.47. 15, Avery Adelman, 1:04.09.
3,000-meter steeplechase Section 3: 10, Isabel Sanchez, 10:48.11.
4x100-meter relay: 5, Cal Poly (Desie Armstrong, Madison Easter, Ciella Seals, Cadence Roy-Williams), 46.60.
4x400-meter relay: 5, Cal Poly (Kalia Estes, Elianah DeMange, Jordan Jackson, Avery Adelman), 3:44.76.
High jump high pit: 2, Melanie Castelli, 5-8. 9, Lariel Henley, 5-4.25.
High jump low pit: T1, Maia Garcia, Chase Kubinski, 5-4.25.
Pole vault invite: 3, Lexi Evans, 13-8.25. 8, Logan Hays, 12-6.25.
Pole vault collegiate: 3, Avery Karner, 11-6.5.
Long jump invite: 9, Melody Nwagwu, 19-0.5.
Long jump collegiate: 2, Tayhlore Hoagland, 19-1.5. 7, Cadence Roy-Williams, 18-1. 8, Desie Armstrong, 18-0.25.
Triple jump invite: 7, Melody Nwagwu, 41-0.25.
Shot put collegiate: 2, Taylor Hofland, 45-3.5.
Hammer invite: 6, Anna Grexton, 171-8.
Javelin collegiate: 6, Chase Kubinski, 136-10. 9, Leala Willman, 129-10.
MEN
100-meter: 14, Ryan Teeple, 10.80.
200-meter: 5, MacGregor TeSelle, 20.93.
400-meter: 2, Chase Walter, 46.07. 8, Alexander Franco, 47.98. 17, Levi Romero, 48.93.
800-meter Section 2: 6, Carson Smith, 1:52.19.
800-meter Section 3: 6, Lewis Westwood, 1:50.58.
800-meter Section 4: 7, Taj Clark, 1:52.99.
800-meter Section 5: 6, Mateo Malko-Allen, 1:56.06.
1,500-meter Section 1: 9, Spencer Pickren, 3:43.40
1,500-meter Section 2: 4, Chris Caudillo, 3:42.35. 8, Carson Smith, 3:46.35. 9, Lewis Westwood, 3:47.49.
1,500-meter Section 5: 8, Ibzan Felix, 3:52.59.
10,000-meter Section 3: 18, Anthony Guerra, 30:21.21.
400-meter hurdles: 6, Vincent Atilano, 52.20. 9, Ben Kin Ho Tsang, 52.76.
3,000-meter steeplechase Section 2: 1, Bryce Kueker, 8:43.17.
3,000-meter steeplechase Section 3: 2, Michael Chambers, 8:49.23.
4x100-meter relay: 1, Cal Poly (Noah Bustos, MacGregor TeSelle, Vincent Atilano, Ryan Teeple), 40.10.
4x400-meter relay: 1, Cal Poly (Alexander Franco, Chase Walter, Vincent Atilano, Levi Romero), 3:09.06.
High jump: 3, Nathan Fifer, 6-3.25.
Pole vault invite: 6, Ben Feyrer, 15-9.25.
Long jump invite: 7, Noah Bustos, 23-6.75.
Shot put invite: 1, Corban Payne, 59-0.75.
Discus invite: 3, Rory Devaney, 173-6.
Hammer invite: 1, Travis Martin, 228-1. 2, Rory Devaney, 216-0.
Javelin invite: 1, Colby Neron, 223-4.
Javelin collegiate: 2, Ben Lammers, 176-7.
Mike Fanelli Track Classic Results
WOMEN
3,000-meter steeplechase: 1, Sydney Sundgren, 10:44.07. 8, Renae Searls, 11:01.28.
MEN
5,000-meter: 6, Rory Catsimanes, 14:07.02. 7, Eddie Sion, 14:08.50. 28, Micah Sanchez, 14:29.02. 33, Tyler Downs, 14:31.12. 46, Devin Ibarra, 14:45.71.
1,500-meter: 69, Teg Pandher, 4:02.54.
