CLAREMONT, CA — Calvin Aylward won big in the javelin, Andy Reischling ran away to commanding win in the 5000 meter, and the Pomona-Pitzer Men's Track and Field team finished fourth at the 2017 SCIAC Championships.
Day One Recap
Aylward took an early lead after his first throw and only got better from there. The junior and defending SCIAC Champion in the javelin made it back-to-back wins after dominating the competition Saturday afternoon.
Aylward's best throw came in his last attempt, when he launched a throw 209 feet, 9 inches for the win. La Verne's Jesus Payan took second at 173-01, and the Leopards' Michael Burciaga-Eillis took third at 170-00. Aylward set the Pomona-Pitzer record in the event earlier this year at 211-09.
"Cal has been a dominant force in the SCIAC during the last three seasons, and today was no different," said Pomona-Pitzer Men's Track and Field Head Coach Tony Boston. "With just his first throw of the meet he sealed a win. But he went on to improve upon the opening mark during subsequent throws."
"Some of his best throws have been at away competitions, it was a great moment for him to compete and win in front of the home crowd. The way he is progressing, I can see him competing for a national title."
Reischling was dominant in the 5000 meter, leading from start to finish. The race was close the first few laps, but then the sophomore broke out to a sizeable lead and eventually won by nearly nine seconds. Reischling took the top spot on the podium with a time of 14:51.95, finishing in front of Whittier's Julian Sandoval (15:00.39), and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Joshua Sealand (15:04.19).
"It has been a real treat to work with Andy during the last two years," said Boston. "He has experienced tremendous growth in both fitness and confidence. We saw both of those qualities on display today in his wire-to-wire victory. I honestly can't wait to see him competing on a national level."
The Sagehens scored some other top finishes on the final day of the meet. Paul Messana took second in the 800 meter with a time of 1:51.53. Nick Vucovich took fourth at 1:54.06.
Cal Neikirk finished second in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.75, just behind Redlands' Afari La-Anyane who won with a time of 15.26.
Pomona-Pitzer's team of Neikirk, Vucovich, Ryan Abele, and Messana took fourth in the 4x400 meter with a time of 3:19.62.
Freshman Lucas White Moon had a strong showing in the triple jump, taking fourth with a distance of 45-01.75. Reggie Reed took fourth in the shot put with his best throw coming at 132-11. In the 1500 meter, Peter Davis took fifth with a time of 3:57.26.
The Sagehens scored a sweep in the 3000 meter steeplechase on day one of the meet with Danny Rosen taking the win.
"The steeplechase squad had their eyes set on a sweep so it was quite rewarding to see their long held dream become a reality," said Boston. "We've had a number of strong steeplechase athletes in the past and now Danny can rightly add his name to the list."
Final Team Scores
1. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 175.50
2. Occidental, 174
3. La Verne, 115
4. Pomona-Pitzer, 113
5. Redlands, 98
6. Cal Lutheran, 46
7. Whittier, 35.50
8. Chapman, 13
9. Caltech, 7
Next Meet: The Sagehens will compete next at the Occidental Invitational on Saturday, May 6, beginning at 11 a.m.
