The 2010 Big West Track & Field Championships have come to a close and Cal State Northridge women and men added to their championship histories with first place finishes. The league meet was held at Matador Track on the campus of Cal State Northridge.
The Matador women won the title with 193 points, just five ahead of second place UC Santa Barbara. Third belonged to UC Davis with 113 points, while Cal State Fullerton finished the top half of the standings with 97 points. Fifth place was UC Riverside with 71 points, with Cal Poly coming in sixth with 60 points. Long Beach State (53) and UC Irvine (43) completed the women's standings.
The CSUN men claimed the crown after amassing 173 points, beating out Long Beach State which amassed 145 points. Cal Poly finished in third with 134 points, while UC Santa Barbara had 132.5 point for fourth. Fifth place was UC Davis with 91 points, while sixth place was UC Irvine with 58.5 points. UC Riverside (43) and Cal State Fullerton (42) wrapped up the 2010 men's meet.
Saturday started with the field events, with women’s discus the first competition to finish. UC Davis' Ashley Hearn claimed the title with a toss of 52.87 meters (173-05), while Lauren Reid of UC Riverside was the next to claim a title as she won the triple jump with an effort of 13.16 meters (43-02.25).
The men's shot put wrapped up next and Derek Cooper won the crown with a toss of 17.87 meters (58-07.50). With the track events serving as a backdrop, Jane Doolittle won the women's high jump with an effort of 1.83 meters (6-0).
Next to wrap up was the men's pole vault and UC Santa Barbara's Scott Finley and Michael Peterson of UC Davis each cleared 5.08 meters (16-08). Finley was awarded the first place plaque since he recorded the mark in less attempts. Shortly thereafter, the women's shot put was completed and Kayla Smith of UC Santa Barbara led a sweep for the club with an effort of 15.53 meters (50-11.50).
The women's triple jump was next to finish as Lauren Reid of UC Riverside won with a mark of 13.16 meters (43-02.25). In the men's discus, CSUN’s Cooper won his third title in the event after a toss of 55.02 meters (180-06).
The field events ended with the completion of the men's triple jump. Ray Green of UC Davis came away with the first place points as he posted a mark of 15.18 meters (49-09.75).
The track events started with a bang as the 4x100 meter relays were contested. The CSUN women and men won the races with the women completing the race in 45.35, while the men won the event in 39.86.
The 1500 meter run was contested next and it presented a historical feat to the crowd. UC Riverside's Brenda Martinez won the women's race in 4:24.80, in the process becoming the first woman, and just the second competitor, to win four titles in a single event in Big West Championship history. UC Santa Barbara's Scott Smith picked up the first place points in the men's race after finishing in 3:48.92.
The 100 and 110 meter hurdles provided a lot of excitement for the charged crowd, especially in the women's race. Lauren Williams of Cal State Fullerton won the race in 13.41, just .02 seconds ahead of UC Davis’ Sirena Williams. The Aggies were able to score in a win in the men’s race however, as Polly Gnepa breezed past the competition in 13.87.
The grueling 400 meter sprint was next and Ciara Short of Cal State Fullerton claimed the top spot in the women's race with a time of 52.37, narrowly edging two-time defending champion Shelese Ruffin of Cal State Northridge. In the men's race, Thomas Phillips of UC Davis won in 47.30 for his second consecutive title.
With the 100 meter dash next, the title of fastest athlete in the Big West would be decided. Precious Watkins of Cal State Northridge became the seventh consecutive Matador to win the race as she crossed the finish in 11.91. CSUN also picked up a win in the men's race as Bradley Ike beat teammate Reindell Cole with a time of 10.54.
The 800 meter runs were in the spotlight next and a pair of nationally-recognized athletes took the stage. UCR's Martinez won her second race of the day with an effort of 2:06.31, while Charles Jock of UC Irvine, who broke former Anteater great Steve Scott's record in the event earlier in the year, set another school best with a time of 1:46.93
The 400 hurdles was the next contest and the heptathlon winner Barbara Nwaba of UC Santa Barbara claimed the title with an effort of 60.51. The men's race saw Kenneth Medwood of Long Beach State win the event in 49.66.
The 200 meters saw CSF’s Short win her second race of the day as she bested the competition in 23.93, while David Reid of Cal State Northridge led a 1-2 Matador finish with his winning effort of 21.10.
A distance race was next on the ledger as the 5000 meter run would test the competitors. Danielle Domenichelli of UC Santa Barbara added to her 10K win with a victory in the 5K, crossing the finish in 16:39.22. Scott Smith completed the UCSB distance sweep with a win in 14:31.24.
The 2010 meet wrapped up with the 4x400 relays and the crowd lined the track for the final event. The Cal State Northridge women's team claimed a win in 3:41.52, while the men's race saw the UC Irvine team complete the relay in 3:09.43 for the win.