Track and field travels for second invitational of the 2020 season

On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Highlander’s track and field team traveled to Albuquerque, home of the University of New Mexico, for the start of a two-day invitational. 

In the men’s events, senior Ethan Van Setten blazed through the 600-meter event placing in first with a time of 1 minutes, 21.18 seconds. Although Van Setten did not lead in any interval split, his consistent pace and strong final push allowed him to win the event. The following day, Van Setten ran the 800-meter event in which he set a lifetime best of 1:54.27, placing him fourth overall. 

Senior Ondrej Rapp participated in the men’s 200-meter event finishing with a time of 22.07 seconds that set him in 33rd place overall. In the long jump finals, Rapp was able to travel a distance of exactly seven meters, where he placed third in his bracket and finished 12th in an event with 47 participants.

In the women’s triple jump, junior Hana Johnson elevated a total of 12.07 meters, placing her in 16th. 

The women’s side of the invitational featured solid performances. In the 600-meter event, freshman Alonna Johnson was able to set a personal record, clocking in at 1:37.21. Johnson built upon her previous work in the 400-meter event where her finishing time of 56.43 seconds landed her in eighth place overall and second in her section.

Juniors Kenady Jackson and Maya Cook also toppled a school record in the 200-meter previously held by UCR alumni Ashla Giles, at 24.70 seconds. Jackson and Cook came in just under .01 at 24.69. With milliseconds separating the duo, Jackson and Cook placed 19th and 20th, respectively, in an event with 109 contestants. Jackson took fourth in her section while Cook was able to finish first in her section.

In the 4×400 meter relay event, the UCR women’s team placed first in their section and 11th overall with a combined time of 3:51.73. An all around strong effort proved crucial, as the difference between the fastest and slowest split was only a time frame of 1.9 seconds.

Looking ahead, the Highlanders will travel out of state again to Seattle, Washington for the MPSF Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Washington. The two-day event will begin on Friday, Feb. 28 in Dempsey Indoor Center.