Track and Field: LBSU completes Cal-Nevada Championships
Long Beach State closed out the Cal-Nevada Championships Sunday afternoon at UCLA’s Drake Stadium as the 49er men finished the two-day meet in second place, while the women took 15th.
Sam Jeter continued to improve on his 400-meter hurdle time, clocking in with a new personal record and the ninth-fastest mark in school history (51.48) to finish second behind defending Big West champion Alex Wilright of UC Davis. Kenneth Medwood also came in third with a season-low 52.00.
Nimrod Piggee took sixth in the 110-meter hurdle finals, crossing the finish line in 14.46 seconds.
In the 1,500-meter run, Mark Thomas netted a Big West-qualifying mark, finishing in a lifetime-best 3:56.41.
The 49ers also had a pair of fourth-place showings in both relay events. The quartet of Nathan Alade, Piggee, Richard Crawford and Jeter completed the 4×100 in 41.48 seconds, while Medwood, Crawford, Jonathan Evans and Jeter combined for a mark of 3:13.83 in the 4×400.
Cesar Puga highlighted the field events for LBSU after winning the discus with a personal-record 181-02. Puga also scored in the shot put, placing eighth overall with another lifetime best (53-05).
Kevin Jenkins and Cameron Gillett put points on the board for The Beach in the triple jump. Jenkins took third with a leap of 46-04, while Gillett placed sixth overall with a season-best 44-00 1/2.
On the women’s side, Jessica Barnard established a lifetime-best 2:14.19 in the 800 meters as she finished seventh in the finals.
Alexandra Cervantes notched a Big West-qualifying mark in the shot put as she posted a third-place performance with a lifetime-best 43-00.25.
In the high jump, Tayler O’Connor led a trio of 49ers as she finished fifth overall, clearing 5-06. Katrina Graves-Johnson also scored with a ninth-place showing, while Sara Macey came in 12th.
The Beach next heads to Irvine for the Big West Challenge on Friday, April 9.
Women’s Water Polo: LBSU silenced by No. 2 Cardinal
The Long Beach State women’s water polo team dropped a 9-1 decision to No. 2 Stanford Sunday afternoon at the 49er Campus Pool.
Krizia Cerda had LBSU’s lone goal, while goalkeeper Kristen Stragier tallied nine saves.
The Cardinal (18-1) ended the first period with a 4-0 lead and that score held at halftime as both teams went scoreless in the second frame.
The Beach (7-15) opened the third quarter with its lone goal of the game as Cerda took advantage of a 6-on-5 siutation, finding the back of the net with 6:42 remaining. The Cardinal responded with two more goals, however, going up 6-1 heading into the final period.
Stanford scored three late goals in the fourth to secure the 9-1 win.
Annika Dries, Cassie Churnside and Kim Krueger led the Cardinal with two goals apiece.
LBSU returns to action on Friday, April 2, when it heads to UC Santa Barbara for a Big West Conference match at noon.