LONG BEACH, Calif. — Known for its windy conditions, the Cougars traveled north to the Beach Opener to earn some more early season marks.

The throwing squad continues to shine in the early beginnings of the season as Hannah Richardson led the way with a season-best mark in the discus. Her career-best throw of 46.72m (153' 3") now leads the nation, surpassing her previous mark of 46.07m (151' 1") at Rossi Relays just last weekend.

Molly Olson had a good outing, throwing 13.95 (45' 9¼") in the shot put and 40.07m (131' 5") in the javelin throw to finish within the top five of each event.

On the track, Dominic Gonzalez-Shelmire ran 21.26 (+1.5 m/s) in the 200m, just shy of a provisional mark. However, he still ran the third fastest time in the country so far this season. Nasir Samuels also ran two efficient races in the 110m (14.95) and 400m hurdles (55.29), both personal-best times.

The distance squad also put on a good showing, as three 1500-meter runners now rank within the top 15 in the nation. Eric Perez led the group of nine Cougars with a season-best time of 3:54.61, finishing third overall and ninth in the national rankings. Erick Leal (3:54.98) and Jared Wright (3:55.51) followed closely and now sit at 11th and 14th in the nation, respectively.

Cross Country All-American and PacWest Runner of the Year Jessica Kampman blazed to a fifth-place finish and time of 4:34.20 in the 1500m, just shy of a provisional mark but still the fifth-fastest time run so far this outdoor season.

Up Next: Eight athletes (six women and two men) have officially qualified for the 2025 NCAA Division II men's and women's indoor track and field championships in Indianapolis next weekend. Meanwhile, the rest of the outdoor squad will travel South to San Diego on March 14th for the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invitational, hosted by Point Loma.