STATEN ISLAND, N.J. – Azusa Pacific sent a small group of sprinters, mid-distance and distance runners out to the Fast Track Last Chance indoor meet in New Jersey, and the Cougars collected a couple provisional times to go along with solid performances by multiple athletes.

On the women's side, Azusa Pacific's 4x400 relay team improved upon its prior provisional qualifying status, as the team of Alayna Verner, Marian Ledesma, Jaylah Walker and Kiayra Holmes posted a time of 3:44.90, which is the fifth-fastest time in the country for the event. The quartet's previous time was 3:47.0, which they ran in early February. While it is the same four athletes that ran both provisional times, this weekend sprints coach Andrea Blackett adjusted the order from Verner, Holmes, Ledesma, anchored by Walker, to today's lineup of Verner, Ledesma, Walker, anchored by Holmes. 

In the 200, Mechaela Hyacinth ran a solid race of 24.71 seconds to win her heat, which is less than a second off of her season-best provisional time of 24.50. Hyacinth is currently 15th on the national list for the 200.

"I am very happy with the performances under less than ideal warm up conditions," said Coach Blackett, "Mechaela ran a solid race to win her heat, and each member of the relay team delivered solid legs to improve on their time."

In the 800, Briseida Garcia Meza ran a time of 2:17.30, however, due to officials' errors, Garcia Meza actually ran a distance of 820 meters with the first lap being in lane 5 vs 1. Garcia Meza will seek to hit the 800 provisional standard of 2:14.51 at the Boston University Last Chance meet on Sunday.

Like Garcia Meza, Mikayla Akers also had to overcome significant challenges in the mile. Due to sudden scheduling changes, Akers was forced to run in a slower heat, leading her to run a solo race that saw her cross the finish line with a time of 5:02.87. While the time was a personal-best for Akers, distance coach Sean Smith believed that she likely would've ran a much faster time under normal circumstances.

On the men's side, the Cougars' distance medley relay team of Josh Velasco, Daniel Bessolo, Ben Sumner and Ayrton Ledesma delivered a provisional-worthy time of 10:02.08. The quartet will have a chance to improve their time on Sunday, as the Cougars will race at the Boston University Last Chance meet.

"While the opening leg started off rocky and tactical, the final three legs ran hard solo efforts," said Coach Smith, "They ran a season best, and Aryton delivered a 1600 personal best split to close out solo. I am proud of their efforts."