Several members of the University of La Verne men's and women's track & field team have produced some of the top performances in Division III to date after the conclusion of the SCIAC Championships.
Among the men, Chancise Watkins tied the school record in winning the 200 meters at last weekend's SCIAC Championships, sprinting to a time of 21.31 in Saturday's final. The performance currently ranks as the third fastest at Division III. Watkins has also run the fifth-fastest 400 meters to date this season with a best of 47.75 established at the SCIAC Quad on April 6.
A trio of Leopards rank among the Top 20 in the long jump, headlined by SCIAC Champion James Francis, who leaped a season best of 23-3 ½ at the conference championship meet. Francis currently is No. 14 on the national list with teammates Paul Turner (23-3 ¼) and Jabre Millon (23-2 ¾) ranked No. 17 and No. 18, respectively. Turner holds the No. 9 position among Division III leaders in the triple jump with a season best of 47-5 ¼.
Freshman sprinter Nick Gonsalves (above, right) ranks in the Top 20 in the 100 meters with his season best of 10.78 holding the No. 18 spot nationally, while Michael Anderson (above, left) holds a season best in the 110 meter hurdles of 14.92, set during the SCIAC Prelims last Friday, ranks No. 22 overall.
In the javelin, SCIAC Champion Matt Rehder has thrown a season and conference best of 201-6 and currently ranks No. 13 nationally at Division III.
Among members of the SCIAC Champion women's team, senior Lenore Moreno (below, left) currently holds the No. 2 position in the 10,000 meters with her SCIAC record of 35:00.43 established at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 18. She also ranks No. 19 nationally in the 5,000 with a time of 17:10.50 set at last weekend's SCIAC Championships.
In the pole vault, teammates Katie Yeager (above, right) and Taylor Bernhard rank No. 14 and No. 15, respectively on the national list. Yeager has cleared 12-0 (3.66 meters) with Bernard a centimeter behind at 11-11 ¾ (3.65).
Losa Akauola (below, left) ranks No. 14 in the shot put with a season best throw of 43-9 ¾. In the hammer throw, Deanna Doss's school record of 164-7 currently ranks No. 20 on the national list.
Nicole Crutchfield (below, right), who repeated as SCIAC Champion in the 100 meters, ranks No. 23 in that event with her conference winning time of 12.23.
Many of these athletes will be back in action at the Occidental Invitational on May 4 and at the Occidental Last Chance Meet on May 11.
