Bears Pick Up Trio Of Pac-12 Awards

For the first time since 2022 and the second time in program history, California track & field earned three honors from the conference this week as David Foster (men's track), Rowan Hamilton (men's field) and Jasmine Blair (women's field) picked up Pac-12 Athlete of the Week awards Tuesday, joining USC's Jasmine Jones (Women's Track). All three Golden Bears posted outstanding performances at the Big Meet last Tuesday, with Foster and Hamilton helping Cal's men to a 114-48 win over Stanford and Blair posting a massive personal best in the discus to rise to No. 8 on the NCAA Division I leaderboard.
 
Tuesday's nod marks Foster's first career Pac-12 Athlete of the Week award following an outing in which he anchored a meet-record 4x100m relay squad (39.46) and notched wins in the 100m (10.25) and the 200m (21.16), the latter of which was a personal best. Foster currently stands atop the Pac-12's all-conditions 100m standings with a wind-aided best of 10.06; that time also ranks third in the West Region and is tied for ninth fastest in Division I. He is the first Cal athlete to be named Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Week since hurdler (and football safety) Ashtyn Davis in 2017.
 
"David consistently does the small things, and that consistency is what brings about the improvements," assistant coach Ronnye Harrison said. "Measuring his block settings, keeping tight on his nutrition and academics, among other things. He stays consistent."
 
Hamilton, who throws the hammer for Cal, earned his second Pac-12 weekly honor after breaking a 29-year-old meet record with a winning mark of 74.46m (244-3); he was also named Pac-12 Men's Field Athlete of the Week on April 23 following a collegiate-leading performance of 77.16m (253-2) at the Mt. SAC Relays. The latter mark – a career best – tops the Pac-12 lists by six feet, four inches.
 
"Rowan has put together a great season so far," assistant coach Mohamad Saatara said. "He is building up to a great postseason and will be in good shape for the upcoming competitions with the best throwers in the Pac-12 and the NCAA."
 
Blair, who picked up wins in both the discus and hammer contests last Tuesday, earned the first weekly award of her career thanks to a PR of over a meter in the former event (59.60m/196-5) and a season-best 60.47m (198-5) in the latter. She is the first Cal women's two-way thrower to be named a Pac-12 Athlete of the Week since Sheni Russell in 2004. Currently, Blair ranks No. 2 on the Pac-12 women's discus list and No. 5 in the West Region.
 
"Throughout the year, Jasmine has worked diligently to develop her technique and competitive approach," Saatara said. "She has done an outstanding job of preparing herself for the upcoming championships."
 
Foster, Hamilton and Blair – along with the rest of the Bears – will compete for conference titles Friday through Sunday at the Pac-12 Championships in Boulder, Colorado.
 
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