AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific capped off the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational with a flurry of personal bests, national marks, and all-time program performances as both the men's and women's squads wrapped up their final major tune-up before chasing a ninth-straight PacWest title.
The day started with strong momentum in the women's 1500 meters, where Sofia Vasquez and Sophia Godina both ran personal bests of 4:46.82 and 4:47.44, respectively, showing depth and strength in the mid-distance group.
That energy carried into the sprints, where both 4x100m relays made headlines. The women's relay of Alanya Verner, Kiayra Holmes, Neveah Williams, and Trinity Miller posted a new season best of 45.31, ranking 13th nationally in Division II.
On the men's side, Dejuan Walcott, Dominic Gonzalez-Shelmire, Sid Markus Imani Varland, and Isaac Shires blazed to a 40.93 finish, winning their heat and clocking the fastest 4x100m relay time by a Cougar squad since 2015.
In the open 400 meters, Maxime Wassmer turned in a DII provisional qualifying time of 47.49, tying for the 39th-best mark in the country.
Olivia Alexandre continued her standout week with another elite effort in the 400m hurdles, running 59.16—good for #4 in Division II. Combined with her current #7 national ranking in the 800m, Alexandre remains one of the nation's top dual-threats.
The throws crew also delivered fireworks. Hannah Richardson extended her already historic run in the shot put, launching a mark of 16.70m, which solidifies her place at #2 all-time in APU history and places her more than a foot ahead of DII's current second-ranked mark. Molly Olson also made noise, moving up to #14 all-time in Cougar history with a personal-best 14.68m.
With momentum at an all-time high, Azusa Pacific will now turn its full attention to the postseason as both teams prepare to chase conference title No. 9.