April 26, 2006

Irvine, Calif. - Long Beach dominated this week's Big West's Track & Field Male and Female Athlete of the Week honors, with the 49ers earning three of the four awards. LBSU's Robert Jennings and Jill Reynolds nabbed the field awards, while Charles Lewis shares the title of male track athlete of the week with Cal State Fullerton's Marques Barosso. The women's track athlete of the week was awarded to UC Santa Barbara's Megan Lewis.

Barosso earned two first-place finishes and one fifth-place mark at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. Barosso ran the school's second-fastest time in 200 meters in a wind legal mark of 21.46. Later, he and three teammates combined for a time of 40.94 in the 4X100 relay to grab the top spot. The Manteca, Calif., native also finished fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 10.76.

Sharing the male track athlete of the week honor is Charles Lewis, who ran the 200 meter mark with the fifth-best time of 21.45 at the Oregon Invitational. He also posted a time of 48.31 to claim a second place victory in the 400 meters. His performance in the 400 meters was also a season best, while the 200 meters was his career best.

Long Beach State's Robert Jennings recorded a distance of 180-0 in the discus at the Triton Invitational. His mark was not only a personal best, but also the 10th best mark in school history. The Downey, Calif., native currently leads the Big West in this event.

Megan Lewis earned UC Santa Barbara's first female track & field athlete of the week honors after claiming the title in the 5,000 meters at the Oregon Invitational. She ran a first-place time of 16:28.28, which set a new personal best by four seconds. Running in the howling wind, she improved on her NCAA Regional qualifying mark and continues to lead the Big West.

Earning the field athlete of the week honor is Long Beach State's Jill Reynolds. The Castaic, Calif., native posted a mark of 12-5.50 in the pole vault during the UC San Diego Invite. She cleared the mark in her first attempt at the height, which would eventually give her the top prize in the open division. Reynold's height, which ties for the best mark in the conference, is the first NCAA Regional qualifying mark of her career.