SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's and Men's Track & Field teams finished off their weekend of competitions with the UC Santa Barbara Open on Saturday. The one-day event saw much individual and team success in the field and on the track, as nearly every single event featured a first-place finish by a UC Santa Barbara athlete.
FIELD
In the field, UC Santa Barbara took first in 12 of the 16 total field events, absolutely dominating the competition and showcasing their depth as a team.
On the women's side, the high jump saw Dalila Washington take first with a mark of 1.61m. Maya Khoury and Sahara Khoury tied for first in the women's pole vault with marks of 3.40m. Dimitra Vitogiannis posted a personal best of 47.54m in her first-place finish in the women's discus. Kayla Yap also took first in the hammer throw with a launch of 49.45m while Madison Rust shined in the javelin with a throw of 37.13m.
For the men, Collin Young stood out in the pole vault as the top jumper at 4.65m. Brad Thomas and Samuel Agbakoba performed well in jumps as Thomas took first with a personal best in the long jump (7.21m) while Agbakoba took first in the triple jump (14.41m) while recording a personal best in the process. Anthony Gash took first in the discus with a personal best of 52.06m while Andy Buttrell continued to show his strength in the hammer (57.70m) and shot put (16.90m) for first-place finishes as well.
TRACK
The Gauchos dominated the track just as much as they dominated the field. Of 22 total track events, the Gauchos took the gold in 12 of them.
Leah Mendibles got that train rolling with the first event of the day in the 1500m, as she took first with a time of 4:49.56. The 4x100m relay team took first, finishing with 46.99. Nyenuchi Okemgbo ran 14.05 in the 100m hurdles and 1:00.43 in the 400m hurdles to take first in both events comfortably. The 400m saw Mia Shepard take the gold with a time of 54.15 while Maya Lacamp took first in the 800m, crossing the finish line at 2:15.22.
The men's 4x100m team began their day on the track with a new school record in the event, timing in at 40.29. Dario Rock took first in the 110m hurdles with a sub-14 second time (13.98), making for a personal record and regionals-qualifying time. Justin Steele stole the show in the 200m and 400m, taking first in both events as he posted times of 21.12 and 46.80, respectively. Matthew Staples also ran a blazing fast 100m as he recorded 10.54 to take the crown. Finn Andrews turned heads in the 400m hurdles as he took first with a time of 54.02.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have a week to prepare for the Bryan Clay Invite in Azusa, Calif. as well as Mount Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. The Bryan Clay Invite will take place on April 17-18 and Mount Sac Relays will happen on April 18-19, making for two separate two-day meets.
