Sofia Cosculluela scores heptathlon personal best to take collegiate lead at Mt. SAC...
WALNUT, California--Washington's Sofia Cosculluela (Paul Merca photo) rode the wave of a strong start in the long jump all the way to a new personal best and a third place finish in the elite section of the heptathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College Thursday.
After closing day one with 3637 points, good for fifth, the Spaniard started day two with a third round jump of 20-5 (6.22m), close to her all time personal best of 21-2.5 (6.46m), set in 2023. That mark was good for 918 points.
In the javelin, she threw 130-1 (39.66m), well off what she threw at last year's Mt. SAC meet, where she threw 146-11 (44.79m), and her personal best of 160-8 (48.97m) that she threw at the NCAA championships. That effort was worth 661 points, her lowest individual event score of the two days.
She rebounded from the javelin by running a personal best 2:16.15, worth 877 points. Cosculluela's previous personal best was 2:18.82 set last year at the Spanish national championships.
Her final score of 6093 points cements her position as the second best score in Washington history behind Ida Eikeng's 6114 score set in 2023.
It's also for the time being, the number one score in the NCAA this season, and the seventh best in the world.
Former Vanderbilt All-American Beatrice Juskeviciute of Lithuania won the event with a final score of 6323 points, which is the number one mark in the world this season.
Competing in his first collegiate decathlon, Teko Cates finished xxth with a final score of yyyy points.
Cates, who was in third at the break with 4143 points, had a sluggish start, running 15.55 in the 110 hurdles.
In the discus, he threw 135-5 (41.29m), just off his personal best of 135-9 (41.37m).
Cates cleared a best of 14-9 (4.50m) in the pole vault, then threw 140-6 (42.84m) in the javelin. He finished the day by running 4:56.17 in the 1500 meters.
Washington alum Jami Schlueter of Nigeria, now training in Texas, finished seventh with 7681 points.
Cal alum Hakim McMorris, the leader at the break, led three men over 8000 points, winning with a 2026 world leading score of 8420 points.
In the invitational women's javelin, Washington's Ashley Schroeder, who broke a long standing UW school record two weeks ago at Stanford when she threw 175-11 (53.61m), finished third with a best of 174-7 (53.23m).
Teammates Saydi Orange (167-9/51.15m) and Leonie Troeger (155-0/47.25m) finished fourth and eighth.
The invitational men's javelin was won by Washington alum Chandler Ault with a throw of 235-10 (71.90m), while current Dawg Carson Olmstead was fourth at 217-8 (66.34m).
The Washington sprint and power events group begins competition at Mt SAC Friday.
Media partner RunnerSpace.com ($) will stream the final two days of the Mt. SAC Relays.
PACIFIC COAST INTERCOLLEGIATE...
In Long Beach, the Western Washington men's 4 x 400 relay team of Evin Ford, Sam Foust, Maurice Woodring and Lucas Brenek (photo courtesy WWU Athletics) set a school and a GNAC conference record to highlight competition at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Thursday at Jack Rose Track hosted by Long Beach State.
It turned out to be a battle between Western and Chico State, with Chico State winning in 3:09.38 to the Vikings' 3:09.56.
The Vikings eclipsed their former school and conference record time of 3:09.91 set last year. The Vikings find themselves in the top ten on the NCAA D2 descending order list.
Other highlights from Long Beach:
--The Viking men's 4 x 100 relay team finished fourth in 40.64, their second fastest time of the season, as Utah State won in 39.48;
--Jessica Polkinghorn (148-11/45.40m) and Jakob Braunstein (210-1/64.05m) earned identical third place finishes in the javelin;
--Nolan Mickenham (10.38) rode a +2.5 meter per second wind to finish sixth in the top heat and eighth overall in the men's 100.
Several Vikings will take their turn at Jack Rose Track for the Beach Invitational that starts Friday.
BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL...
In Azusa, the steeplechases and the 10000 meter races were the prime focus on day one of the three day Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific University.
The morning sections of the 10000 saw Central Washington's Madeline Harrison run 35:34.17 in one section, to put her number two on the GNAC descending order list. Teammate Payton Conover clocked 36:15.04 in another section to put her number three on the conference list.
Western Washington's Sten Brakstad (30:03.04) and Jonah Billings (30:07.27), who were already on the GNAC top ten this season in the 10000, moved up on the descending order list.
In the evening session, Caroline Jepkorir of Washington State was 12th in the women's invitational steeplechase, running 10:01.79. The women's open steeple saw Lake Stevens native and Western Washington grad Ashley Reeck, now a grad student at Idaho State, finish second in 10:06.91, while UW's Josephine Welin was seventh in 10:16.98.
The invitational men's steeple saw Cashmere native Rob McManus of Montana State finish tenth in 8:31.85, while the Huskies' Isaac Briggs won heat 2 in 8:38.10. Washington's Cruize Corvin ran 8:54.04 in his heat of the men's open steeple, while Gonzaga's Paul Talens ran 8:54.60.
Gonzaga's Rosina Machu, who got sick before the Stanford Invitational, was ninth in the top section of the women's 10000, running 33:02.80. Washington State's Zenah Cheptoo was 13th in 33:11.08.
Washington State's Josphat Meli was 18th in the top section of the men's 10000 in 28:38.43.
Washington's Tyrone Gorze finished in a time of 29:06.57 in the second section of the men's invitational 10000.
Friday's portion of the Bryan Clay Invitational will consist of sections in the 800s and 5000s.
Flotrack ($) will stream the Bryan Clay Invitational.
LEOPARD INVITATIONAL...
In La Verne, the Leopard Invitational men's steeplechase, hosted by the University of La Verne, ended up being a preview of the GNAC championship meet next month in Ellensburg, as four of the top five finishers all came from the conference.
Alaska Anchorage's John Peckham, who won the event two weeks ago at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in San Francisco, took the victory, running a conference leading 8:57.28.
Western Washigton's Jared Alderfer, who was third in San Francisco, was third again, running 9:01.23.
WWU teammates Eli Williams and George Fernandez, were fourth and fifth respectively in 9:02.13, and 9:02.39.
NOTE: The sports information offices of the University of Washington, Western Washington, Mt. San Antonio College, Long Beach State University, University of La Verne, and Azusa Pacific University contributed to this report.
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