AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific opened its two day Last Chance Meet on Friday, and the Cougars had strong showings in several events throughout the day. 

PROVISIONAL PERFORMANCES

On the track, four Cougars improved their provisional standing. Jenny Sandoval ran a great 5K, running 16:07.06. Prior to Friday, Sandoval sat at No. 14 nationally, but her effort this evening allowed her to jump up to No. 6. Sandoval is currently top-10 nationally in two events, as she is also No. 2 in the 10K (33:10.74). 

In the women's 800, Mikayla Akers and Briseida Garcia Meza both ran lifetime best times. Akers, who entered the weekend ranked No. 21 in the nation for the event, posted a time of 2:09.25, which moves her up to No. 18 on the national list. Finishing just behind Akers, Garcia Meza crossed the line at 2:09.65, which allowed her to jump up eight spots on the national list, going from No. 29 to No. 21. The Cougars have three athletes on the qualifying list in the women's 800, as Marian Ledesma, who set the school record (2:07.31) in the event earlier this season, is currently No. 7 in the country for the event.

In the men's 800, Ben Sumner improved upon his provisional standing. Sumner, who had previously ran a time of 1:49.78 this season, set a new lifetime best this evening, running a time of 1:49.61. Sumner's new personal record moved him up three spots nationally, moving from No. 21 to No. 18.

ELLIS WINS DISCUS

Weston Ellis, who currently holds the No. 11 spot on the national qualifying list in the discus with a lifetime-best throw of 53.74m (176' 4"), won the event on Friday. On his fifth attempt, Ellis reached a mark of 52.47m (172' 1"), which was nearly 12 feet further than the runner up. In the outdoor season, Ellis has won the discus at three meets, including the PacWest Championships, where he was named the Men's Field Athlete of the Meet.

PERSONAL RECORDS

10 Cougars set new personal records on day one of the Last Chance Meet. In the decathlon competition, Aaron Worrell opened the day with a lifetime best effort of 10.90 seconds in the 100 meters. Through the first five events, Worrell has a total of 3,858 points, and he is on track to hit the provisional standard of 6,420 points tomorrow. Lincoln Krog, who is currently No. 11 in the nation for the decathlon (7,040 points), leaped a lifetime-best distance of 7.23m (23' 8 ¾").

In addition to Akers, Garcia Meza and Sumner, five more Cougars ran the fastest times of their career on day one. In the men's 800, Adam Alnazer (1:52.57) and Christopher Rogers (1:58.16) turned in the best efforts of their careers thus far. In the men's 5K, two more Cougars set personal records, as Riley Burns (14:30.39) and Michael Schneider (14:55.00) did it. In the women's 5K, Kristilyn Hetherington crossed the finish line with a personal best time of 19:52.95.

Up Next: The Last Chance Meet continues tomorrow in Azusa, and the action can be followed along live on Finished Results. To view the meet schedule, click here.