AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific closed out the Franson Last Chance Meet on Saturday after three days of competition at Franson Field, hosting one of the premier late-season meets in the West featuring NCAA Division I, II, III, professional, and international competitors.
The Cougars turned in a strong weekend highlighted by standout performances in the sprints, throws, jumps, distance races, and multis competition as athletes made final pushes toward NCAA postseason qualification.
Junior Nevaeh Williams led the Cougar sprinters with a fourth-place finish in the women's 100 meter dash finals, crossing in 12.08 after running 11.95 in prelims.
On the men's side, Robert Thompson posted a 10.81 performance in the Division II 100 meter prelims, while Isaac Shires followed closely at 10.87. Caleb Twyman added an 11.04 effort for the Cougars.
In the hurdles, Sierra Nelson competed in the women's 100 meter hurdles and recorded a time of 14.71 against a deep field featuring Division I and professional competition.
The Cougar relay squad also impressed during the meet, with the Azusa Pacific women's 4x100 relay team placing fifth overall in 47.18 against several nationally competitive programs.
Distance events provided several strong performances for APU throughout the weekend. Erick Leal led the Cougar men in the 800 meters with a time of 1:51.87, while Isaiah Cowan and Aaron Lakeman each broke 1:56, finishing in 1:55.18 and 1:55.19 respectively.
Kyle Galinis delivered one of the top distance performances of the meet for the Cougars, placing 10th in the men's 10,000 meters with a time of 30:27.16.
Sophia Godina added a strong effort in the women's 5,000 meters, clocking 18:34.24 in a competitive section featuring runners from across NCAA Division I and II competition.
The Cougars were especially strong in the field events.
Stefano Matteucci placed third overall in the men's hammer throw with a mark of 48.57 meters (159-4), while Cruz Torres followed in fourth at 46.29 meters (151-10).
Alexa Hume earned a fourth-place finish in the women's hammer throw after reaching 46.55 meters (152-8).
In the discus, Brett Olson posted a top-six finish with a throw of 48.55 meters (159-3), while Matteucci added another strong performance at 46.14 meters (151-4). Jackson Sims also contributed with a mark of 41.91 meters.
The Cougar women also produced several quality throws in the shot put led by Hannah Richardson, who won the event with a mark of 14.89 meters (48-10.25). Emma Hein finished seventh at 12.13 meters, Madison Gallacher took eighth at 11.95 meters, and Alexa Hume added an 11.63 meter effort.
In the jumps, Jodian Stewart placed fifth overall in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.90 meters (19-4.25), while John Thoreson reached 6.75 meters (22-1.75) in the men's long jump competition.
The Cougars also saw strong representation in the javelin as Sawyer Shirley threw 48.73 meters (159-10), while Toniann Bryan led the APU women with a mark of 36.51 meters (119-9). Emma Hein added a throw of 34.45 meters (113-0).
It also competed well in the multis competition during the week. Jaroslav Sivuha placed fifth overall in the decathlon with 6,445 points, while teammate Finn Coene finished ninth with 5,058 points.
