The UC Riverside track and field team took to the Pacific Northwest last weekend for the UW Invitational in Seattle.
On the men’s side, Michael Kojin competed for the Highlanders in the 200 meter dash. Kojin finished in an impressive eighth place out of 26 runners with his time of 22.32 seconds.
Three Highlanders competed in the men’s weight throw. Caleb Stewart paced UC Riverside, finishing in second with a total distance of 19.30 meters. Stuart’s throw was just .37 meters shy of the mark set by the event’s top finisher, Darien Moore from Concordia. Other Highlanders competing in the weight throw included Carl Nahigian with an eighth-place finish (15.58 meters) and Uchenna Oniah, who was disqualified due to three fouls.
Cody Jordan, Aaron Nguyen and Cesar Solis took the field for the men’s 3000 meter run. Jordan led the Highlanders, finishing in sixth place with a time of 8:29.33. Solis and Nguyen finished in 14th and 18th place, respectively, with times of 8:44.71 and 8:48.31.
Donning a Highlander jersey in the 400 meter dash was the combo of Marcus Cummings, BJ Smith and Bryan Adams. With a time of 49.32 seconds, Cummings led the Highlander squad, finishing fifth. BJ Smith and Bryan Adams finished in 13th and 21st place, respectively, with times of 50.30 and 51.47 seconds.
In the 800 meter run, Highlanders Dylan Gates and Michael Koger earned 10th- and 22nd-place finishes with times of 1:57.87 and 2:01.90.
UCR’s strongest performance on the men’s side came in the triple jump. Michael Lewis Jr. and Ted Hooper finished in fourth and ninth place. Former Highlander Ryan Swafford took top honors in the event, jumping 14.88 meters.
Setting a new school record in the long jump for the second time this season, Ted Hooper’s 7.65 meter jump earned him third place honors.
On the women’s side, the Highlanders turned in a strong performance during the weight throw, with two Highlanders taking up spots in the top 11 finishes. Rachel Tice earned a 10th-place finish with a throw of 15.48 meters. Trailing her was Vesta Bell with an 11th-place throw of 15.43 meters. Shaneen Casada also competed for UCR in the women’s weight throw, finishing in 15th place with a distance of 14.65 meters.
In the 60 meter hurdles, Danielle Littleton earned an impressive fourth place with a time of 8.68 seconds. In the 400 meter dash, Noelle Abboud was the sole Highlander out of 35 competitors, finishing in fifth place with a time of 57.59 seconds.
Littleton also competed in the long jump, finishing seventh with a distance of 5.56 meters. Phoenisha Schuhmeier paced the Highlanders by a hair in the long jump, placing fifth with a jump of 5.61 meters.
In the final event for the women, two Highlanders competed in the shot put competition. Rachel Tice finished seventh with a heave of 13.82 meters, and Vesta Bell finished 24th with a distance of 11.39 meters.
Next up for the Highlanders is another trip to Seattle in two weeks for the Husky Classic on Valentine’s Day.
