Track & Field SCIAC Championships preview
CLAREMONT, Calif. – Both the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's and women's track and field teams look to defend their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships from 2015. During the multi-dual meet season, the Athenas were 8-0 as the Stags were 7-1. The championships will be held at Occidental and hosted by Caltech and take place Friday, April 29 through Saturday, April 30.
Field events will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday and 12:15 p.m. on Saturday and continue through the afternoon as the running events will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The championships can be followed online via a video broadcast using four cameras for a $10 fee (per SCIAC regulations) or live results for free. Visit the Tournament Homepage for more information regarding parking, directions and past results.
Event-by-event preview: Women's | Men's
As this is a conference championship event, admission will be charges as follows:
- All SCIAC students, faculty, and staff with institutional ID: Free
- Children 12 years of age and under: Free
- General Admission: $10
- Seniors (55+) and Military: $5
Athenas
CMS is currently undefeated in SCIAC and ranked No. 3 nationally by USTFCCCA after a steady increased from fifth to fourth to third in each of the last three weeks' polls.
The Athenas will contend for their second-consecutive and 15th overall SCIAC title.
Athenas hold the top times in each of the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m sprints. Sophomore Tyra Abraham (SCR) set the CMS record in each of the 100m (11.91) and 200m (24.67) this season and ranks third and sixth respectively for those times. Sophomore Aiyanna Cameron-Lewis (CMC) is at the top of the conference in the 400m (56.65) and 800m (2:09.98) and is No. 2 in both events for CMS all-time lists. Both sprinters are members of the 4x100 relay with freshmen Brittany Griffin (CMC) and Sabrine Griffith (CMC) and their time of 47.61 ranks No. 4 in CMS all-time and No. 10 nationally.
Junior Carmen Mejia (SCR) sits at No. 3 in 800 in SCIAC (No. 5 nationally) and is also a member of the SCIAC-leading 4x400 relay (3:52.78) with sophomore Becca Stewart (SCR), Abraham, and Cameron-Lewis (No. 10 nationally).
CMS also has strong contenders in the 1500m in Scripps sophomore Bryn McKillop (4:29.92, No. 3 CMS all-time, No. 7 nationally), senior Bridget Blum (CMC) and Mejia. Blum also leads SCIAC in 5000m (16:53.75, No. 2 CMS all-time, No. 7 nationally).
Throwers junior Vaiva Palunas (SCR) and sophomore Emily Bassett (CMC) have dominated the SCIAC this season as the two of them are at the top of each of the shot put, discus and hammer. With a 47.35m discus throw, Palunas set the CMS and SCIAC records for the third time this season and ranks No. 3 in the nation. She also owns the longest shot put distance this year in the SCIAC at 12.59m. Bassett set the CMS and SCIAC record this season with a hammer throw of 54.95m and ranks No. 3 in the country.
Stags
During the multi-dual season, CMS' only loss was to Occidental (who is undefeated in SCIAC and ranked No. 3 nationally) 91-72 on Mar. 5. The tightest win the Stags had was on Apr. 16 beating La Verne 87-76.
This year, the Stags will attempt to claim their fourth straight championship. Prior to the University of Redlands winning back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, the Stags had shared or won the title outright for 19 straight seasons dating back to 1992.
CMS has three athletes that lead the SCIAC in their respective events. Junior Joshua Sealand (HMC) sits atop the conference in the 1500m run with senior teammate Evan Molineux (CMC) after breaking the CMS record at a blazing 3:47.34. The two are No. 7 and 8 in the 1500 nationally. Sophomore Michael Wagenveld (CMC) is No. 1 in pole vault and No. 6 nationally at 15'4.75" (broke CMS record last set in 1994). Senior thrower Alex Rich (HMC) leads the conference in discus with throw of 45.41m during the SCIAC Multi-Dual #3.
Freshman sprinter Corbin Bethurem (CMC) will contend in the 100m, 200m, 400m as he broke into the CMS top-10 in the 100m (10.85, eighth) and the 200m (21.77, seventh) this year. Molineux is also second in the SCIAC in the 800m at 1:54.11, just shy of his personal best of 1:52.37 ran in 2015.
Finally, Junior Cam Van (CMC) will surely score points for the Stags as he is in the top-3 in each of the high jump (1.97m, No. 5 CMS all-time) long jump (6.78m) and triple jump (14.27m).
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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