Track polishes up heading into final SCIAC meets

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Chapman University men's and women's track teams notched a handful of personal records at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday, serving as a tune up before the final two SCIAC meets of the season. The Panther sprinters led the way, along with junior Maria Belen Meza, who set a career-high in the triple jump at Strehle Track.

It's been news lately when women's junior Fiona Chu doesn't break a school record and that was the case on Saturday. However, the sprinter still paced Chapman with a time of 26.35 in the 200 meters and mark of 59.30 in the 400 meters – just .24 seconds off her school record pace. Sophomore Alex Bliss crossed the finish line in a career-best 26.92 in the 200 meters and was the fastest Panther in the 100 meters (13:09).

Men's sprinter sophomore Mitchell Bouldin set a new career-low with a time of 11.64 in the 100 meters to lead Chapman, while junior Jonathan Berk was the Panthers' fastest in the 200 meters.

In distance events it was sophomore Cathryne Ramirez leading the Panthers in the women's 5000 meters with a career-best finish of 19:08.49. In the men's 3000 steeplechase, junior Chris Reid continues to improve his time for the third straight meet, finishing in 10:20.05.

Meanwhile, it was Meza leading the way for Chapman with a personal record jump of 10.12 meters in the triple jump, good enough for 11th place amongst a crowded field.

Chapman returns to the lanes on Saturday in the third and final SCIAC multi-dual meet at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before the conference championships begin May 1-2.

by Doug Aiken  
Sports Information Director

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