SAN MARCOS, Calif. - Azusa Pacific was at the Mangrum Invitational on Friday, and the Cougars won events and claimed spots on the national qualifying lists over the course of competition.

WOMEN

Jaylah Walker (400 meters) and Eliana Suanders (high jump) added their names to the provisional qualifying list, and Alayna Verner (200 meters) improved her provisional standing on Friday. Walker ran the second-fastest 400 time on the day, as she crossed the line at 55.72 seconds. For Walker, it was her first time running the event this season, and heading into this weekend, her time is the third-fastest in the nation. Walker is a two-time indoor All-American in the 400.

Eliana Saunders won the high jump event with a provisional clearance of 1.68m (5' 6"), which matches her outdoor-best height. Saunders' clearance is the third-best mark in the country heading into this weekend. 

Entering Friday, Verner was ranked No. 8 in the country in the 200 with a time of 24.29 seconds. This afternoon, Verner cut her time down to 24.26 seconds, and she was the fastest non-Division I athlete in the event. With the improvement, Verner jumped up to No. 7 nationally.

In addition to Saunders' high jump victory, four other Cougars won events. Molly Olson, who is ranked fourth in the nation in the javelin (44.52m / 146' 1"), won the event with a mark of 42.39m (139' 1"). Hannah Richardson, who entered the weekend ranked second nationally in the shot put (14.36m / 47' 1 ½"), was Friday's shot put champion with a distance of 13.01m (42' 8 ¼"). Esther Conde-Turpin achieved a personal-best mark in the long jump, as her leap of 5.71m (18' 8 ¾") won her the event. Prior to Friday, Conde-Turpin's best long jump mark was 5.39m (17' 8 ¼"). In the pole vault, Abby Keane finished first with a vault of 3.44m (11' 3 ½"). Keane has now won the pole vault event twice this outdoor season, as she finished first at the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers meet in mid-February.

MEN

On the men's side, Jermel Jones II is now ranked top-5 nationally in three events, as he met the high jump provisional standard of 2.04m (6' 8 ¼") on Friday. It was a lifetime-best clearance for Jones II, and he is now ranked nationally in the high jump (No. 4), and he entered the weekend as the national leader in the long jump (7.68m / 25' 2 ½") and triple jump (15.39m / 50' 6"). 

Logan Peyton, who is ranked No. 7 nationally in the javelin (62.67m / 205' 7"), won Friday's javelin event with a distance of 59.96m (196' 8"). 

On the track, Tyler Howard finished just a tick off of provisional status, as he won the 400 meters with a time of 47.85 seconds, which is over a second faster than his previous best time. Howard's time is the 11th fastest effort in the nation this season. 

Up Next: The Cougars will be back in action tomorrow, where they will travel to San Diego for the Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State. Those unable to attend can follow along with live results.