Elysia Mitchell came from behind on the anchor leg and gave Westmont the victory in the 4×800 relay.
After the first day of competition, both Westmont’s men’s and women’s teams have built a sizeable lead in the Golden State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships. Westmont’s women have scored 100.5 points and hold a 43.5 points lead over Biola with 57 points. Concordia sits in third with 33 points while The Master’s is fourth with 25.
In the men’s competition, Westmont is up 94 to 43 over second place Biola – a 51 point margin. Arizona Christian is currently in third place with 41 points and Vanguard is in fourth with 25.
The men claimed GSAC Championships in four events on the first day of the two day competition. The men’s 4 x 800 meter relay time of Jacob Grant, Kyle Frederickson, Tyler Bradford and Thomas Hamline posted a time of 8:04.12 to record more than a 19 second victory over Biola.
Shane Rowan claimed the conference crown in the long jump, posting a mark of 6.79 meters (22-3.5). Westmont’s Ben McCollum finished second in the event with a mark of 6.40 meters (21-8).
In the men’s shot, it was Ben Kingsley who won for Westmont with a put of 14.83 meters (48-8).
The men’s javelin saw six Warriors claim points by finishing in the top eight; giving Westmont 27 points in that event alone. Peter Zippi won the title with a throw of 55.56 meters (182-3) while James Asselin took second with a throw of 53.00 meters (173-11).
The Warrior women notched three championships, two by Alexus Dalton. With a jump of 5.85 meters (19-2.5), Dalton won the long jump event, tying both the GSAC and Westmont records and claiming an NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championship automatic qualifying time. Kirstan Holding took third in the event with a jump of 5.47 meters (17-11.5) while Becky Collier notched fifth with a mark of 5.35 meters (17-6.75).
Dalton won the shot put with a distance of 11.73 meters (38-6).
The women’s 4 x 800 meter relay team recorded a gutsy performance to come from behind and win in a time of 9:35.75. Kylie Moore, Nicole Crosby and Cici Adams ran the first three legs and established the Warriors in second place. Elysia Mitchell ran the anchor and made up more than seven seconds to beat out Biola for the win.
