A litany of big meets headline the upcoming Big West track & field slate, marking the final weekend of competition in April as the eight squads prepare for the Conference Championships.
Headlining the meet is one of the largest and oldest track festivals in the world, the Drake Relays. Colleges and universities from all over the United States will take part in the 101st running of the Drake Relays this Wednesday through Saturday at Drake Stadium. There will be 115 men’s university-college teams with 1,242 athletes competing. On the women’s side, 109 teams with 1,164 athletes will compete. Included in those totals will be representatives from Long Beach State and UC Riverside.
On the home front, UC Davis heads to a meet hosted by a Pac-10 school as the Aggies take part in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational hosted by California. More than 700 athletes representing over 80 teams from around the world are expected to descend on the Bay Area this weekend.
Moving south to the Southern California area, Cal State Northridge will make a short trek to Cal State Los Angeles for the Tommy "Tiny" Lister Classic. The annual meet is named after the CSULA alum who was an All-America track icon at the school prior to a successful acting career.
Three schools will head down I-5 for a weekend in San Diego for the UCSD Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. The Big West programs in that meet will be Long Beach State, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.
Finally, there will be a dual meet between a pair of rivals this weekend as UC Irvine readies itself for a clash against Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton.
UCSB's Domenichelli Sets Conference Mark: UC Santa Barbara's Danielle Domenichelli had a record-breaking run at the Mt. SAC Relays last weekend, continuing her stellar senior season. Domenichelli ran the 5K in 16:01.20, setting a school and conference record in the process. The result also put her in the top 10 in the country this season.
Records Fall for CSF's Short: Cal State Fullerton sprinter Ciara Short picked up a pair of school records last weekend to add to her stellar 2010 outdoor season. Short posted new program standards in the 200 (23.77) and 400 (53.16). Both marks are the top showings in the conference this season, while the 400 is 11th-best in the NCAA.
UCD Wraps Home Schedule in Style: UC Davis finished up its home schedule with an impressive showing during the Woody Wilson Classic. The Aggies men’s and women’s track & field teams combined to win 15 events while setting nearly 30 season-bests during the day.
O'Boyle Enters Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame: UC Irvine head track and field/cross country coach Vince O'Boyle has been inducted into the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame. O’Boyle was inducted along with two-time Olympic medalist John Godina (throws) and Toby Stevenson, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the pole vault. The induction ceremony took place April 14 at the 52nd annual Mt. SAC Relays Banquet at the Pacific Palms Conference Resort in the City of Industry. O’Boyle has been involved with the Mt. SAC Relays for the past 47 years, first as a runner for Monrovia High School in 1963 and later for Citrus College and Cal Poly Pomona, and as a coach at Citrus College and UCI.
UCR's Martinez Lands on Bowerman List: UC Riverside’s Brenda Martinez landed on the watch list for The Bowerman, the award handed out by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association recognizing the track athlete of the year on both the men’s and women’s side. Martinez finds herself on the also receiving mention portion of the preseason list, meaning she can move up to the primary watch list at any point in the season. Martinez is the Big West record holder in the 800 and 1500 and completed a whirlwind summer circuit which saw her compete in six races across Europe. She also ran the fastest 800 in the NCAA in her first race of the 2010 outdoor season.