IRVINE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific women's track and field competed at the Team for Ely Invitational on Saturday, a meet hosted by Concordia-Irvine. Mechaela Hyacinth ran an automatic qualifying time of 11.51 (wind legal) in the 100 meters, while multiple athletes met provisional standards and set new personal records. 

Hyacinth's time of 11.51 is a personal-best, as she had run a wind-aided time of 11.46 last year. Hyacinth is the second Cougar to punch her ticket to Outdoor Nationals, as Amanda Fassold did it in the pole vault a few weeks ago at the Battle for SoCal meet, breaking her own school record with a vault of 13' 9 ¼" (4.20m). 

In addition to her automatic qualifying performance in the 100, Hyacinth also won the 200 meters by crossing the finish line with a provisional time of 24.14. Fellow sprinter Jaylah Walker also had a career-day in Irvine on the track, winning the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.07, which was over one second faster than her previous record (15.23). 

In the high jump, Chin Agina led a group of Cougars who finished among the leaders of the event. Agina, who had a provisional mark of 5' 6 ½" (1.69m) in her first meet of 2021 at the Battle for SoCal a few weeks ago, won the event on Saturday by clearing 5' 8 ½" (1.74m) to improve her qualifying position. Abi Hume and Alysa Henry tied for second place, jumping a height of 5' 5" (1.65m).

Fassold had another solid performance in her second meet of the season, winning the event at a height of 13' 5 ¼" (4.10m), which is the automatic standard. Two Cougar vaulters achieved provisional marks, with Abi Gray and Sara Wagenveld both clearing 12' 8 ¼" (3.87m). 

Elle Alexander hit two provisional marks on the day, winning the hammer throw with a personal record of 178' (54.25m), and also taking first in the discus with a mark of 170' 6" (51.98m). 

Multiple athletes who will be competing in multis this season had solid performances in numerous events, including Nicole Warwick, Meagan Warwick, and Jordan Hammond. Nicole won the long jump with a provisional distance of 19' 8 ¼" (6.00m), which is her best mark in three years. She also finished fourth in the javelin (114' 1"/34.77m) and fifth in the 100 hurdles (14.99). While Meagan finished second in the long jump (18' 6"/5.64m), it was her performance on the track that saw her set two new personal records. The first record came in the 200, a race in which she took second place with a time of 24.91. Meagan then posted another personal record-setting time in the 100 hurdles, finishing second at 14.25. In that same race, Hammond finished third with a time of 14.43. Hammond's top performance of the meet came in the high jump, where she set a new personal best of 5' 1" (1.55m). In the javelin, she was third overall at 117' 11" (35.96m). 

The two who finished above Hammond in the javelin were both of her Cougar teammates, as Kirstin Mury won the event (129' 9"/39.56m) and Allie Brooks was second (126' 9"/38.64m). Also in the javelin, Sara Wagenveld hit a new personal-best of 107' 3" (32.70m) for a fifth-place finish.

For the distance runners, Saturday's meet was about using the 1500 as an opportunity to develop for bigger meets to come this season. Not only did the Cougars get the chance to lay some groundwork for the road ahead, but they saw two athletes set personal records, with Natali Contreras running a time of 4:51.55, and Olivia Segura finishing at 5:08.35.

Up next for Azusa Pacific is the APU Invitational & Distance Carnival, which will be hosted by the Cougars on Saturday, April 3.