Azusa Pacific track & field had athletes competing in three different meets on Friday, as distance runners were competing at the Mike Fanelli Invitational and Stanford Invitational up in the Bay Area, while the throwers opened up competition at the Vince O'Boyle Track & Field Classic in Irvine.

STANFORD INVITATIONAL

Nixon Korir broke the Azusa Pacific school record in the steeplechase on Friday, as he posted a personal-best time of 8:49.59. Korir, who was ranked No. 2 in program history in the event heading into the weekend, also achieved provisional status with his record-breaking performance, as it is the second-fastest steeplechase run in the nation this season.

"Nixon is having a great year and he is way ahead of where he was at last year," said distance coach Sean Smith, "He has been really dialed into the training this past year, and he is hungry for something special at Nationals. I love the way he competed today. He stuck his nose in the pace early and fought hard through the line."

Felix Perrier also competed in the steeplechase, and he put up a provisional time of 9:06.46. Perrier's time is the eighth-fastest time in the country, entering this weekend. 

In the 1500, Ben Sumner won his heat with a time of 3:47.10. More importantly, Sumner's race achieved provisional status, and he moved up the national list from No. 21 all the way up to No. 3. 

MIKE FANELLI INVITATIONAL

Over in San Francisco, two Cougars moved up the national rankings on the women's side. In the 1500, Eline Pinter ran a season-best time of 4:34.39. Entering this weekend, Pinter was ranked No. 32 (4:37.07) for the event, and her time on Friday moves her up to No. 17. Pinter is just a few seconds off of provisional status.

Kristilyn Hetherington raced in the 5K, and she won section four with a personal-best time of 17:33.91. Hetherington's time moves her up into the national rankings, as she is now in the No. 31 spot nationally.

VINCE O'BOYLE TRACK & FIELD CLASSIC

In Irvine, Molly Olson had a career-best day in the javelin, as she won the event with a throw of 45.93m (150' 8"). Olson's performance now ranks her among the nation's best for the event, as she is ranked No. 4. 



Alysa Henry, who entered the weekend ranked 10th nationally in the javelin (43.70m/143' 4"), placed third with a distance of 43.31m/142' 1"). 

Up Next: The Cougars' three meet weekend wraps up tomorrow, with Azusa Pacific athletes competing at each of the meets on Saturday. Visit the track & field schedule pages on APUCougars.com for links to streaming and results.