Azusa Pacific track and field competed indoors and outdoors on Saturday, closing out the weekend with strong performances from the distance squad.
OUTDOOR
CLAREMONT, Calif. - The men's Distance Medley Relay team had a record-breaking performance at the Rossi Relays on Saturday.
Ben Sumner,
Josh Meneses-Snyder,
Nixon Korir, and
Juan Diego Castro ran their way to a first-place finish and shattered the outdoor Division II record in the event. Their time of 9:43.47 broke the previous record by eight seconds.
Jermel Jones opened his season strong in the men's long jump, competing for the first time since placing second at the 2023 Outdoor National Championships. His winning leap of 7.43m (24'4½") landed him a spot on the outdoor national qualifying list.
On the women's side,
Alysa Henry won the 100 hurdles with a season-best time of 14.66.
INDOOR
SEATTLE, Wash. - Nico Melendres highlighted the day on day two of the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite. In the men's 800m run, Melenderes ran a career best 1:50.14 to land a spot at No. 9 on the national qualifying list, his highest ranking in his career.
Felix Perrier and
Jared Wright both competed in the mile, each claiming another career-best on the weekend. Perrier clocked a 4:10.53 to secure the personal record, and Wright followed closely in 4:11.38.
In the field,
Brett Olson threw a career-best 14.46m (47' 5¼") in the men's shot put to close out his first indoor season as a Cougar.
On the women's side,
Alayna Verner and
Mercy Ehiemere both had strong showings in the 400m. Verner clocked a time of 54.36 and Ehiemere ran in 55.55. In the high jump,
Eliana Saunders jumped to a third-place finish, clearing 1.71m (5'7¼").
Up Next: The Cougars are set to compete in the Beach Opener, hosted by Long Beach State, next weekend. The competition begins on Friday, March 1.
