GOLETA, Calif. (Mar. 6) – Pauley Track hosted the Gauchos' first meet of the 2026 outdoor season this week with the Sam Adams Combined Events, which featured a two-day heptathlon and decathlon. The Gaucho multi squad dominated the competition, all posting personal records and several podium finishes.
THURSDAY
The men's 100m kicked off the day, with sophomores Hudson Shaver and Braylon Noble representing Santa Barbara. Noble finished second in his heat with a time of 11.08, while Shaver followed closely behind in 11.36.
Shaver continued his strong start in the long jump, winning the event with a mark of 7.22m. Noble followed in second place with a jump of 6.72m
In the shot put, Shaver again led the field with a throw of 15.03m, while Noble recorded a mark of 11.08m.
Shaver maintained his lead in the high jump, clearing an impressive 1.99m to tie for first place. Noble also had a strong showing, clearing 1.96m
The day concluded with the 400m, where Noble crossed the line in 50.21 and Shaver followed in 50.48. After five events, Shaver sat in first place overall, while Noble closed the day in third.
The women's heptathlon opened with the 100m hurdles, featuring four Gauchos. Jess Mackenzie led the squad with a winning time of 14.21. Ally Tito followed in 15.07, while Madison Rust and Emma Beck made their heptathlon debuts, finishing in 15.74 and 16.49, respectively.
In the high jump, Tito cleared an impressive 1.75m to set a personal best and win the event. Mackenzie followed with 1.57m, while Rust cleared 1.48m and Beck finished with a mark of 1.36m.
In the shot put, Mackenzie led with a mark of 13.25m and Rust followed with 11.60. Beck threw 10.23m, as Tito ended with a mark of 7.80m.
The heptathlon concluded the day with the 200m, where Rust led the field with a time of 25.04. Mackenzie followed in 25.95, Tito finished in 26.22, and Beck crossed the line in 27.16. After four events, Mackenzie held the overall lead heading into day two, while Tito sat in fourth, Rust in fifth, and Beck in eighth.
FRIDAY
Day two of the men's decathlon began with the 110m hurdles, where Shaver crossed the line in 15.15 and Noble followed in 16.77.
In the discus, Shaver maintained his lead with a throw of 47.97m, while Noble finished second with a mark of 40.75m.
In the pole vault, Noble cleared 4.15m.
In the javelin, Shaver recorded a throw of 60.77m, while Noble followed with a mark of 50.06m.
To finish out the decathlon, Noble crossed the line second in the 1500m with a time of 4:35.04, and Shaver finished third with 4:38.19. Both Shaver and Noble posted personal records in their final scores, posting 7127 and 7045 respectively to finish first and second overall.
The heptathlon kicked off day two with the long jump, as Mackenzie posted a massive personal record of 5.94m after scratching her first two attempts. Tito posted a mark of 5.43m to finish second, as Beck and Rust followed in 5.20 and 5.17 respectively.
In the javelin, Rust delivered a standout performance, throwing a personal-best 46.58m to win the event. Mackenzie followed with a mark of 43.49m, while Tito recorded a throw of 28.29m, and Beck threw 25.38m.
The heptathlon concluded with the 800m, where Tito ran a personal best of 2:31.11. Beck finished in 2:32.15, Mackenzie crossed the line in 2:32.48, and Rust recorded a time of 2:41.60.
Mackenzie finished the heptathlon in first place with a score of 5423, Rust in third with 4817, Tito in fourth with 4711, and Beck in sixth with 4038.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will host the Gaucho Relays following the conclusion of the Sam Adams Combined Events. The meet will begin with distance events on Friday, with the majority of events scheduled for Saturday.
