The San Diego State Aztecs were busy competing at three different meets this past weekend, all of which were located in Southern California. Distance runners traveled to Azuza to compete in the Bryan Clay Invite while sprinters competed at Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut. Jumpers and throwers closed out the weekend at the Beach Invite in Long Beach.
At the Bryan Clay Invitational, the distance runners may not have placed well podium-wise at the meet, but it did not stop some athletes from setting their own personal records and entering SDSU record books.
Sophomore Lauren Harper performed well, earning herself a personal record and not one, but two SDSU outdoor records at the meet. In the 800 meters, Harper ran a personal best time of 2:08.32 which is the 10th best outdoor time for SDSU, and in the 1,500-meters, she ran a time of 4:31.60, the 9th best time in SDSU outdoor history.
The other Aztec who entered SDSU record books at the meet was senior Emily Burd. Burd competed in the 1,500 meters and ran a time of 4:30.06, which is the 7th best time in SDSU history.
Other notable performances came from sophomore Alex Lomeli in the 800 meters, who ran a personal best time of 2:11.86. Freshman Vanessa Cabello was the last Aztec to earn a personal best time at the meet, running a time of 17:52.98 for the 5,000 meters.
Meanwhile, at the Mt Sac Relays, the sprinters were also hard at work. In the 400 meters, both Aztecs competing took home personal best times. Senior Sakura Roberson ran a time of 53.35, which was not only a personal best but the 9th best time in SDSU outdoor history. Teammate senior Jalyn Harris ran a personal best time of 54.19.
Sophomore Jada Moore did well during her heat of the 100 meters, running a time of 11.65, finishing fourth and 23rd overall. Junior Danae Dyer was in the top three in her heat of the 100-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 13.80 and placing 18th overall.
On Saturday, the Aztecs closed out their weekend of competition at the Beach Invitational. The highlight of the day came from the pole vault.
Senior Kaitlin Heri smashed her competition in the event, jumping herself into the top four best marks of SDSU history. Heri received a mark of 4.28 meters, earning first place at the meet, a new personal best for herself, and the 4th best mark in SDSU history.
Teammate freshman Ashley Callahan, once again had a great performance, tying third place with a mark of 4.06 meters. Junior Corey Friedenbach finished in the top 10, jumping 3.91 meters. The last Aztec competing in the event, Sophomore Elizabeth Funk, finished in the top 15 with a mark of 3.76 meters.
Junior Erica Grotegeer was the other SDSU athlete to land themselves in the record books at the Beach Invite. Grotegeer competed in the discus throw, where she threw 51.66 meters, finishing both ninth place overall and the ninth-best throw in Aztec history.
The Aztecs take a break this upcoming weekend and return to the track on April 29 and 30 to compete in both the Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine and the Desert Heat Classic in Arizona.
