Men's Performance List (PDF) | Women's Performance List (PDF)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Cal State Fullerton men's and women's track and field teams finished competition at the University of Las Vegas Spring Invitational at Partridge Stadium on Saturday afternoon, taking home multiple first place finishes in the process.
The Titans came into Saturday's competition a high note after junior Jessica Flores dominated the hammer throw competition with a career-best, and new-school record throw of 196-feet-5 inches on Friday. Joining Flores on the top of the podium on Saturday was Taylor Ros in the men's 400 meter run, Tejera Dial in the women's 800m run, Trevor Gorwin in the men's shot put and Malik Johnson in the men's high jump.
Runners
The running events on Saturday for Fullerton were highlighted by the two Titans that were able to earn first place in their respective events. Ros ran the 400m in a season-best 47.86 seconds, legging out the second-fastest finisher by nearly one-full second. The senior was also a part of the 1600m relay team that finished in second place as Nick Reynolds, Chaz Harmon, and Joshua Gordon joined Ros to complete the event in 3:18.03 sec.
Dial was another Titan to bring home the top spot from competition on Saturday, finishing ahead of the field in the 800m run when she crossed the finish line in personal-best 2:10.23 sec., only a half-second shy of the Fullerton school record. The lone Titan in the event, Dial beat out competitors from eight other teams to take home first prize. Janaya Shorty also performed well for Fullerton in Las Vegas, taking home third place in the 400m and finishing just behind three-time London Olympic medalist Carmelita Jeter with a personal-best time of 55.13 sec. Shorty was also a part of the Titan 4x100 relay team that featured Alexandria Stewart, Alexis Stewart and Tyler Hardge that finished the event in a season-best 46.10 sec.
Jumps
Johnson was the top finisher on the day for the Titan jumping corps after he cleared 2.05 meters in the high jump competition, earning him a share of first place overall in the event. After taking home second-place in the annual Ben Brown Invitational at Titan Track Complex one week earlier, Johnson cleared the same height in Las Vegas to move him up to the top of the podium this time around.
Ty'Jalayah Robertson, the Fullerton school record holder in the Indoor high jump, competed in the outdoor high jump for the first time this season for the Titan women, and cleared an impressive 1.60m. Laura Hamann followed up a solid season debut in the long jump at the Ben Brown with a fourth-place finish in Las Vegas after jumping a distance of 5.34m.
Throws
Flores was the highlight of the weekend for the Titan women's throwers with her personal-best throw of 196-feet-5 inches in the hammer throw on Friday. The toss shattered her previous personal-best throw by just over 22 feet and is one of the longest throws in the NCAA so far this season. Flores entered the Fullerton school-record books after her performance on Friday, beating out Jameena Hunt's 2010 throw of 185-feet-1 inch.
"She (Flores) has just been working so hard and really deserves the success she had on Friday," head coach John Elders said. "Watching the competition yesterday, she was just on fire as she just kept PR'ing throw after throw. What was most exciting was that at first attempt was something like a 10-foot PR, then she was able to refocus, get back into the ring, and throw it even further until she beat her old personal best by over 22 feet. It was a great job for her and we are all so excited for her."
Trevor Gorwin was once again the standout thrower on the men's side this weekend; posting personal-best throws in both the hammer and the shot put events. Gorwin made it back-to-back meets finishing in the top spot in the shot put competition after taking home first place in the Ben Brown Invitational last weekend and on Saturday at the UNLV Spring Invite with a throw of 54-feet-11.5 inches. Gorwin also threw a personal-best 170-feet-11 inches in the hammer throw in Las Vegas.
"It was good for our athletes to get out of SoCal and experience competing against unfamiliar competition," Elders said. "Overall they responded well and we had some excellent performances. Each week we're getting better, and that's positive."
The Titans take part in their first three-day meet of the season as they are scheduled to participate in the UC Riverside Invitational Thursday through Sunday in Riverside, Calif.