AZUSA, Calif. -- Not only did Azusa Pacific track & field return to competition on Saturday afternoon in the Battle for SoCal meet, but the Cougars showed that the 2021 season has the potential to be more than memorable. The Cougars won the meet in dominating fashion in both men's and women's. The women finished first with a total score of 235.50, and the men sat atop the final standings with a score of 148 points. 

Records Broken: Amanda Fassold entered this season as Azusa Pacific's all-time leader in the pole vault, as she had cleared a height of 13' 5 ¼" (4.10m) last year. On Saturday, she elevated herself to even greater heights, as the junior vaulted 13' 9 ¼" (4.20m) to set a new school record and also punched her ticket to outdoor Nationals with the automatic qualifying mark. "Amanda has been training like no other," said assistant coach Josh Linker, "she has been doing everything she can to get herself into this position, and it is great to see her perform at this level to open the year." 

Another school record was set on the women's side by the 4x100 relay team of Meagan Warwick, Jaylah Walker, Kiayra Holmes, and Mechaela Hyacinth. The quartet ran a time of 45.82 (previous record: 46.10 - 2017 - Jones, Robertson, Dean, Aupiu), which was also fast enough for a provisional time. "The team ran very well today," said assistant coach Andrea Blackett, "to set a school record in the first meet of the year is a hard accomplishment, and this will help set the tone for the year." 

Gritty Distance Races: On both the men's and women's side, it was Cougar distance runners who turned in some of the most inspiring and impressive performances of the meet. Nathaniel Tamminga, a four-year member of the Cougar track & field and cross country teams, had quite the pair of races to open the season. Tamminga won both the 1500 (3:56.58) and 3K (8:40.83), earning a total of 14 points towards his team's ultimate first place total. "I really felt good coming into today," said Tamminga, "with this being our home track, I wanted to make sure that we would not let anyone beat us. I was glad that I posted some great marks today to help out our team." Over the off-season, Tamminga had been training with Josh Nyberg, who had been away for the team for a few years but decided to return. Not only did Nyberg return to the team, but he contributed in a big way on Saturday. In the 3K, Nyberg finished second with a time of 8:42.45. Seeing Tamminga and Nyberg's performance in the 3k was one of the highlights of the night for head coach Jack Hoyt, "I had goosebumps watching those two race tonight. They lost their coach this offseason and had to train all on their own, without even knowing if they would have the chance to compete this year, and for them to come out and run the way they did was incredible to watch." 

On the women's side, Jenny Sandoval made her Azusa Pacific debut. A transfer from San Jose State, Sandoval returned home to Southern California, amidst all the uncertainty and challenges of the pandemic, and found a home with the Cougars. Hoyt and Sean Smith, head coach of cross country and distance coach for track & field, are glad she made her way to Azusa. In her first races as a Cougar, she won both the 1500 (4:33.81) and 3K (9:36.75), tying her personal-bests in both events and scoring a total of 19 points for Azusa Pacific. "This team has been such a great opportunity for me," said Sandoval, "I have a great coach (Smith), great teammates, and an overall atmosphere that allowed me to come into these races today and perform well." In addition to her distance races, Sandoval was unexpectedly called upon to run in the 4x400 relay, where she ran with the Cougars' B team. "Jenny did a great job of being patient and controlled today," said Smith, "we have been talking about that quite a bit leading into today, and it was great to see her execute that."

Provisional Marks: In addition to Fassold's automatic mark and the 4x100 relay team, the Cougar women's team had eight more provisional marks/times:

Mechaela Hyacinth - 100 meters - 11.63

Jaylah Walker - 400 meter hurdles - 1:00.12

Kirstin Mury - javelin - 137' 10" (42.01m) 

Abigail Gray - pole vault - 12' 6 ¾" (3.83m)

Sara Wagenveld - pole vault - 12' 2 ¾" (3.73m)

Elle Alexander - discus - 166' 8" (50.79m) 

Elle Alexander - hammer - 172' 6" (52.59m)

Chin Agina - high jump - 5' 6 ½" (1.69m)

On the men's side, the Cougars had two provisionals:

Jermel Jones II - long jump - 24' 3" (7.39m)

Daniel Bessolo - 400 meter dash - 47.55 

First-Place Finishers: Azusa Pacific ended with a total of 20 first place finishes. The women's first place finishers were:

4x100 Relay Team - Meagan Warwick, Jaylah Walker, Kiayra Holmes, Mechaela Hyacinth - 45.82

Jenny Sandoval - 1500 meter run - 4:33.81 

Jenny Sandoval - 3000 meter run - 9:36.75 

Mechaela Hyacinth - 100 meter dash - 11.63 

Marian Ledesma - 800 meter run - 2:14.39 

Jaylah Walker - 400 meter hurdles - 1:00.12 

4x400 Relay Team - Meagan Warwick, Kiayra Holmes, Jordan Hammond, Jaylah Walker - 3:49.35 

Kirstin Mury - javelin - 42.01m 

Amanda Fassold - pole vault - 4.20m 

Elle Alexander - discus - 50.79m

Elle Alexander - hammer - 52.59m 

Chin Agina - high jump - 1.69m 

Men's first place finishers:
 

4x100 Relay Team - Adrian Chavez, Daniel Bessolo, Nikolas Trofort, David Session - 42.09 

Nathaniel Tamminga - 1500 meter run - 3:56.58

Nathaniel Tamminga - 3000 meter run - 8:40.43

Daniel Bessolo - 400 meter dash - 47.55

Ben Sumner - 800 meter run - 1:56.65

4x400 Meter Relay - Lincoln Krog, Ben Sumner, Christopher Rogers, Daniel Bessolo - 3:20.62

Jermel Jones II - long jump - 7.39m

Lincoln Krog - pole vault - 4.35m

Raymon Harper - high jump - 2.03m