Davis, CA – The UC Davis Aggies shined at their home opener at the Woody Wilson Track this past weekend, clinching nine first-place finishes, posting forty-five personal records, and taking home first place for the men's and women's teams.
The weekend was filled with festivities as the track and field team took advantage of the home meet to honor their graduating seniors!
Notably, Sarah Graessley soared to victory in the women's pole vault, clearing a personal record height of 3.90m. Her teammate Caroline Au also excelled, claiming third place with a personal best of 3.60m. In the men's pole vault, Aiden Hagerty clinched first place, setting a new personal record of 4.85m. Ryan Ishibashi followed closely, securing second place with a jump of 4.75m.
The Aggies dominated the jumping events. In the high jump, the women took the top four places. Elizabeth Churchill and Jayme Hendrickson brought home first and second place, both clearing 1.66m. Lauren Spellman secured third place with a jump of 1.61m and Sierra Meier earned fourth place with a height of 1.55m. On the men's side, Caveli Hensley claimed third place for the Aggies with a height of 1.85m.
In the long jump, the women claimed 7 of the top 8 places. Leading the way was Kylee Davis with a second-place finish of 5.66m. She was followed by her teammates Amanda Shaw (PR 5.63m), Rachel Fruchtman (5.53m), Riley Lankford (5.43m), Hannah Crone (5.35m), Chiara Fantin (5.27m - PR), and Alyssa Mckeever (5.01 m - PR) who secured 3rd through 8th place respectively. On the men's side, Jailen Burrel claimed second place with 7.02 meters, followed by teammates David Hunter (6.43m - PR) and Anderson Lin (6.19m - PR) who took 4th and 7th and set new personal records in the process.
The team continued their impressive performance in the triple jump, with Kerrington Smith leading the way with a second-place finish, leaping to 12.95m. Amanda Shaw secured fourth place with a jump of 11.49m. Rachel Fruchtmann (11.43m), Chiara Fantin (11.18m), and Aiza Sarwar (10.75m) followed closely, securing fifth, sixth, and seventh place, respectively, locking in the Aggies to win five of the top eight positions. Nickolaus Santos jumped an impressive 13.78m to take second place.
In the 100m, Lily Holman secured third place with a time of 12.52s for the women, while Samuel Wilson finished fifth with a time of 11.01s for the men. Notably, Maya Shinnick and Alexys Ford impressed in the 400m, securing second and third place, respectively, with times of 56.42s and 57.35s for the women. Kian Maher led the charge for the men in the same event, clinching first place with a time of 48.78s.
In the 100 hurdles, Trisha Sharma dominated the field, securing first place with a personal record time of 15.30s. Hannah Crone followed closely, securing third place with a time of 15.51s.
The Aggies showcased their strength in the longer distances as well. Maddie Kackley led the pack in the 5000m, securing first place for the women with a time of 16:29.21, followed closely by Hope Bergmark in second place with a time of 16:43.04. The women claimed six top eight spots for the 5000m race. Ethan Brooks delivered a notable performance for the men, securing second place with a time of 14:26.87.
Briana Weidler delivered a commendable performance in the mile event, securing third place with a personal record time of 4:46.17 for the women. She was closely followed by Maddie Kackley, who finished fourth with a time of 4:46.49. For the men, Michael Cooper demonstrated his strength, securing third place with a time of 4:15.44, while Chris Coles followed closely, finishing sixth with a time of 4:16.08.
The team continued to shine in the relay events. In the men's 4x100 relay, the team secured second place with a time of 41.85s, led by David Hunter, Samuel Wilson, Kurtis Lee, and Kian Maher. They followed up with a solid performance in the men's 4x400 relay, clinching third place with a time of 3:22.64. On the women's side, the Aggies dominated the 4x100 relay, securing first place with a time of 47.77s, while also claiming third and fourth place in the same event. Their success continued in the women's 4x400 relay, where they secured victory at 3:50.51.
For the throws, Corey Moore emerged as a force in multiple events, securing second place in the men's discus with a personal record throw of 51.71m. Moore also dominated the shot put, claiming first place with an impressive throw of 15.62m. Brandon Pau delivered a commendable performance, setting a personal record with a throw of 46.58m, earning him fourth place in the men's hammer throw. Additionally, Harrison Hanson impressed in the javelin, securing second place with a personal best throw of 49.17m. On the women's side, Ashpreet Kler achieved a personal record of 53.18m in the hammer throw, securing fourth place.
After two days at eighteen events, both the men's and women's teams took first place with 135 and 207 points respectively. 12 universities competed in the Aggie Open. With the season off to an exciting start, the track and field team returns to the oval on March 15th and 16th for the Hornet Invite in Sacramento, CA.
