Bruins Open Outdoor Season with Six Event Victories
Fullerton, Calif. – UCLA Track & Field opened its outdoor season Friday at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., coming away with five event victories and leads in the men's and women's team standings.
Throws
Junior Ilaria Casarotto opened her 2021 campaign with a victory in the women's javelin competition, going 51.29m (168-3) for the win. Junior Lauren McFall took second place with a career-best toss of 46.84m (153-8), good for the No. 5 spot on UCLA's all-time list. Seniors Isa Videler and Christina Chenault went 4-5, going 38.38m (125-11) and 36.41m (119-5), respectively.
Sophomore Natalie Ramirez made her outdoor debut for the Bruins, securing the victory in the shot put with a toss of 14.16m (46-05.50). Chenault also made the final in the event, finishing seventh overall with a mark of 12.06m (39-06.75). The men's competition saw senior Jacob Wilson emerge victorious with a launch of 18.95m (58-10.75). Dayne Gordien took sixth overall, posting a mark of 15.71m (51-06.50).
Ramirez added a runner-up showing in the women's discus competition, posting a toss of 47.54m (155-11), just 23 centimeters behind the eventual winner. Fellow sophomore Lydia Liu secured a strong showing as well, finishing fourth overall with a mark of 43.70m (143-4). Gordien led the way for the Bruin men in the discus, taking third place with a mark of 50.72m (166-5). Kain Medrano made his outdoor debut for UCLA with a fifth-place finish, going 48.94m (160-6). Gino Cruz finished 11th with a throw of 41.50m (136-2).
Wilson also notched a second-place finish in the men's hammer with a toss of 58.99m (193-6). Ramirez (44.98m, 147-7) and Liu (41.13m, 134-11) finished 10th and 16th, respectively, in the women's competition.
Pole Vault
Sophomore Mia Cervantes took the victory in the women's pole vault competition, clearing 3.76m (12-04.00) to separate herself from the field. Freshman Katerina Adamiec and sophomore Isabella Grant each cleared 3.46m (11-04.25), but finished third and fifth overall, respectively, on attempts. Kyle Brown notched the victory on the men's side to secure a Bruin sweep of the pole vault competitions. The senior cleared 4.93m (16-02.00) for the win while Tate Curran went 4.78m (15-03.25) for second place overall.
Middle/Long Distance
The men's 1500m saw the Bruins go 1-2-4 in the first event on the track at the Ben Brown Invite. Sophomore Andrew Martinez took the win in his UCLA debut, clocking a time of 3:55.81. Fellow debutant Dylan Wilbur secured the runner-up position with a time of 3:57.38. Sophomore Mason Ratkovich was right behind in fourth, crossing the line in 4:00.32.
The women's 800m saw freshman Kate Jendrezak take second place in her UCLA debut, crossing with a time of 2:14.79. Junior Jett Charvet took third in the men's competition with a time of 1:54.60.
Team Standings
The UCLA men currently lead the team standings with 73 points. The Bruin women have compiled 72 points to take a lead into day two.
Up Next
The Bruins are set to conclude the Ben Brown Invitational on Saturday. Day two opens with the long jump at 11:00 a.m. PT, with the men's 4x100m relay scheduled as the first track event of the day (2:00 p.m. PT). The women's 4x400m relay caps the day at 4:45 p.m. PT.
Additionally, the Bruins are set to compete in the 4x400m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday. The gun is slated to go off at 4:00 p.m. PT.