Smith follows long jump victory Friday with strong effort Saturday in first high jump competition in more than a year; Wilson rebuilds strength in shot put win, as UCLA teammates Pierre-Webster and Rodney impress in outdoor openers

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor/Photos by Chuck Aragon

Following an impressive showcase of distance depth and tremendous hammer throwing Friday at the Stanford Invitational, the Saturday schedule at Cobb Track and Angell Field highlighted several athletes with aspirations of competing at the NCAA West Regionals and Division 1 Outdoor Championships in several events.

None more so than Long Beach State senior Jason Smith and UCLA junior Alyssa Wilson, two of the most versatile competitors in the country, who both demonstrated excellence in multiple areas.

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Smith cleared 7 feet, 2.50 inches (2.20m) in his first high jump competition in more than a year, joining his long jump victory Friday with a leap of 25-6.25 (7.78m). Smith, who has also run the 200 meters and 4x400 relay this year for the 49ers, had three unsuccessful attempts at a personal-best 7-4.25 (2.24m).

Smith is equal to the No. 5 outdoor competitor in Division 1 in the high jump and ranks No. 15 nationally in the long jump this season.

Wilson capped her throwing schedule Saturday with a victory in the shot put with a first-round mark of 52-4 (15.95m).

The All-American and Pac-12 champion, who has only been cleared to compete for three weeks after being isolated for 20 days following a positive COVID-19 test, has continued to showcase her resilience and determination for the Bruins, participating in the shot put, discus throw and hammer throw in all three meets this year.

Wilson placed third in the discus Saturday with a fifth-round throw of 168-3 (51.28m), which followed a second-place effort Friday in the hammer throw of 217-9 (66.38m).

USC’s Karlee Freeman, fifth in the hammer Friday at 179-2 (54.61m), won the discus battle Saturday with a third-round effort of 171-9 (52.36m). Jasmine Blair of Cal was second at 171-3 (52.21m).

UCLA had multiple track athletes excelling in several events, especially Canadian Makenzy Pierre-Webster and Grenada’s Meleni Rodney, both making their outdoor season debuts for the Bruins.

Pierre-Webster (23.80) and Catherine Leger (23.85) took the top two spots in the 200, then teamed with Kate Jendrezak and Rodney to win the 4x400 relay in 3:44.30.

Rodney won the 400 in 53.37, with Jendrezak winning her section and placing sixth overall in the 800 in 2:14.14.

Chinyere Okoro and Maddy Doane joined Leger and Pierre-Webster to lead UCLA to victory in the 4x100 relay in 44.49.

Cal received strong performances in multiple events from DeShae Wise and Ezinne Abba.

Wise achieved a pair of personal-best efforts in both hurdling events, winning the 100-meter hurdles in 13.34 and placing runner-up in the 400 hurdles in 1:02.76 in only her second time competing in the event.

Samantha Thomas of Stanford, who won in 1:01.85, benefited along with Wise after Darhian Mills of Washington went from leading to seventh place after clipping the final hurdle.

Abba won the 100-meter dash in a wind-aided 11.53 and took third behind Pierre-Webster and Leger in the 200 in 24.05.

Washington’s Julian Body, a former Stanford athlete, was denied the pursuit of sweeping both hurdling events in his return to Cobb Track and Angell Field, enduring a disqualification in the 400 hurdles.

Body won the 110 hurdles in a personal-best 14.18 and teammate Jonathan Birchman prevailed in the 400 hurdles in 54.26.

After Stanford dominated the distance schedule Friday, there was more parity in the 800 and 1,500 competitions Saturday.

Stanford did receive a victory from freshman Ellie Deligianni in the 800 in 2:08.31, edging former Connecticut All-American Susan Aneno (2:08.40), who later returned to help pace the 1,500. Deligianni, representing Greece, ran a personal-best 2:05.34 in September in Slovakia.

Alli Cash, who helped pace the women’s 5,000 race Friday, held off all the collegiate competitors to prevail Saturday in the 1,500 in 4:16.41. Cash, a Washington assistant representing Oiselle Volee’, was followed by Stanford teammates Christina Aragon (4:17.56) and Julia Heymach (4:17.82), along with Washington’s Anna Gibson (4:17.83) and Air Force’s Mahala Norris (4:18.69).

Air Force took the top two spots in the men’s 1,500, with sophomore Sam Gilman winning in 3:45.53 and freshman Cole Lindhorst placing runner-up in 3:46.89.

Cal freshman Garrett MacQuiddy clocked 1:50.42 to triumph in the men’s 800, with Washington’s Daniel Maton clocking 1:51.05.

UCLA’s Kenroy Higgins won the men’s 100, running 10.69 into a headwind, with Washington’s Evan Mafilas clocking 21.01 to take the 200. Cal’s Henry Larkin, a DePaul transfer, secured victory in the men’s 400 in 47.00.

The Bruins also triumphed in the men’s 4x400 relay to complete the sweep, clocking 3:10.31.

Stanford swept the men’s and women’s triple jump events, including a strong opening-round effort of 52-6 (16.00m) from Keyshawn King, producing the second-best mark in program history.

Ellie Talius and Aria Small both achieved efforts of 41-1.50 (12.53m) in the women’s triple jump for Stanford. Talius edged her teammate based on a second jump of 40-10.25 (12.45m) in comparison to 40-6.75 (12.36m) for Small.

With many of its athletes competing at the Pepsi Florida Relays, USC did have a strong throwing presence in Palo Alto, with Matt Katnik earning the victory in the men’s shot put with a fifth-round mark of 63-5.50 (19.34m) to follow a triumph Friday by freshman Trey Knight in the hammer throw.

Utah State earned its lone wins of the weekend with Christian Sonnenberg capturing the men’s discus with a third-round throw of 176-7 (53.83m) and Audrey Garrett clearing 5-7.75 (1.72m) in the high jump.

UCLA’s Kyle Brown prevailed on fewer attempts in the men’s pole vault against Stanford’s JT Herrscher after both athletes cleared 15-9 (4.80m).