The outdoor track season kicked off on Saturday for the Gauchos with the only home meet of the season. At the 2010 Gaucho Round-Up, UCSB picked up event wins in all but two events in a strong opening meet.
Jane Doolittle built on her impressive indoor season with a win in the high jump, clearing 5’11” (1.80m). The mark is a new outdoor personal best for Doolittle and officially moves her up to second on the UCSB all-time high jump list. Barbara Nwaba took second at 5’9″ (1.70m), and later had a winning performance in the 400m hurdles at 14.72.
James Martin put on an impressive display in his first career 400m hurdles race by running a 53.08, which is not far off from the NCAA mark of 52.51. He was followed by Drew Johnston, who bettered his seasonal best from a year ago by running 53.75. Johnston also bettered his seasonal best in the 110m hurdles by running 15.13.
In the jumps, Tayler Williams was a double winner by capturing the long jump at 18’7″ (5.67m) and the triple jump at 39’3.25″ (11.97m). In the men’s jumps Mike Powers was also a double winner, taking the triple jump at 43’11.50 (13.40m) and the 200m dash at 22.69. A.J. Romine won the long jump with a mark of 21’3.75″ (6.50m), which is farther than any long jump mark set by the Gaucho men last season.
Scott Smith picked up a double win in the 1500m and 3000m, with times of 3:51.49 and 8:24.96 respectively. On the women’s side, Crystal Reed won the 1500m at 4:42.03 and Amanda Moreno won the 3000m at 10:02.37.
The women’s throws were highlighted by Grace Esslinger, who won the javelin with a mark of 130’9.50″ (39.87m), which is the second-best mark in Gaucho history. Irene Kujore took first in the discus (142’1″, 43.31m) and second in the shot put (47’5.0″, 14.47m). Kayla Smith was the winner of the shot put, edging Kujore with a best throw of 47’8.25″ (14.54m).
Scott Finley won the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 16’2″ (4.90m). He had a couple of good looks at the school record bar of 16-8 and will be looking to eclipse that in the coming weeks.
Next Saturday, Feb. 27, the Gauchos will travel to UC Irvine to partake in the All-Cal Challenge. UCSB will be hoping to defend the title on the men’s side and re-capture the title on the women’s side.
