Outdoor Track Season Kicks Off Saturday in San Diego

TEMPE - The outdoor season is finally here! Sun Devil Track and Field is in San Diego, California, this weekend for San Diego State's Aztec Invitational. The meet runs March 23-25 at  SDSU's Sports Deck, but the first two days are heptathlon and decathlon. ASU will only compete Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m. local with the javelin. It's the first of five regular season meets for an ASU team that's coming off a trio of All-American finishes two weeks ago at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Thirty-four total teams are expected to be in attendance this weekend.
 
Aztec Invitational
March 23-25
Live Results
Heat Sheets
 
Names to watch
ASU indoor 400m record holder Justin Robinson is healthy but taking things light on opening weekend as he's only registered in the men's 4x1 where he'll run second after Trevin Moyer but before Jalen Drayden and Jeremiah Curry. Four-time NCAA champion Turner Washington will throw in both the discus and shot put, while Dayton Carlson, who earned All-America honors last year after finishing second in the 800m at the NCAA Championships, will run the 400m. Top distance talent Lena Lebrun will compete in the 1500m and 800m, while several Sun Devils will take on the 5000m.
 
Last season:
The Sun Devils recorded one of their best seasons in recent history in 2022. Jorinde van Klinken, who's now at Oregon, defended her NCAA discus title by over 12 feet and took silver in the outdoor shot. Her dominance helped secure ASU's eighth place (28 points) finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and gave van Klinken her 14th consecutive collegiate discus victory. It was the women's best finish since 2009 where they finished third in the team standings; the men ended the championships in 15th (17 points). The Maroon and Gold earned seven trophies and eight All-America honors at the NCAA Championships, van Klinken ended her outdoor collegiate career with a perfect 14-0 discus record, and freshman Dayton Carlson (Gilbert, Arizona) broke the program 800m record (1:46.72). At the Pac-12 Championships, ASU earned three gold medals, 10 total medals, the men finished fifth, and the women finished eighth.  Jorinde van Klinken earned gold medals in both the shot put and discus, while Jamar Marshall Jr. won the 110m hurdles in a program record 13.39. Ralford Mullings earned silver in the men's discus, Dayton Carlson stunned Hayward Field with his second-place finish in the 800m, and the men's 4x100 team earned silver too in a seasons-best 39.28. Dylan James earned a pair of bronze medals across the triple and long jumps, Shelby Moran earned bronze in the women's hammer, and the men's 4x400 team earned bronze too. ASU's men earned fifth with 88 points, and the women earned eighth with 57 points.