A weekend of UCLA honoring two of its most celebrated coaches began on Friday with a Distance Carnival named in honor of Bob Larsen, who was present to enjoy the action.
The evening’s first event featured a thrilling Women’s 1500-meter race, where San Diego State alum Alex Lomeli edged out Cal Baptist sophomore Laura Acuna in a close finish. Lomeli secured victory with a personal best of 4:20.84, just five-hundredths of a second ahead of Acuna’s own personal best of 4:20.89.
The Men’s 1500-meter final saw an exciting competition with no fewer than six lead changes. In the end, a Cal State Fullerton alum clinched the win by two-tenths of a second over Cerritos Community College’s Joshua Melendez, finishing in 3:51.60 to Melendez’s 3:51.80.
Next up was the Steeplechase, where NAIA powerhouse The Master's University saw sophomore Emma Nelson set a new school record with a commanding win in 10:49.34, ahead of her teammate Brooke Cregan’s 11:23.73. On the men’s side, Cal State Fullerton’s Tony Chavez battled over the final laps against Pepperdine freshman Elijah Gentry, a former New York State Champion. Chavez ran a new career best of 9:05.17, with Gentry finishing in 9:13.16.
In the following race, Cal State Fullerton continued its winning streak as junior Quinn Roldan secured her first collegiate victory after a tight battle with Azusa Pacific’s Sofia Vasquez, finishing in 17:53.31 to Vasquez’s 17:54.53. In the second section, Pepperdine’s Elizabeth Crawford demonstrated the strength of the Waves, winning against UNLV’s Natalia Ruiz Lara in 16:38.36 to 16:39.74, in a race where six runners broke the 17-minute mark. The men’s race was capped off by Cal Poly Pomona junior Francisco Zavaleta, who won in 14:22.89.
Day 2 of the meet featured The Jim Bush Legends Meet, named in honor of the legendary UCLA head coach, covering field events, sprints, and relays.
UCLA dominated in the hammer throw, winning both the men’s and women’s events. Kris Emig took the men’s title with a throw of 217’9”, while Lyvante Su’emai secured the women’s title with a mark of 185’0”. Su’emai also went on to win both the shot put and discus.
The men’s javelin competition was an exciting showdown between Cal Poly Pomona teammates Khai Redd and John Dvorak. Redd delivered a lifetime best of 184’2” in the fifth round, securing the win and earning a spot on the school’s all-time list.
Cal Poly Pomona continued to showcase its strength, reinforcing its rising status in Division II. The Broncos went 1-2 in the pole vault, won the high jump, claimed victory in the short relay, took first place in the 400 hurdles, and swept the top three spots in the 110 high hurdles.
UCLA closed out the meet with a dominant win in the Men’s 4x400 relay, finishing in 3:09.53, sealing an exciting weekend of competition.
MEDIA
