Results - Long BeachResults - AzusaAzusa/Long Beach, CA - In another day of a loaded series against talented competition in southern California, Idaho State Track and Field competed in another trio of meets on Friday and Saturday, at the Long Beach Invitational, the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, and the one-day Leopard Distance Carnival in La Verne, less than fifteen minutes away from Azusa Pacific.
Among the schools that faced off against the Orange and Black were SEC notables Alabama and Arkansas, as well as USTFCCCA Top 25 members Northern Arizona and UTEP. Against a loaded group, Idaho State made sure to leave it out on the track (and field).
Bengals Head Coach Hillary Merkley felt really encouraged by what she saw from her squads this weekend.
"It's an important weekend for our outdoor season because we get a couple chances to compete in the same weekend, and we had a number of season and personal best marks." remarked Merkley on the importance of this series.
The Bengals' distance runners put on a show throughout the day on Friday. Presley Timmons was the women's squad's leading finisher in the 800m. After capturing the indoor school record in Spokane, the senior logged a time of 2:10.22. Timmons currently sits fourth all-time in school history for outdoor.
Over in La Verne, junior Sulette Ferreyra Serna competed strong in the 3000m Steeplechase, finishing with a time of 11:16.05
In the throws, Katelyn Dickemore recorded a mark of 41.88m (137'5") in the javelin, and Sarah Wilensky was the top finisher in the hammer throw with a mark of 52.37m (171'10")
"Katelyn Dickemore continues to improve her marks in the throws and her teammates are following suit." from Coach Merkley on the progress of a women's squad with quite a bit of youth.
Fast forward to Saturday, where multiple Bengals finished with competitive marks. Axel Tirado-Sanchez, already the school record holder in the discus, had a rocket of a throw that reached 54.61m (179'2"). The junior was also the top Bengal finisher in the hammer throw with a mark of 50.47m (165'7")
On the women's side, Kyndal Martin once again put on a clinic in the 100m Hurdles, finishing ahead of competition from Oregon State, Utah State, and SMU with a wind-adjusted time of 13.89.
Fellow senior Madi Kenyon, a consistent leader for the distance runners, moved her way up the Top-10s with a strong performance in the 3000m Steeplechase, with a time of 10:34.62, putting her fifth all-time in school history in the event. Cassandra Vasquez had a career weekend in the 10,000m, with a time of 34:55.90, which places her third all-time at ISU.
"Overall, it was a worthwhile weekend with a lot of improvements that we needed. We are looking forward to being at our meet at home in two weeks." from Coach Merkley on her concluding thoughts about the California series.
Idaho State Track and Field is less than two weeks away from the Bengal Invitational, which will begin on April 26 on their home field. Up next, the Orange and Black will begin preparations for the Utah State Invitational in Logan, UT, from April 19-20.
Following this, a group of Bengals will have a mid-week multis competition at BYU before returning for the home meet at Davis Field.