Results
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's track & field team competed in the Cal State L.A. Invitational on Saturday to open the 2015 season.
"This meet was very large and very long," head coach
Ralph Jones noted. "The team showed a lot of perseverance, battling hot temperatures and long waits between races. For the first week, our team goal was to execute different aspects of competing at a meet. We wanted to properly execute our warm-up, race plan, and cool down. Overall, the team was very successful in accomplishing those goals, and our athletes gained great experience, which should help them at the CCAA championship meet."
The distance runners shined for the Pioneers in their first competition of the year, as four 1500m runners placed in the top 50 out of 102 athletes representing Division I, II, and junior college teams.
Camille Hansen led the way, placing 12th overall with a 1500m time of 4:49.23. She was followed by
Oddessy Tapia (4:53.63) in 2nd place,
Sarah Perrin (5:01.97) in 38th, and
Celina Vera (5:06.07) in 48th.
In addition, Coach Jones sent three runners each to compete in the 400m and 800m.
Samira Foy paced the group with a 400m time of 1:01.62 to take 22nd place.
Ravyn Miller finished the 400m in 1:04.72, and
Suzanne Bateson crossed the finish line in 1:07.69.
In the 800m,
Iris Martinez posted the team's top time, taking 36th place in 2:35.58.
Vanessa Mares finished in 2:47.46, and
Cynia Sapp was right behind her in 2:49.16.
East Bay's 4x400 relay team had an excellent showing in its first race, turning in a time of 4:06.19 to take fifth place. They bested conference foes Cal State L.A. and Cal State San Bernardino, while finishing just one second behind Cal Poly Pomona.
In the sprints,
Sydney Johnson placed 12th overall in the 100m with a time of 12.58.
Donnisha Brown took 22nd place in the same event in 13.03. Johnson also competed in the 100m hurdles, finishing in 19.35.
The Pioneer 4x100 relay team rounded out the day with a strong performance, taking fifth place with a time of 48.52. They topped the host Golden Eagles and finished just one-tenth of a second behind CCAA rival Cal Poly Pomona.
"We had several individuals accomplish personal records and move up in the CCAA rankings," Jones added. "Sydney moved into the top ten rankings in the 100m dash, and Camille ran a huge personal best to move up in the 1500m. Both women's relay teams moved into the top five in the CCAA. There are still numerous improvements we have to make, but we are progressing."
The spring season continues next weekend for the East Bay women as the team travels to Chico State to compete in the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday, Mar. 14.
"For a day that started at 8 a.m. and didn't end until 6 p.m., I must say I was very proud of our Pioneer athletes," said Jones. "They persevered, they competed, and they learned. We are starting to grow into the team we eventually want to be."
