GOLETA, Calif. (Mar. 7) – Building on the momentum from the Sam Adams Multi, UC Santa Barbara closed out their opening weekend by hosting the Gaucho Relays at Pauley Track. The Gauchos delivered strong performances across a multitude of events throughout the weekend at home, as they shake off the early season nerves and gear up for a packed season ahead.
FRIDAY
Friday night kicked off Gaucho Relays under the stadium lights, showcasing strong showings from the distance squads.
In the women's javelin, Bella Vally led the Gauchos with a third place finish and a personal record throw of 39.55m, while Amanda Eames also recorded a personal best of 24.19m.
The women's 1500m saw Isabel Ross finish second overall with a personal best of 4:37.26.
Santa Barbara swept the top three spots in the men's mile, led by freshman Carson Hedlund, who won the event in 4:09.39. Manny Correia followed in second with a time of 4:11.63, while Parker Simmons placed third in 4:16.34. Will Mulliken and David Winston also finished inside the top six, with 4:17.50 and 4:17.53.
The Gauchos continued their success in the women's 3000m, where Jordin Lieberman clocked in a win with 9:48.33, followed closely by Addie Oversmith in second at 9:54.96. Lexi Darley and Danielle Hollander both recorded personal bests, with 10:08.81 and 10:16.39.
UC Santa Barbara swept the podium again in the men's 5000m, led by senior Zach Parker, who took first in 14:35.81. Parker Stickney finished second in 14:48.99, while Mathew Galindo placed third with a time of 14:55.58. Camden Luecht added a personal best of 15:05.64 in fifth.
SATURDAY FIELD
The Gauchos continued to post strong results in Saturday's field events.
In the women's hammer throw, Kayla Yap clutched first with a personal best mark of 55.76m, while Cassidy Faulkner finished third with a personal best throw of 53.05m.
Dimitra Vitogiannis delivered one of the standout performances of the meet in the women's discus, winning the event with a personal record throw of 50.88m. Yap added another personal best in third with a mark of 46.59m.
Vitogiannis also placed fourth in the shot put with a personal-best mark of 12.86m, while Bella Vally followed closely behind with another personal record of 12.78m.
On the men's side, freshman
Emmanuel Fitzgerald won the discus with a throw of 45.61m for his collegiate debut, with Christopher Nora finishing second at 44.29m.
In the men's hammer throw, Sam Polkenhorn led the Gauchos with a second place finish and a mark of 49.21m. Fitzgerald followed closely behind in third with a personal best throw of 48.08m.
In the men's shot put, Nickloas Tamayo led Santa Barbara with a third place finish and a mark of 13.97m. Duren and Fitzgerald each recorded throws of 13.64m, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
In the jumps, Kennedy Johnson found the podium again in the women's triple jump with a mark of 12.27m, while Natalie Lyons finished second in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.84m.
Kendal Handy led the Gauchos in the long jump with a second place mark of 6.80m, while Monroe Barnum finished fourth at 6.49m and Sam Agbakoba placed sixth with a jump of 6.11m. Barnum also added a strong performance in the triple jump, finishing second overall with a mark of 13.55m.
SATURDAY TRACK
The Gauchos continued their strong showing on the track with multiple event wins and relay victories.
Santa Barbara opened the day with a victory in the women's 4x800m relay, as Addie Oversmith, Jordin Lieberman, Danielle Hollander, and Isabel Ross combined to run a school record of 9:10.12.
In the hurdles, senior Maddie Conte won the 400m hurdles in 59.97, while Finn Andrews led a Gaucho sweep in the men's race with a winning time of 51.30, followed by Mac Lamkin in second with 51.96.
The sprint squads also delivered strong performances. Mia Shepard won the women's 100m with a personal best and school record of 11.58, while Matt Staples captured the men's race in 10.54. Mattheo Lacasia added a personal-best 10.64 to place second.
Santa Barbara also swept both 4x100m relays, with the women's team of Avery Groves, Briana Bartone, Amor Jones, and Mia Shepard finishing first, while Sean Beihoffer, Matt Staples, Kendal Handy, and Mattheo Lacasia won the men's race.
In the hurdles, Conte doubled back to win the 100m hurdles in 13.90, while Pyrce Edwards led the Gauchos in the men's 110m hurdles with a personal best 14.13.
The Gauchos also won the Sprint Medley Relays, with the women's team of Natalia McGowan, Amor Jones, Briana Bartone, and Sydney Bradley winning in 4:01.96, while the men's squad took first in 3:28.20.
In the distance events, Ryann Strawn won the 2000m steeplechase in 7:00.3, with Jana Barron finishing second in 7:08.86.
Santa Barbara closed out the meet with a pair of relay wins in the 4x400m, as the women's team of Bartone, Bradley, Maya Cordoba, and Maddie Conte won in 3:44.58, followed by the men's team taking victory in 3:13.43.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will return to action next weekend at the Westmont Dual, on March 13 hosted by Westmont.
