Gabriella Dixson threw a monster 179-01 (54.59m) in the discus at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday. Dixson's throw improved her career best by 15 feet and improved her nation-leading throw by nearly 17 feet.
Four Cavs Reach Auto Marks, Several Others Improve at Pair of Friday Meets
The Concordia track & field team competed a pair of California meets on Friday, picking up four new automatic qualifiers, while seeing improvements out of several others.
WALNUT, Calif.—Competing at the world-renowned Mt. SAC Relays hosted by Mt. San Antonio College, the Concordia track & field team had two athletes earn NAIA automatic qualifying standards and four others improve their auto marks from earlier this season.
In a meet full of national-caliber performances, Gabriella Dixson shined, as she threw a monster 179-01 (54.59m) in the discus, 15 feet further than her previous career best. In addition, Dixson improved her nation-leading time by nearly 17 feet, giving her an almost 22-foot lead over the nation’s No. 2 throw. Finally, Dixson’s performances placed her as the third collegian of any level in the event at the relays, and 10th overall in a field that included professional and international competitors.
Dixson’s performance did not stand alone though, as Jasen Brown and Cory Pena gave the Cavs’ two new automatic qualifiers with their performances in the 800 and 1500 meters, respectively. Brown’s qualification came in his first attempt at the distance outdoors, while his time of 1:52.28 debuts him at No. 5 nationally and No. 3 on the all-time performance list at Concordia.
Pena, meanwhile, ran the 1500 in 3:52.84, a season best so far this outdoor season. Pena’s time beat the NAIA ‘A’ standard by nearly 2.5 seconds and moved him to No. 10 nationally in the event.
At the same time, Bo Johnson improved his automatic qualifying mark in the hammer, topping his career best by nearly four feet with a throw of 195-05 (59.57m). The distance moved him to No. 2 nationally in the event, just five inches off the No. 1 throw so far this season.
Jordan Reeher also improved his auto mark on the men’s side, as he ran the 400-meter hurdles in 52.87. Reeher’s time also moved him to No. 2 nationally in the event and No. 2 all-time at Concordia. James Ratliff had previously been No. 2 in each with his time at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday, but got topped by Reeher just hours later.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Junia Limage shaved nearly three-quarters of a second off her nation-leading time in the 800 meters. Limage ran the distance in 2:08.29 at the relays, which also lowered her own school record.
Finally, the Concordia men’s 4x400 relay team set another school record with a time of 3:16.15. Edgar Vazquez, Jordan Reeher, Jasen Brown and Andre Washington ran in the relay, which shaved nearly a full second off the previous mark set earlier this season at the Willamette Invitational. In addition, the relay gave Concordia the provisional qualifying mark in the 4x400 and moved the Cavs to No. 9 nationally in the event.
Mt. SAC Relays
Mt. San Antonio College
Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Walnut, Calif.
April 19-20
800: 2. (Section 4) Junia Limage, 2:08.29. 10,000: Emily Painter, DNF. Steeplechase: 7. (Group C) Lauren Moran, 10:49.39. Discus: 1. (Flight 3) Gabriella Dixson, 179-01 (54.59m). Javelin: 3. (Flight 2) Aria Nojima, 146-03 (44.57m).
800: 7. (Section 6) Jasen Brown, 1:52.28. 1500: 67. Cory Pena, 3:52.84. 400 Hurdles: 1. (Section 4) Jordan Reeher, 52.87. Triple Jump: 14. (Flight 2) Branko Djuricic, 45-06 1/2 (13.88m). Discus: 3. (Flight 3) Nate Moses, 182-01 (55.50m). Hammer: 2. (Flight 2) Bo Johnson, 195-05 (59.57m); 6. (Flight 2) Matthew Webster, 189-03 (57.69m). Javelin: 6. (Flight 2) Tim Wyland, 166-05 (50.73m).
AZUSA, Calif.—The Concordia track & field team picked up two additional automatic qualifiers at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific on Friday, while the team saw another school record fall.
Kayla Xavier recorded the first of the two automatic qualifying marks while placing 10th in the discus with a throw of 142-10 (43.55m), just five centimeters past the qualifying mark. The throw also moved her to No. 7 in the nation this season in the discus, while it marked a near 10-foot improvement over her throw at the John Knight Twilight Meet, which was her first throw in the event during the outdoor season.
Meanwhile, James Ratliff recorded the other automatic qualifying mark, finishing fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in 52.99. That time set a career best for Ratliff by nearly 1.5 seconds and moved him to No. 2 nationally in the event this season and No. 2 all-time at Concordia.
Elsewhere, Andre Washington broke the school record in the 400 by a quarter of a second, running the distance in 48.90 seconds to finish 11th overall. Besides Washington, Edgar Vazquez also competed in the 400 and set a personal best with a time of 49.64, which moved Vazquez to No. 5 all-time at Concordia.
In addition, Sarah Whybark and Natalie Ball turned in a couple of personal bests in the 1500 meters, while Ball shaved nearly nine seconds of her previous best. Ball ran the distance in 4:41.68, which provisionally qualified her for the NAIA Meet, while Whybark ran the distance in 4:48.04. Ball’s time also moved her to No. 16 nationally in the event and jumped her to No. 5 all-time in the event at Concordia.
In other events, Sharayah Kenady barely missed out on improving her own school record in the hammer for the second-straight week, after finishing third in the event with a throw of 186-10 (56.96m). That distance stands just a foot-and-a-half short of Kenady’s school record and still stands nearly five feet ahead of the NAIA’s No. 2 throw this season, as Kenady’s throw of 188-4 (57.40m) last week remains untouched as the nation’s top throw.
Finally, Ethan Moore competed in a track event for the first time this outdoor season, running the 100 in a time of 11.54. Moore’s time debuts him at No. 15 on the all-time list in the event at Concordia.
Bryan Clay Invitational
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, Calif.
April 19-20
CU Women's Results:
1500: 25. Natalie Ball, 4:41.68; 41. Sarah Whybark, 4:48.04. Shot: 7. Kayla Xavier, 45-01 1/2 (13.75m); 39. Sharayah Kenady, 34-01 1/2 (10.40m). Discus: 10. Kayla Xavier, 142-10 (43.55m); 39. Sharayah Kenady, 112-02 (34.20m). Hammer: 3. Sharayah Kenady, 186-10 (56.96m).
CU Men's Results:
100: 54. Ethan Moore, 11.54. 400: 11. Andre Washington, 48.90; 26. Edgar Vazquez, 49.64. 400 Hurdles: 4. James Ratliff, 52.99. Shot: 2. Eric Whalen, 56-06 1/2 (17.23m). Discus: 4. Eric Whalen, 155-04 (47.36m). Javelin: 8. Jesse Staub, 200-00 (60.96m); 22. Eric Whalen, 161-02 (49.12m).