ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's 4x800m relay team secured a title to highlight day one of the California Pacific Conference Outdoor Track Championships on Thursday at Soka University Track. The Bobcats also punched 26 additional tickets to the finals and set seven program-records.
The men's 4x800m relay team set a program-record and hit the NAIA "A" Standard on their way to defending their title with a time of 7:36.82. The record-setting quartet of Bobcats featured Sharvin Manjrekar, Cole Rommelfanger, Jonathan Chavez, and Jalen Morales.
Alberto Alves earned a third-place finish for the Bobcats in the 10000m with a time of 33:33.03. Draven Grondona came in next in 34:52.44.
UC Merced put runners in two other finals on Thursday, but the event saw no other competitors therefore the Bobcats didn't score points. Pickrel ran the 3000m steeplechase in 9:48.04 and the women's 4x800m team of Jaydah Aguilar, Jailyn Batis, Kasia Holland, and Leslie Aquino clocked a time of 10:29.55.
The remaining finals are held on Friday.
Sprinters Martel Fields and Clarisel Lopez Obeso dominated the prelims with program-records. Fields ran a 100m time of 10.57 and a 200m time of 21.21. His 200m time hit the NAIA "B" Standard.
Lopez tied her own 100m program-record in 12.34 while rewriting the 200m record finishing in 25.34.
Also in the prelims, Naseem Hassaan set the Bobcats 400m record with a time of 50.95. He set a personal-best time of 21.88 in the 200m.
Julianna Luchsinger broke two of her own program-records and won both her prelims in the 100m hurdles (16.74) and 400m hurdles (1:10.00).
Other Bobcats to finish first in the Cal Pac prelims include Sinthya Duran (400m/1:03.96), Jaydah Aguilar (800m/2:33.89), Alberto Guevara (800m/2:00.11), Jonathan Chavez (1500m/4:02.67), and Irene Martinez (1500m/5:09.54). Guevara and Martinez's times marked personal-bests.
Punching tickets to the finals tomorrow are:
Jaydah Aguilar (800m & 1500m)
Lyra Barton (100mh & 400mh)
Jailyn Batis (400m & 800m)
Jonathan Chavez (1500m)
Sinthya Duran (400m)
Martel Fields (100m & 200m)
Alberto Guevara (800m)
Naseem Hassaan (200m & 400m)
Kasia Holland (800m)
Elijah Lawrence (400m & 400mh)
Clarisel Lopez Obeso (100m & 200m)
Julianna Luchsinger (100mh & 400mh)
Jorge Mandujano (1500m)
Irene Martinez (1500m)
Jalen Morales (800m)
Joyce Nichet (100m & 200m)
Joshua Riley (1500m)
Additional finals tomorrow include the 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, and 5000m run. Those events did not have prelims on the men's or women's side.
