Bryan Clay Invitational
Historic Performances by Atilano, Martin Highlight Cal Poly's Showing in SoCal
4/18/2026 11:59:00 PM | Track and Field
AZUSA, Calif. — Highlighted by historic performances by Travis Martin and Vincent Atilano, the Cal Poly track and field team wrapped up action across a trio of meets in Southern California on Saturday.
A total of 22 Cal Poly distance runners competed in the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday through Saturday, 20 Mustangs took part in the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday and Saturday and 13 athletes participated in the Beach Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Across the three meets, seven top-10 marks in program history were posted and 17 individual lifetime bests were recorded. Below is a recap from all three days of competition.
Saturday
Atilano tore up the track at Mt. San Antonio College on Saturday, establishing himself as one of the best men’s 400-meter hurdlers in program history. Running in the elite section at Mt. SAC, the sophomore rose to the occasion and ran a 0.82-second lifetime best of 50.52 seconds to win his heat. The time was the fastest ran by a Mustang in 48 years and No. 2 in school history. Currently, the time ranks No. 11 in the West Region this season and No. 24 in the NCAA. He finished sixth overall at the meet.
Senior Lexi Evans, who earned Second Team All-American honors in the women’s pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships, recorded an outdoor season best in the event Saturday at the Mt. SAC Relays. The two-time Big West pole vault champion cleared 14 feet, 3.25 inches (4.35 meters), tied for the 10th-best mark in the West Region this outdoor season and tied for No. 16 in Division I. Evans took fifth at the meet.
At Bryan Clay on Saturday, countless heats of the 1,500-meter were ran, and Miles Cook (3:46.06), Taj Clark (3:56.75), Nikki Bridges (4:27.47) and Ella Echsner all recorded lifetime bests in the event. Carson Smith posted his second fastest time ever ran in the 1,500 (3:39.57) to take 17th in the elite section. His time ranks No. 19 in the West Region and No. 38 in the country.
At the Beach Invitational, sophomores Kaira Burrage (1:01.76) and Avery Adelman (1:02.19) both posted lifetime bests in the women’s 400 hurdles, and Aiden Pastorian (58-0.5; 17.69m) took fifth overall in the men’s shot put.
Friday
The standout performance of the weekend came on Friday at the Beach Invitational when Martin shattered the school record in the men’s hammer throw. The San Jose, Calif. native recorded a massive lifetime best of 248 feet, 1 inch (75.62 meters), which ranks No. 3 in the West Region, No. 4 in the NCAA and No. 20 in the World this outdoor season. He surpassed teammate Rory Devaney’s school record of 243-4 (74.16m). It’s the eighth time Martin has broken the men’s hammer throw school record during his Cal Poly career. He finished second at the meet and surpassed his previous PR in the event on each of his final four throws.
Sophomore Gracelyn Brown also improved her No. 6 mark in school history in the women’s hammer throw at the meet with a PR of 172-7 (52.62m).
Graduate student Grace Proudfoot had the most impressive showing for the Mustangs during the opening day of the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday. The Eugene, Oregon native and Oregon State transfer cleared a lifetime best of 5 feet, 10 inches (1.78 meters) in the women’s high jump to take second in the elite B section. The mark is the best by a Mustang since Danielle Bryan in 2015 (5-10; 1.78m) and tied for sixth best in school history. She currently ranks No. 29 in the West Region in the event.
At Bryan Clay, true freshman Tyler Daillak shined bright under the lights at Cougar Athletic Stadium, running the seventh fastest men’s 5,000 time in school history (13:51.93) to earn third in his section. Rory Catsimanes (14:05.88) and Micah Sanchez (14:17.67) also ran significant lifetime bests in the event at the meet.
Sophomore Ella Echsner recorded the 11th-fastest women’s 800 time in school history (2:07.95) at the meet.
Thursday
Five Mustangs competed on the opening day of the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday. Kelli Gaffney and Isabel Sanchez both posted top-five marks in program history, and Ashlyn Leath ran a massive lifetime best to highlight action for the Mustangs.
Leath got a jam-packed week of action for Cal Poly underway with an incredible showing Thursday morning. The junior posted a nearly two-minute lifetime best in the Open A section of the women’s 10,000-meter, crossing the line in 34:45.87 — the 12th fastest time in school history. She soared past her previous PR of 36:37.62 recorded at last year’s Big West Championships, where she placed fifth in her section
Gaffney and Sanchez also impressed for the women’s distance squad. Under the lights, Gaffney thrived, running the fastest women’s 10,000 by a Mustang in 36 years. She crossed the line in a blistering time of 33:49.78, moving up to No. 3 in school history in the event. It was an over 23-second lifetime best for the 2025 NCAA West Prelims qualifier in the event.
Sanchez climbed to No. 4 in school history in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 10:33.75. Sanchez is the defending Big West champion in the 3,000 steeplechase.
UP NEXT: Cal Poly travels down Highway 101 to take part in the USCB Invite this coming Friday and Saturday (April 24-25).
Cal Poly Final Results
Bryan Clay Invitational
WOMEN
800-meter Open A: 69, Elianah DeMange, 2:12.44.
800-meter invite: 72, Ella Echsner, 2:07.95.
1,500-meter Open A: 21, Nikki Bridges, 4:27.47. 38, Ella Echsner, 4:28.32. 106, Melisse Djomby Enyawe, 4:33.16. 111, Avery Smith, 4:33.61.
5,000-meter Open B: 96, Lianna Guerra, 18:02.51.
10,000-meter Invite Heat 2: 7, Kelli Gaffney, 33:49.78.
10,000-meter Open A: 5, Ashlyn Leath, 34:45.87.
3,000-meter steeplechase Open: 39, Isabel Sanchez, 10:33.75. 79, Sydney Sundgren, 10:50.99.
MEN
800-meter elite: 11, Aidan McCarthy, 1:48.43.
800-meter invite: 13, Carson Smith, 1:48.10. 79, Jeffrey Overgaard, 1:50.46. 96, Miles Cook, 1:51.23.
1,500-meter elite: 17, Carson Smith, 3:39.57.
1,500-meter invite: 94, Miles Cook, 3:46.06.
1,500-meter Open A: 84, Mateo Malko-Allen, 3:49.43. 156, Taj Clark, 3:56.75.
5,000-meter Open B: 41, Devin Ibarra, 14:37.24. 48, Ethan Miller, 14:40.17.
5,000-meter Open A: 29, Rory Catsimanes, 14:05.88. 54, Micah Sanchez, 14:17.67.
5,000-meter invite Heat 4: 3, Tyler Daillak, 13:51.93.
3,000-meter steeplechase Open: 22, Dheeraj Gurusamy, 8:54.39.
Mt. SAC Relays
WOMEN
100-meter collegiate: 28, Desie Armstrong, 11.96.
200-meter collegiate: 24, Ava Simos, 24.47.
400-meter collegiate: 17, Jordan Jackson, 54.90.
4x100-meter relay collegiate: 5, Cal Poly (Desie Armstrong, Ava Simos, Cadence Roy-Williams, Tayhlore Hoagland), 45.52.
4x400-meter relay collegiate: 9, Cal Poly (Avery Adelman, Kalia Estes, Tayhlore Hoagland, Jordan Jackson), 3:45.42.
Long jump collegiate: 26, Desie Armstrong, 18-5 (5.61m). 34, Tayhlore Hoagland, 18-0.25 (5.49m). 39, Cadence Roy-Williams, 17-10.75 (5.45m).
High jump elite B: 2, Grace Proudfoot, 5-10 (1.78m). 7, Melanie Castelli, 5-7 (1.70m). 9, Charli Kennedy, 5-5 (1.65m).
Pole vault elite B: 9, Astrid Teran, 12-9.5 (3.90m).
Pole vault elite invite: 5, Lexi Evans, 14-3.25 (4.35m).
MEN
200-meter collegiate: 31, MacGregor TeSelle, 21.67.
400-meter collegiate: 30, Alexander Franco, 49.53.
400-meter hurdles elite invite: 6, Vincent Atilano, 50.52.
400-meter hurdles collegiate: 11, Ben Kin Ho Tsang, 53.85.
4x400-meter relay: 7, Cal Poly (Alexander Franco, MacGregor TeSelle, Wil Brennan, Levi Romero), 3:16.86.
Pole vault elite B: 7, Ben Feyrer, 17-0.75 (5.20m).
Long Beach Invitational
WOMEN
100-meter hurdles: 19, Kaira Burrage, 14.28.
400-meter hurdles: 17, Kalia Estes, 1:01.37. 20, Kaira Burrage, 1:01.76. 22, Avery Adelman, 1:02.19.
Shot put: 17, Taylor Hofland, 46-8.75 (14.24m). 34, Golda Demby, 43-1 (13.13m).
Discus: 39, Isabella Rigby, 142-3 (43.35m).
Javelin: 10, Camrenne Genilla, 148-9 (45.34m).
Hammer: 15, Golda Demby, 177-6 (54.12m). 21, Gracelyn Brown, 172-7 (52.62m).
MEN
Shot put: 5, Aiden Pastorian, 58-0.5 (17.69m). 29, Albert Beerbower, 51-9.25 (15.78m).
Javelin: 10, Conrad Bernstein, 215-9 (65.77m). 11, Colby Neron, 208-7 (63.59m).
Hammer: 2, Travis Martin, 248-1 (75.62m).
