LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The outdoor track and field season saw the Cougars touch down at UCLA this weekend to take part in the Jim Bush Legends Meet at Drake Stadium.

Friday Highlights

In the field events, the Cougars made their mark in the men's hammer throw, with Stefano Matteucci clearing 50 meters with a throw of 164' 5", placing 14th overall and the highest among D2 competitors.  On the track, Ashlynn Doolan had a strong performance, as the freshman placed 7th in the women's steeplechase in a time of 11:29.80.  Sophia Vasquez finished 8th in the women's 5000 meters, while just a few minutes later Kyle Galinis had an outstanding run in the men's 5000, taking second place overall in 14:25.04.

Saturday Highlights

Chase Hansen turned in the fastest time of any D2 participant in the men's 400, racing around the track in a time of 48.05 seconds.  Robert Thompson had a respectable 10.91 in the men's 100; but Naveah Williams turned in the best time among D2 competitors in the women's 100 dash, coming to the line in 12.11.  Eric Leal hit the finish line of the men's 800 in 1:52.99, 12th overall, with his teammate Isaiah Cowen the only other D2 runner within three seconds of his time.  Max Franklin followed that up with a 6th-place finish in the 400 hurdles, finishing with a time of 52.82.  And to close out the day on the track, Maddox Oliver took third place in the 1500, coming within a whisker of breaking the 4-minute mark.

In the field events, Kristina Rakocevic won the women's discus with a throw of 52.25m (171' 5"), the fourth-longest throw in program history.  Brett Olson reached 15.85m (52') in the men's shot put, good for a top-10 finish.  Olson then cleared 48m (157' 6") in the men's discus, while Rakocevic led a contingent of four Cougars who cleared 12m in the women's shot put.  

Up Next:  The Cougars will head south to UC San Diego on Friday to take part in the Triton Invitational.