California Collegiate Invitational: RESULTS
SAN DIEGO -- Senior javelin thrower Allie Updike regained the national lead with an automatic NCAA Division II outdoor championship qualifier at the California Collegiate Invitational hosted by UC San Diego on Saturday.
Updike, the defending Division II national champion in women's javelin, won the event Saturday on her fifth of six throws when she reached back for a toss of 51.37 meters (168-feet, 6-inches), to move more than two feet ahead of the previous national leader, Fort Hays State's Estefania Lopez.
Updike's automatic qualifier was joined by seven other provisional qualifying efforts, including junior men's javelin thrower Alex Henderson, who moved up to fourth on the national qualifying list with a throw of 66.00 meters (216-feet, 6-inches), which left him just over a meter away from the automatic qualifying cutoff.
Azusa Pacific finished second among 11 men's teams at the meet, collecting six provisional qualifiers while the women placed fourth among 13 teams with Updike's auto-bid to go with another provisional performance from women's hammer thrower Danica Dobosy, who also owns the best Division II season performance to date. Dobosy's best throw Saturday was 56.36 meters (184-feet, 11-inches), but she has already posted a throw nine feet farther this year.
Senior Shujaa Benson and freshman Shakiel Chattoo swept the top two spots with provisional qualifying times in the men's 110 meter hurdles, with Benson clocking 14.10 seconds to edge Chattoo's 14.12-second effort. Chattoo adds his name to the qualifying list, although Benson already sits third on the national list from a faster performance earlier in the season.
Senior Michael Ayetiwa added a new provisional qualifying performance in the men's 400 meter hurdles, clocking 53.34 seconds to move into the top-15 nationally. Joining him with provisional qualifiers were Austin Turner and Miles Gastil in the men's hammer. Turner threw 55.98 meters (183-feet, 8-inches) to move up to 17th on the national performance list, and Gastil went 53.87 meters (176-feet, 9-inches) and still ranks in the top-10 nationally from last week's season-best effort at the Aztec Invitational.
The Cougars continue the outdoor season qualifying window next week at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational before hosting three days of track and field action with the Mt. SAC Relays and California Invitational combined events meet April 13-14 and the Bryan Clay Invitational, which expands to two days this year with distance events Thursday evening, April 14, plus a full Friday schedule on April 15.
