CLU Regals Track and Field News

Hall of Fame Induction to Take Place Saturday

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The ninth annual Cal Lutheran Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Lundring Events Center inside the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

Website: CLU Athletics Hall of Fame

Five former CLU student-athletes will become official members of the Athletics Hall of Fame. Mariko "Mo" Coverdale, Cathy (Fulkerson) Waltrip, Tim Lins, Justin Muth and Doug Rihn round out this year's class bringing the total number of inductees to 72.

CLU Hall of Famer Troy Kuretich will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event. The event is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m.

To register for the event, click here.

Kahovec Earns National Academic Honor

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Toccoa Kahovec was recognized as one of the top female NCAA Division III Track and Field student-athletes by earning United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic status.

Official Release: USTFCCCA Women's Track & Field Winners

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met an NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying marks in an individual or relay event. Participation in an NCAA Championship also fulfills the athletic component of All-Academic qualification.

Kahovec qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to secure All-Academic status. She went on to place eighth to earn All-American honors as an athlete.

In total 328 female student-athletes from track and field made the All-Academic list. In the fall of 2010 she was one of 170 female Division III runners to earn All-Academic status for cross country. She qualified for the NCAA National Championship meet in which she placed 115th overall.

The men's All-Academic individual honorees will be named on Friday. Those institutions given All-Academic Team status will be named on Tuesday, August 9 (men) and Wednesday, August 10 (women).

Pair Earns Academic All-District Honors

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Senior Ray Ostrander and junior Toccoa Kahovec were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VIII Track & Field and Cross Country teams.

Ray Ostrander - Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
The Cal Lutheran Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year was one of 10 student-athletes chosen to this year's CoSIDA All-District Team. During the cross country season this past fall he was one of 142 men in Division III to be named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team.

He led the Kingsmen this season at the conference championships finishing eighth to receive All-SCIAC First Team honors for the second straight year. Ostrander finished 11th at the SCIAC Track & Field Championships in the 5,000 meters.

Ostrander completed his program of study and graduated this past May with degrees in Geology and Environmental Sciences.

Fellow conference runner Alex Lapides of Caltech was also named to the team. The senior will graduate with a 3.80 grade point average earning his degree in Chemistry. He won the high jump at the SCIAC Track & Field Championships as the only competitor to clear 1.97 meters.

Toccoa Kahovec - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
The CLU junior was the only member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) to earn first team honors. For the second straight season Kahovec has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Team recognition.

Following her fourth place finish at the SCIAC Cross Country Championships she took ninth at the West Regional and 115th in her first appearance at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Kahovec was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and was just one of 170 female Division III student-athletes to earn such recognition.

She repeated as conference champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and finished runner-up in the 1,500 meters. Kahovec took part in her first track and field national meet to finish her junior season and took eighth in the steeplechase to earn All-America status.

The Saugus, Calif. Native is currently maintaining a 3.87 grade point average while pursuing her liberal studies degree.

Seniors Kelsey Bermudez, Mackenzie Smith and Kortney Watring from SCIAC member Redlands both earned Academic All-District VIII Second Team honors.

Both Ostrander and Kahovec will be eligible to earn Academic All-American honors which will be released later this month.

Regals Conclude Trip to NCAA National Meet

Sat, 28 May 2011 17:00:00 PST

DELAWARE, Ohio - Junior Britlyn Garrett concluded Cal Lutheran's competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship meet after taking 18th place in the javelin on Saturday afternoon. The current school record holder opened with her best throw of 39.16 meters (128 feet, 6 inches) but fell short in qualifying for finals.

Results: Women's Team Standings

The top-four finishers from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships took part in Saturday's national competition.

The SCIAC champion Mackenzie Smith of Redlands took eighth and Corbin Henault of La Verne, who took fourth in the conference meet finished seventh at nationals as both earned All-American status. Kelly Young of Occidental, who was named the SCIAC Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year, missed the finals finishing in 11th out of 22 athletes.

Kelly Lovett, a senior from Carleton won convincingly as her best throw of 47.36 meters (155 feet, 4 inches) and was the only competitor to break the 43-meter barrier. Garrett's CLU record mark set earlier this season of 42.61 meters would have placed fourth.

CLU finished the team competition tied for 76th place after Toccoa Kahovec scored a point taking eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the team title scoring 80 points, followed by Wartburg at 59 and Methodist at 48. Pomona-Pitzer was the top SCIAC school finishing tied for 30th with eight points.

Kahovec Runs to All-American Finish

Fri, 27 May 2011 18:30:00 PST

DELAWARE, Ohio - Toccoa Kahovec took eighth place overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Her finish scored one point for the Regals and secured her first collegiate All-American honor in track and field.

Results: Women's Steeplechase

Of the 22 competitors the top 10 finished within 17 seconds of the national champion Kimberly Chinn from Baldwin-Wallace. She improved on her stadium record time having competed at Selby Track earlier this season, winning Friday's steeplechase in a time of 10:24.22.

Kahovec battled with three other racers for the final two scoring spots and the right to be called All-Americans. Gretchen Baymer of Calvin led this quartet to the finish line (10:39.15), followed by Kahovec (10:39.54), Wendy Pavlus of St. Lawrence (10:39.86) and Brianne Mirecki of Williams (10:40.75).

Cal Lutheran is currently tied for 37th place in the team standings with one day of events remaining. CLU's Britlyn Garrett will look to contribute points of her own during Saturday's javelin competition set to start at Noon EST.

CLU Foursome Prime for NCAA National Meet

Wed, 25 May 2011 09:00:00 PST

DELAWARE, Ohio - Eric Flores, Eric Rogers, Britlyn Garrett and Toccoa Kahovec of the Cal Lutheran track and field teams will begin competition at the three-day NCAA Outdoor National Championships starting on Thursday, May 26 on Selby Field and George Gauthier Track hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.

Official Website: 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Eric Flores (Hammer Throw, Shot Put)
The reigning champion in the hammer throw is hoping to once again top the podium at the NCAA National Championships, this time as a senior in 2011. His seasonal best of 68.10 meters (223 feet, 5 inches) is more than 22 feet clear of his nearest competitor and an improvement on his title clinching distance last year.

The men's hammer throw will take place at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, May 26.

After taking 15th in the shot put at last year's championships Flores is seeded second heading into the event this season. His mark of 17.61 meters (57 feet, 9.5 inches) from the Pomona-Pitzer Invite on April 9 is just over one foot short of top qualifier David Pless from Bates.

The men's shot put gets underway on Friday, May 27 at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Eric Rogers (Triple Jump)
In his first year of competition on the track and field team Rogers leapt onto the scene and is one of only two freshman to qualify for nationals. His mark of 14.90 meters (48 feet, 10.75 inches) in front of the home crowd during CLU's SCIAC Quad Meet ranks eighth best heading into the event.

He is only one of nine athletes in the nation to surpass the NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 14.85 meters, led by top qualifier Isaac Vazquez of Wisconsin-La Crosse who went 15.48 meters (50 feet, 9.5 inches).

The men's triple jump will begin on Saturday, May 28 at Noon EST.

On the women's side Kahovec and Garrett will both be making their first appearance on the national scene in track and field this season.

Toccoa Kahovec (Steeplechase)
Kahovec posted the seventh fastest time this year in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:40.25) doing so at the Cal/Nevada Championships on March 26. She is one of only nine who finished in an NCAA automatic qualifying time led by favorite Kimber Mattox of Willamette (10:23.34).

The women's steeplechase is set to start at 9 p.m. EST and will conclude Friday's competition schedule. The Regals will feature team members in back-to-back events including Kahovec and Garrett.

Britlyn Garrett (Javelin)
Garrett's heave of 42.61 meters (139 feet, 9 inches) puts her eighth amongst the 23 competitors in the javelin. Jill Shaner of Stockton is the heavy favorite posting the top regular season mark of 48.75 meters, nearly three meters farther than the rest of the field.

The women's javelin will open the final day of competition on Saturday, May 28 at Noon EST.

Kahovec and Garrett have the oldest marks in the entire field with both notching their seasonal bests in the month of March.

CLU Seven Seek Spot at NCAA Championships

Sat, 14 May 2011 21:45:00 PST

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Seven total members from the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen and Regals track and field teams participated in Saturday's Westmont Qualifier meet, one of the few events remaining this season that provides an opportunity for student-athletes to record a time or distance strong enough to earn a spot at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships.

Results: Westmont Qualifier Results

Turning in a jump of 14.90 meters (48 feet, 10.75 inches) earlier this season at the SCIAC Quad Meet No. 3 (Apr. 16), one-half meter farther than the distance needed to qualify for a spot at the national championships, Rogers followed that effort with NCAA provisional jumps in his next two meets at the SCIAC Championships and Saturday's event.

Jumping 14.34 meters (47 feet, 00.75 inches) in his first attempt of the afternoon at Westmont Track, Rogers was the only Kingsmen participant able to record either a provisional or automatic qualifying effort throughout the day.

Also matching her NCAA provisional-worthy effort recorded earlier this season at the Westmont Collegiate Classic (Mar. 26) was CLU high jumper Erica Whitley. Returning to the very same track where she originally recorded a provisional efforts of 1.65 meters (5 feet, 5 inches), Whitley replicated her performance by clearing the exact same height Saturday afternoon.

The distance is the second-highest height ever cleared by a Regal in the school's history.

Recording provisional marks at the SCIAC Championships in the 1500 meter run and discus throw events, both Toccoa Kahovec and Adam Hayes each wanted to solidify their spots at the national championships with performances worth of an automatic bid.

Although both fell short of their respective goal, the provisional time and distance recorded by each may still be strong enough to secure an opportunity to compete in the final NCAA event of the 2011 season.

Positions for each individual event at the NCAA Championships is initially filled by student-athletes who automatically qualified based upon results recorded throughout the season. Provisional qualifiers, ranked by time/distance recorded, will fill all remaining spots until a complete field of competitors has been organized.

All Kingsmen and Regals who have recorded provisional efforts will discover their ultimate fate next week once all pre-championship track meets have taken place.

CLU Hands Out End of Year Awards

Mon, 09 May 2011 18:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On Monday inside Gilbert Arena student-athletes representing each of Cal Lutheran's 19 programs were recognized for their achievements throughout the 2010-11 season at the annual end of the year gathering put together by members of both the CLU athletics department and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Cal Lutheran Senior Athletes of the Year were officially announced during the event with Allison Kerr of volleyball earning the honor for the women. Eric Flores and Andrew Giuffrida will share the honor for the men.

Seventy-two Cal Lutheran student-athletes are scheduled to graduate this month including the CLU Scholar-Athletes of the Year in Bobby Sanders of women's water polo and Ray Ostrander of men's cross country and track and field.

All student-athletes from this past season received a token of appreciation for their respective contributions this year with first year CLU members getting a CLU athletics department shirt, second year a sweatshirt, third year a letterman and fourth year a plaque.

CLU Pair Named SCIAC Athletes of the Week

Mon, 09 May 2011 16:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Julea Juarez and Adam Hayes, two members from the Cal Lutheran track and field teams, were named SCIAC Athletes of the Week for their respective performances at the Occidental Invitational.

Helping set a new school record in the 4x400-meter relay, Juarez and her teammates became the second relay team in Cal Lutheran history to break the four-minute barrier in the event. Running the anchor leg, Juarez helped break the 22 year-old school record as the quartet completed the race in a time of 3:57.09.

This performance took place only days after Juarez improved her personal best individual time in the 400 meter race at the SCIAC Championships. Crossing the finish line in 57.38 seconds, the time was just.08 seconds short of the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying mark for the national championship meet.

Juarez now holds the second-fastest 400 meter time ever recorded in the program’s history.

Winning an individual title in the discus at the SCIAC Championships just a few days prior to his arrival at Occidental, Adam Hayes improved upon his title-winning effort to set a new school record for the second time in eight days by recording a distance of 49.73 meters (163 feet, 2 inches).

With that performance, Hayes also enhanced his NCAA Division III provisional mark originally set at the SCIAC Championships, and is now ranked 18th in the nation.

This is the third time in the 2010-11 academic year that Cal Lutheran student-athletes earned both conference awards, the first occasion since Allison Kerr (Volleyball) and J.D. Austin (Football) completed the CLU sweep last September.

Cal Lutheran Athletes Making the Grade

Mon, 09 May 2011 15:45:00 PST

It started in a little room in the humanities building. It eventually moved to the Lundring Events Center, where everyone assumed it would remain for many years. But the numbers just kept increasing, so this year's Cal Lutheran Scholar-Athlete Society induction banquet had to be held in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

A record-high 112 athletes were honored last Saturday for having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4. The standard far exceeds the 2.0 needed to be eligible to compete in athletics.

"To me that is the whole Division III philosophy of being a student and a top athlete," CLU Athletic Director Dan Kuntz said. "Our mission is to help them do well in school and do well in their sport and give them an opportunity to carry those on to other things."

The Scholar-Athlete Society started in 2003 with only 36 athletes. Although the amount of teams at CLU has remained the same, the number of athletes honored has jumped exponentially.

This year's total represents nearly 30 percent of the athletes at CLU.

"They are competitive people, and if you let them know what the expectation is, they are going to go for it," Kuntz said. "Once it happens once and someone see it, they realize the opportunity is there for them and it becomes a road map for others to follow."

CLU distance runner Roy Ostrander and women's water polo player Bobby Sanders, who were recently named Cal Lutheran Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year, have been members of the society all four years at CLU.

In front of a large gathering of relatives, coaches and administrators, each of the 116 honorees received certificates and other small tokens of reward.

"If they have the passion and commitment to their sport, it is a large chunk of their time they have to dedicate to play," Kuntz said. "It's asking a lot because they are not getting scholarship money or a private tutor or special trainer or registration just for them. They are doing this on their own because they want to."

Kuntz believes the environment at CLU is conducive for athletes to balance sports and academics successfully.

"The students have people around them and resources available if they need support, and I think a person tends to thrive more if they feel like they can do more," Kuntz said. "I think those things have really evolved at CLU the last several years and there has been a lot of work to ensure the infrastructure is in place."

Regals Relay Team Breaks 22-Year Record

Sun, 08 May 2011 16:40:07 PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Members of the Cal Lutheran track and field squads competed at the 2011 Occidental Invitational on Saturday in hopes of improving its chances to qualify for the NCAA National Championship meet later this month. The competition drew more than 950 athletes ranging in talent from high school to Olympian caliber athletes.

Results: 2011 OXY Invite (Women)
Results: 2011 OXY Invite (Men)

Julea Juarez was a part of three performances that rank in the top-two all-time in Regals track and field history. A pair came while anchoring relays and another doing it herself in the 400 meters.

The CLU women's 4x400-meter relay squad of Melissa Muntzel, Lauren Rohach, Nicole Camarillo and Juarez not only completed the four lap race in under four minutes for the first time but crushed the previous school record by nearly three full seconds.

This quartet completed the race in a time of 3:57.09 to improve on a school record that held for 22 years and become only the second group of four Regals to break the four-minute barrier.

Juarez ran the final straightaway of the 4x100 relay after Kendall Sauter, Amy Galipeau and Jaleesa Robinson got things started. The squad finished in 48.96 seconds and became just the second Regals team to complete one lap in under 49 seconds in program history.

Juarez went on to improve her personal best time individual in the 400 meter race crossing the finish line in 57.38 seconds. The time remains second best in program history and is only .08 seconds short of the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time for the national championship meet.

On the men's side Kingsman Adam Hayes reset his school record in the discus throwing 49.73 meters (163 feet, 2 inches) to finish fifth overall in the event. The conference champion improved on his already NCAA Division III Provisional mark set last week.

Evan Reed recorded a PR in the 1,500 meters and nearly became only the eighth CLU runner in program history to complete the distance in under four minutes (4:00.22). Teammate Stephen Shirk recorded a CLU all-time top-10 time in the 5,000 meters (15:32.85) and finished in the top-50 along with Ray Ostrander who took 44th overall.

Members of the Cal Lutheran squads are scheduled to compete this upcoming weekend at either Cal State Los Angeles (May 13-14) or Westmont (May 14).

CLU Places 29 on All-Conference Teams

Thu, 05 May 2011 12:00:00 PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The track and field all-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams featured 29 members from Cal Lutheran, announced earlier today. Highlighting the CLU group is Eric Flores who was named 2011 SCIAC Male Athlete of the Year.

Official Release: 2011 All-SCIAC Men's Track and Field Team
Official Release: 2011 All-SCIAC Women's Track and Field Team

Any athlete who placed in the top six of an individual or relay event earned all-conference recognition.

Flores did much more than that to repeat as the conference's athlete of the year. He won titles in both the hammer throw and shot put while finishing runner-up to teammate Adam Hayes in the discus.

Caius Radu for the Kingsmen and Julea Juarez of the Regals earned all-league honors in four separate events featuring two sprint events and as part of two relay squads.

Throwers Peter Vermillion and Flores earned recognition in three different events while teammates Eric Rogers, Erica Carter, Lauren Rohach, Toccoa Kahovec and Kendall Sauter each earned multiple honors of their own.

Kelly Young of Occidental was named the SCIAC Female Athlete of the Year. The senior thrower won the shot put, hammer throw, discus and finished runner-up in the javelin.

The Regals finished third and the Kingsmen fifth in the final conference standings. Members of both teams will compete in three more scheduled meets before heading to the NCAA National Championships.

Top-Four Finishes for Both Track Teams

Sun, 01 May 2011 01:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Even though a number of solid performances were recorded Saturday afternoon, both Cal Lutheran track and field teams finished just short of their respective goals as the Regals and Kingsmen finished in third and fourth place at the 2011 SCIAC Track and Field Championships.

Results: SCIAC Track and Field Championships

Toccoa Kahovec and Eric Flores were both able to successfully defend their 2010 SCIAC titles in the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase, men's hammer throw and shot put, taking home three of the five individual titles claimed by Cal Lutheran.

Competing in her inaugural SCIAC Championship meet, Regals freshman Erica Whitley took the top spot in the high jump Saturday afternoon with her mark of 1.62 meters (5 feet, 3 inches), joining Cal Lutheran teammate Adam Hayes who also earned his first-ever individual title in the discus.

Kahovec, Hayes, Eric Rogers, and Flores were also responsible for all six NCAA-worthy marks.

Kahovec recorded provisional times in the 1,500 meters (4:37.82) and steeplechase (10:57.05), and Hayes recorded his provisional mark in the discus (49.19 meters/161 feet, 5 inches), with Rogers leaping his way to his provisional distance in the triple jump (14.36 meters/47 feet, 1.50 inches).

Recording provisional and automatic qualifying distances in the hammer throw (64.53 meters/211 feet, 8 inches) and shot put (17.51 meters/57 feet, 5.50 inches), Flores ended his final SCIAC Championship appearance by setting a new meet record.

Starting and finishing her day as a member of both Regals relay teams, Julea Juarez had quite a busy day, earning team points in all four of her finals heats.

Earning third place finishes with teammates Kendall Sauter, Amy Galipeau, and Jaleesa Robinson in the 4x100 meter relay, and Melissa Muntzel, Lauren Rohach, and Nicole Camarillo in the 4x400, Juarez also earned two second place finishes in both the 200 and 400 meters during the final day of competition in Claremont.

Throughout the weekend, two races captured the collective attentionof the crowd at Strehle Track. In the men's steeplechase, Pomona-Pitzer's Anders Crabo claimed the top spot by .06 seconds using a dive across the finish line to win the race. The other was the women's 200, a sprint that saw Juarez nearly earn Cal Lutheran's sixth individual title as she was beaten to the tape by only .005 seconds--the third-smallest margin of victory in any of the 20 combined men's and women's races that took place throughout the second day of the meet.

The schedule of events that Caius Radu faced during day two was just as demanding as the one faced by Juarez as the Kingsman sprinter earned a finals berth in five different events.

Finishing with the third fastest time in the 100 meters (10.89), Radu followed that efforts with a fifth place finish in the 200 (22.30) and recorded a 15.46 in the 110 meter hurdles. Combining efforts with teammates Jordan Williams, Cody Butcher, and Dennis Clay to earn valuable team points in the 4x100 meter relay, Radu capped his grueling two-day tenure at Pomona-Pitzer by running the second leg of the Kingsmen's 4x400 (3:24.89).

Jumping his way to another 10 team points for the Kingsmen, Eric Rogers followed his fifth place performance in the long jump (6.70 meters/21 feet, 11.75 inches) Friday afternoon with his efforts in the triple jump, a distance far enough to earn second place in addition to a provisional spot in the NCAA Championships.

Finishing with a total of 153 team points, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas claimed the SCIAC team title, Redlands and Cal Lutheran finished in second and third place with their respective totals of 107.50 and 103 points.

Rounding out the final standings for the women were Occidental (91.50 pts.), La Verne (63 pts.), Whittier (33 pts.), Pomona-Pitzer (21 pts.), and Caltech (17 pts.).

Earning 67 points throughout the event, Cal Lutheran finished in fourth place amongst the eight competing teams. Winners of the last 19 consecutive men's team titles, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (141 pts.) was forced to settle for a second place finish in this year's meet, falling nearly 26 points shy of Redland's first place total (166.66 pts.).

Finishing with 23 more points than the Kingsmen, La Verne captured third place with Occidental (61 pts.), Pomona-Pitzer (31.33 pts.), Whittier (12 pts.), and Caltech (10 pts.) comprising the bottom-half of the men's standings.

CLU is Ready for a First Place Race

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Led by phenomenal efforts turned in by both the Kingsmen and Regals throwers, both Cal Lutheran track teams are in great position to make a run for the team title after the first day of competition at the SCIAC Track and Field Championship.

Day One Results: SCIAC Championships

Trailing first place Occidental by only one point after the first day of competition, the Regals track and field team is one of three teams who will jockey for the top spot when action resumes at Strehle Track Saturday afternoon as they sit comfortably in second place two points ahead of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Earning 33 team points in their first day of action, the Kingsmen arrive at the half-way point of the meet in third place, trailing Redlands by only 1.66 points. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps currently occupy first place on the men's side with 47 points.

With the exception of the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, preliminary times were recorded for all other running events throughout the afternoon.

Capping off Friday's action, Regals distance runner Toccoa Kahovec led the steeplechase from start to finish, claiming her second consecutive individual title with her time of 10:57.05. Finishing nearly 20 second faster than the next competitor, Kahovec improved on last season's SCIAC championship-winning time of 11:06.00 by almost 10 seconds.

Other final events taking place on the campus of Pomona-Pitzer included a number of throwing events, competition dominated by Cal Lutheran names on both sides.

Led by Erica Carter's throw of 36.14 meters (118 feet, 7 inches), an effort that helped the senior capture third place, four Regals throwers finished in the top-ten in the Women's Discus. In addition to Carter, Tori Dahl (34.53m/113 feet, 3 inches), Britlyn Garrett (31.84m/104 feet, 5 inches), and Thea Cornell (31.53m/103 feet, 5 inches) finished in fourth, ninth, and 10th place respectively.

Jackie De la Paz and Aly Anderson earned second and third place individual titles in the Women's Hammer Throw, with Anderson beating La Verne's Bernadette Smith by two inches to help the Regals earn additional team points.

Anderson's throw of 42.60m (139 feet, 9 inches) was second only to De la Paz' 47.09m (154 feet, 6 inches) effort.

Erica Carter finished in sixth place in the event, recording a distance of 39.56m (129 feet, 9 inches), completing a CLU-dominated event that saw Regals claiming half of the top six spots.

Continuing an effort that began with their female counterparts, the Kingsmen also dominated both the discus and hammer throw events, frustrating many of the student-athletes participating from the other five SCIAC schools.

Earning first place in the discus with his recorded distance of 49.19m (161 feet, 5 inches), Adam Hayes not only claimed another Cal Lutheran individual championship, but recorded a new personal record that doubles as the farthest throw ever recorded by a Kingsmen in the event.

In all, four of the top seven finishers in the discus wore CLU violet and gold as Eric Flores (47.69m/156 feet, 5 inches), Peter Vermillion (44.72m/146 feet, 9 inches), and Roy Diaz (43.17m/141 feet, 8 inches) finished in second, sixth, and seventh place.

Flores became the final Kingsmen to earn an individual title, beating his title-clinching effort recorded last season by an additional .37 meters (1 foot, 2.50 inches). Winning the event with a throw of 64.53m (211 feet, 8 inches), the senior finished nearly twenty feet ahead of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Taylor Berliant who had to settle for second place with his throw of 59.03m (193 feet, 8 inches) which was more than 20 feet further than the third place distance recorded by one of his teammates.

The final day of competition at the SCIAC Track and Field Championships will begin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. In all, 24 individual, four relay, and two team titles will be awarded throughout the day.

Track and Field Set for SCIAC Championships

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran track and field teams will compete at the two-day SCIAC Championships starting on Friday, April 29, a Pomona College's Strehle Track. The Regals finished dual competition with a 5-2 record and the Kingsmen 3-4 heading into the weekend.

Official Website: 2011 SCIAC Track and Field Championships

Toccoa Kahovec is the favorites in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters and 3,000 meter steeplechase. Her SCIAC top time in the 1,500 is an NCAA provision qualifying mark and Kahovec's time in the steeplechase has already qualified her for the NCAA National Championship meet.

Regals Erica Whitley and Britlyn Garrett have recorded NCAA provision qualifying marks and are the favorites in the high jump and javelin, respectively.

Eric Flores is the reigning NCAA National Champion in the hammer throw and is the clear favorite to repeat as SCIAC Champion. His mark of 223 feet, 5 inches is nearly 23 feet further than his closest competition from CMS in Taylor Berliant. Both of their best throws have earned them automatic qualifying spots into the NCAA Championships.

Flores also auto qualified in the shot put with his mark of 18.04 meters (59 feet, 2.25 inches) and is the only SCIAC athlete to throw over 17 meters in this discipline.

This will be the second and final chance for Flores to sweep his three events as he came up three inches shy in the discus last season of achieving that feat. He is seeded second in discus by just over two feet to CMS' Grant Hefferman who won the title in 2010.

Rogers and Rohach Pull Double Duty

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:30:00 PST

There have been a few moments when Eric Rogers and Lauren Rohach have questioned their sanity. It usually happens when their body feels like dead weight and their mind is spinning with obligations.

The Cal Lutheran track and field athletes have been pulling double duty in sports this season while also balancing academics and part-time jobs.

Rogers, a sophomore, has been competing in the jumping events in track, taking part in spring football practice and working 21 hours a week as a cashier in the school cafeteria.

Rohach, a freshman, is running and jumping in track, participating in spring volleyball practice and working 10 hours at the school gym.

"Every day, I am kind of like, 'Oh my God. I can't believe I am doing this,'" Rohach said. "A lot of my friends are done at 2:30, but that is when I am just getting started some days. Those days are so long, but I love competing with both teams and there is no way I would ever give up either."

Rohach is used to keeping busy. She played three sports at Moorpark High, but gave up basketball once she arrived at CLU.

"I didn't see any way I could do all three here. It would be way too crazy," Rohach said. "I would have tried if I thought it was possible, but there would be way too many conflicts."

But just being a dual-sport athlete is something Rohach knows isn't often possible at bigger schools.

"That is one thing I really loved about Cal Lu. The coaches are awesome about me doing both," she said. "They have always been so supportive and understanding about it."

Rogers didn't participate in track and field as a freshman, but decided to join the team this season.

"I was really good at track in high school and I love jumping," said Rogers, a first-team all-conference wide receiver. "I think I always felt I was better at track than football, so once I was adapted to the whole college thing, I wanted to come out and do jumps again."

Rogers and Rohach say they both noticed their track results dip from fatigue this spring once they began juggling two sports.

But after taking some time off recently to heal an ankle injury, Rogers returned to the track refreshed.

He qualified for nationals last week with a triple jump off 48 feet, 10.75 inches, which is the second-best mark in program history.

Rogers is hoping to capture a title at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, which begins Friday in Claremont.

"I am looking forward to doing that for my team and for myself," Rogers said. "I think I definitely can win. I just have to make sure I am on point and get all my jumps. Sometimes I scratch too much, so I need to stay focused."

Rohach has competed in the long jump, triple jump, 200, 400, 800 and 4 x 400 relay for the Regals.

Despite being just a freshman, she has already left her mark all over the CLU record books. Rohach has the second-best mark in the long jump, second- and third-best in the 4 x 400 relay, fifth-best in the 800, ninth-best in the 200 and 10th-best in the 400.

"I think I always have higher expectations for myself than what they actually should be. I am never really satisfied, but things have gone pretty well this season," she said. "I would love to qualify for nationals, but I feel like that might have to come in the next few years once my body gets used to everything."

Rohach and Rogers were able to enjoy a sorely-needed four-day break for Easter before cranking up preparations for the SCIAC Championships.

"Balancing everything can get pretty hectic, but the routine kind of keeps you in line," Rogers said. "It makes you do your work in time because you know you have to do it."

CLU Track and Field Hosts Landmark Meet

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:00:00 PST

MOORPARK, Calif. - In a historic day for Kingsmen and Regals track and field, Cal Lutheran hosted its first ever SCIAC competition on the campus of Moorpark College against Redlands, Occidental and Whittier.

Results: Men
Results: Women

In the last of three quad meets in conference competition, the Kingsmen defeated Whittier, but were bested by both Redlands and Occidental. On the women's side, the Regals took care of business against the Poets and Tigers, but were unable to defeat the Bulldogs.

Despite soaring temperatures, a number of impressive marks were established on both sides, as the home crowd was treated to some outstanding performances.

The heat was not enough to slow down Toccoa Kahovec, who won both the 1,500-meter and the 800-meter races for the Regals. In the 1,500 Kahovec waited patiently in second place during the beginning of the race before running away from the field, cruising to a victory in a time of 4:46.19.

Later in the meet she employed a different strategy in the 800 taking control early and never letting go of the lead, and finished in a time of 2:16.92. That mark puts her third in Regals history.

No Regals’ sprinter had a more rigorous schedule than Julea Juarez. The junior competed in four events on the day, peaking with her performance in the 200 meter dash (25.73) posting the third fastest time in Regals history. Juarez also competed in the 400 meter dash, 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.

The Regals were also very impressive over the hurdles. Lauren Kennedy took first in the 100 meter hurdles in a time of 15.39, while Lilly Price was able to hold off teammate Lauren Rasmussen for a victory in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:05.40.

Erica Whitley posted a 1.60 meter clearance in her high jump victory, while Kourtney Jones placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.14 meters.

The Kingsmen throwing crew had a very impressive collective showing, winning three out of four events. Senior Eric Flores continued his dominance of the SCIAC with a pair of victories in the hammer throw and shot put.

Adam Hayes provided a personal best performance in the discus, moving into seventh place all-time in school history.

Eric Rogers leapt further into the CLU record books with an impressive and v ictorious mark in the triple jump of 14.90 meters (48 feet, 10.75 inches). The sophomore now owns the second-best mark in school history.

In the distance events, both Evan Reed and Ray Ostrander played prominent roles. Reed took third in the 800 meter with a time of 1:55.63, while Ostrander placed second in the 5,000 meter with his 15:52.84 effort.

Caius Radu picked up a pair of third place finishes for the Kingsmen sprinters, posting times of 10.94 in the 100 meter and 22.09 in the 200 meter.

The Kingsmen are 3-4 in conference action going into SCIAC Finals, while the Regals stand with a 5-2 mark.

Both squads have two weeks off to prepare for SCIAC Championships, while will take place Apr. 29-30 at Pomona-Pitzer.

Cal Lutheran Ready To Host SCIAC Meet

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 PST

Traveling to various schools across Southern California since the program was resurrected in 2007, the Cal Lutheran track and field program is ready and excited to host its first-ever track meet this Saturday morning at Moorpark College.

Track and Field Meet Heat/Flight Sheets

Additional Information/Schedule of Events

The final of three SCIAC events that Cal Lutheran will participate in this season, Quad Meet No. 3 will provide the coaches and participating student-athletes from Cal Lutheran, Occidental, Redlands, and Whittier the final opportunity to improve on distances and times previously recorded before competing in the year-end SCIAC Track and Field Championships.

Fans, friends, and family are encouraged to arrive at Moorpark College early to secure a parking spot and the best viewing location for Saturday's events.

Home at Last for CLU Track and Field Teams

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:00:00 PST

MOORPARK, Calif. - To call the Cal Lutheran track and field teams road warriors is an extreme understatement. CLU doesn't have home meets because it doesn't have a track on campus. But the program will finally have a chance to experience the closest thing on Saturday.

CLU is hosting the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Quad Meet No. 3 at Moorpark College at 11 a.m.

"This could be the first home meet ever," CLU head coach Matt Lea said. "They might have had a few in the 1960s or 70s. But we definitely haven't had one in many, many years. It's really, really exciting."

Regals senior captain Jaleesa Robinson has been spreading the word around campus for the last few weeks.

"I have been telling everyone in my classes and all my professors to come to the meet," she said. "I think it will be really good for the team to feel that support from more of the school. I have never known what it feels like in college to have home fans cheering for you."

The home meet comes just one week after both CLU programs appeared in the Division III national polls. The Regals are ranked No. 15 by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and the Kingsmen are ranked No. 17.

During the SCIAC coaches meeting every year, each school is asked to host a meet. CLU usually declines, but Lea changed his stance this season.

"I wanted to start hosting meets anyway and I decided not to pass this time," Lea said. "Moorpark College is great. They treat us like family over there, and I knew we had the ability to put on a meet."

The Kingsmen and Regals are very familiar with the Moorpark College facility because they practice there on a daily basis.

Kingsmen senior captain John White is anxious to sprint around the track for results that actually count.

"This is truly such a big deal, especially to the seniors," he said. "It's almost like our senior night like they have in basketball or volleyball. A lot of the seniors in the past never had a chance, so this is our opportunity to show out."

Lea has been busy planning the logistics of hosting a meet for the first time.

He has hired 25 CLU student workers to handle things like posting scores, setting up hurdles and raking sand pits.

"It's been a little bit stressful and crazy," Lea said. "It's just one thing after another, and I have a big sheet to go over with the coaching staff about what we all need to do."

CLU has built new baseball and softball stadiums in recent years, and a new football stadium is under construction.

Could a track and field facility be next?

"That is what supposedly is in our master plan," Lea said. "I know it could take a while, but I am very positive person and I really believe in time we will have our own facility. It would be nice if a donor comes forward and helps us out with some of the funding. I feel bad for the kids using their gas money each day to drive to practice."

CLU Top-Ten Rewritten Again at Pomona

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:28:38 PST

POMONA, Calif. - Competing in their second of three consecutive weekend meets this month, both Cal Lutheran track and field teams competed in the 25th edition of the Pomona-Pitzer Track and Field Invitational.

Results: Pomona-Pitzer Track and Field Invitational

One of three Regals who recorded all-time efforts for Cal Lutheran Saturday afternoon, Lauren Rohach clocked a 26.31 to finish within the top-25 in the 200 meter dash and add her name to the CLU record books as she now occupies the ninth fastest time in school history.

Following Rohach's effort with another record setting time of her own in the very next event, Melissa Muntzel also added her name to the list of CLU indiviudal records for the first time in her collegiate career. Finishing with a time of 59.53 in the 400 meter dash, Muntzel now occupies the seventh position.

Currently possessing the second-highest jump recorded in the pole vault at 3.20 meters, a distance Amy Shibel improved upon last week at the SCIAC Quad Meet No. 2, the Regal jumper improved upon her career-high mark for the second consecutive weekend as she was able to push her mar another one-half meter with her 3.25 meter (10 feet, 3.25 inches) effort in Pomona.

Record setting times were not the only highlights for the Regals as a number of student-athletes performed well in their respective events against a deep field that contained participants from a number of track clubs and universities from all levels.

Competing against 48 other runners, Julea Juarez finished in 11th place with a 58.81 clocked in the 400 meter dash, Erica Whitley ended up tied for third in the high jump, narrowly missing her career-best mark by one-half meter with her 1.60 meters (5 feet, 3 inches) effort, with a ninth place finished earned by Regals triple jumper Kourtney Jones thanks to her leap of 10.90 meters (35 feet, 9.25 inches).

Leading the way for the Kingsmen was Caius Radu as he turned in quite a performance at Strehle Track throughout the afternoon.

Finishing 10th in his first race of the day, the 100 meter dash, Radu finished ahead of 68 other competitors with his time of 11.01, narrowly finishing outside the all-time top-ten list for that event.

But it would not take long for the two-sport transfer from Modesto, Calif. to cross that threshold as he clocked his first top-ten worthy time in the 110 meter hurdles and now occupies sixth place with his time of 15.19.

In his final individual event of the day, Radu ran a 22.22 in the 200 meter dash to finish in 12th place out of the 66 sprinters that competed.

In addition to Radu, Adam Hayes also forced an adjustment of his eighth-place all-time distance in the distance. Entering the day with a career-high mark of 46.37 meters, Hayes improved that mark by one-tenth of a meter, finishing the event in eighth place with his 46.38 meter (152 feet, 2 inches) effort.

The lone Cal Lutheran student-athlete to win an individual event, thrower Eric Flores claimed the top spot in the hammer throw, registering a distance 68.04 meters (223 feet, 3 inches).

Flores also finished with a distance of 17.61 meters in the shot put (57 feet, 9.50 inches) to finish in second place, recording the farthest distance thrown by any university-backed student-athlete.

Cal Lutheran will now return to conference action, hosting SCIAC Quad Meet No. 3 at Moorpark College this Saturday. The final tune-up for both the Regals and Kingsmen prior to the conference championships, Saturday's events will begin at 11:00 a.m.