Golden Bears Off to Strong Start at Conference Indoor Championships
Collin Jarvis
Feb. 22, 2013
SEATTLE, Wash. - Senior Ray Stewart blazed to a Golden Bear and meet record in the preliminary heats of 60-meter hurdles and junior Collin Jarvis broke the school mark in the 5000 meters for the second time this season to highlight Cal's first day of competition at the MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Through six events, the Bear men are in second place with 32 points - already topping their total for the entire meet last year when they finished 10th with 26.5 points. The Cal women are seventh with 17 points after seven events.
"We had a number of season and career bests today," director of track & field Tony Sandoval said. "I thought that we competed with focus and toughness."
The 2011 conference champion in the 60m hurdles, Stewart will vie for his second title in Saturday's final. In the prelims, he crossed the line in 7.68, clearly the top time of the day and the No. 5 mark in the country this season. Stewart held the previous Cal record of 7.77 from 2011, while the old MPSF record was 7.70 established by Washington State's Arend Watkins in 2001.
Stewart won the MPSF crown in 2011 in 7.91 seconds and followed up with a Pac-10 championship in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles later that spring. He took a medical redshirt year last season due to a knee injury.
"Ray's mark should hold up to qualify to NCAA's," Sandoval said. "He's done an amazing job mentally getting back from MCL surgery. Ray has also has made the conversion from an eight to seven-step approach to the first hurdle, which only the pros can do!"
Jarvis became the first Golden Bear under 14 minutes in the 5K when he ran 13:56.36 at the Husky Classic earlier this month. His time of 13:56.09 Friday, which put him in third place, was less than two seconds from being an MPSF champion Friday in a tight race that featured six runners between 13:54 and 14:00.
"Collin was in it until the last 200," Sandoval said. "He's coming off being sick and was courageous."
The Bears picked up nine team points in the women's weight throw, which was the first event of the meet. Freshman Shelby Ashe PR'd by nearly five feet to finish third with a Cal freshman-record effort of 66-1.50 on her first attempt. In addition, fellow freshman Torie Owers and sophomore Chioma Amaechi both went 58-9.25. Owers was awarded seventh place by virtue of a better second throw, with Amaechi in eighth.
Cal also gained nine points in the men's weight throw with a combination of runner-up Derek White and eighth-place Scott Esparza. White's mark of 64-7.25 was a nearly two-foot improvement from his previous best and less than three inches from the school record.
"Derek had a big PR and was so close to hitting a big win," Sandoval said. "All the men and women throwers had outstanding efforts today."
The Bears picked up some valuable points in the men's long jump. Taylor Kientzel set an indoor PR to place fourth at 24-9.25, and Hammed Suleman took fifth at 24-5.50. Malaina Payton placed fourth in the women's long jump with a season-best 19-5.50.
In the women's pole vault, freshman Victoria Rische set a PR when she cleared 12-11.00. The height tied for second with nine other vaulters in the competition. But based on misses - Rische didn't get over the bar at 12-11 until her third attempt - she finished 10th in the field.
Both of Cal's distance medley relays closed out the night in strong fashion. The women's quartet of Christine Bowlus, Alima Kamara, Sydney Gray and Kelsey Santisteban was sixth in 11:37.22, with Chris Walden, Randy Bermea, Jordan Locklear and Matt Carpowich taking second - only one second out of first - in 9:41.18. Carpowich ran a 4:02 anchor leg over the final 1600 meters.
The MPSF Championships conclude on Saturday when 21 finals will be contested.
MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships
Dempsey Indoor Facility / Seattle, Wash.
Complete Results
California Results
Men
60m (prelim) - 12. Dash Oliver 6.86; 13. Ray Stewart 6.86; 13. Tom Blocker 6.86; Eric McDaniel 6.86; 23. Chase Wheeler 6.96; 24. Charles Saseun 6.97
200m - 16. Tom Blocker 22.05; 20. Charles Saseun 22.07; 24. Kyle Ezold 22.21; 25. Dash Oliver 22.22; 26. Eric McDaniel 22.31
5000m - 3. Collin Jarvis 13:56.09 (Cal record)
60m Hurdles (prelim) - 1. Ray Stewart 7.68q (Cal and meet record); 10. Chad Jones 8.26; 14. Randy Bermea 8.40
Distance Medley Relay - 2. Chris Walden, Randy Bermea, Jordan Locklear, Matt Carpowich 9:41.18
Long Jump - 4. Taylor Kientzel 24-9.25 (7.55m); 5. Hammed Suleman 24-5.50 (7.45m); 10. Chase Wheeler 23-4.50 (7.12m); 11. Jonte Grant 23-3.50 (7.10m)
Weight Throw - 2. Derek White 64-7.25 (19.69m); 8. Scott Esparza 57-11.00 (17.65m); 10. Chijoke Nwuzi 55-7.50 (16.95m)
Team Standings - 1. Arizona State 55.5; 2. California 32; 3. Washington State 28; 4. Stanford 26.5; 5. BYU 21; 6. UCLA 16; 7. Oregon 13; 7. Long Beach State 13; 9. Washington 11; 10. Colorado 10; 11. Arizona 5
Women
60m (prelim) - 14. Carisma Lyday 7.66; 15. Charnell Price 7.67; 19. Malaina Payton 7.69
200m - 11. Charnell Price 24.60; 27. Esther Higgwe 25.34; 29. Carisma Lyday 25.42
Distance Medley Relay - 6. Christine Bowlus, Alima Kamara, Sydney Gray, Kelsey Santisteban 11:37.22
Pole Vault - 10. Victoria Rische 12-11.00 (3.94m)
Long Jump - 4. Malaina Payton 19-5.50 (5.93m); 17. Sunny Margerum 16-8.75 (5.10m)
Weight Throw - 2. Shelby Ashe 66-1.50 (20.15m); 7. Torie Owers 58-9.25 (17.91m); 8. Chioma Amaechi 58-9.25 (17.91m)
Pentathlon
60m Hurdles - 15. Jaci Powell 9.20 (869)
High Jump - 17. Jaci Powell 4-11.50 (1.51m) (632)
Shot Put - 10. Jaci Powell 36-0.25 (11.03m) (597)
Long Jump - 10. Jaci Powell 17-9.00 (5.41m) (674)
800m - 7. Jaci Powell 2:24.47 (764)
Final Score - 11. Jaci Powell 3536
Team Standings - 1. UCLA 43.5; 2. Arizona State 41; 3. Stanford 34; 4. Arizona 26; 5. Washington 24; 6. Oregon 18; 7. California 17; 8. BYU 15; 8. Colorado 15; 10. Utah 14.5; 11. Washington State 11; 12. Hawaii 7; 13. Cal State Northridge 2; 13. Long Beach State 2
q - qualified for final
Courtesy Cal
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