SAN DIEGO – San Diego State is headed to the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific University this weekend. A pair of Aztecs are also scheduled to run at the Leopard Distance Carnival at the University of La Verne.
The first event for the Aztecs will be Friday morning with the 10,000m at 8 a.m. with the 5,000m, and 800m closing out their first day on the track. On the field, the hammer throw is the only event featuring the Scarlet and Black. Saturday's action starts at 8:30 a.m. with the 5,000m open then continues with the 100m, 800m and 100m hurdles on the track as well as long jump in the field events.
The lone event of the Leopard Distance Carnival will be the 5,000m which takes place on Friday at 6:20 p.m.
The Aztecs will have 26 student-athletes compete across the two days, totaling 29 entries. The group is primarily the distance team as 14 runners are scheduled to race. The Aztecs will also have six jumpers, three sprinters, two hurdlers and one thrower participate in the Bryan Clay Invitational.
This Week's Entries
Keira Bennett (Hammer), Vanessa Cabello (5,000m), Amber Elias (10,000m), Sameerah Evans (Triple Jump), Melanie Falkowski (5,000m), Jenna Fee Feyerabend (100m Hurdles, Long Jump), Maya Gorman (Long Jump), Lauren Harper (800m), Maddie Heller (10,000m), Olivia Hicks (100m), Charlize James (100mH), Jessica Kain (1,500m), Alex Lomeli (800m, 1,500m), Aji Mbye (100m), Jada Moore (100m), Sophia Nevin (1,500m), Maddy Parrone (5,000m), Jada Pierre (100mH), Eva Rethmeier (5,000m), Hannah Waller (Long Jump), Thaila Wilson (Long Jump), Samantha Wood (1,500m), Xiamara Young (Long Jump), Tatum Zinkin (800m, 1,500m)
Mbye Named MW Freshman of the Week
• Aji Mbye was named the Mountain West Women's Freshman of the Week for her performance at the Triton Invitational last weekend.
• She raced in three events, most notably running an 11.42 in the 100m dash. The time is a San Diego State freshman class record and ranks fifth all-time in program history.
• The native of The Gambia also picked up two event victories, winning the 200m at 23.55 and running the second leg on the 4x100m relay winning team.
• She currently ranks first among all MW freshman in the 100m and 200m, while her 200m is second fastest overall and her 100m time is fourth.
Last Time Out
• San Diego State had 19 athletes compete at the Triton Invitational, totaling 32 entries across the two-day meet in La Jolla, Calif.
• Rain altered the first day of events, but the trio of Keira Bennett, Jenna Fee Feyerabend and Thaila Wilson all particpated in the javelin throw with Bennett also going in the hammer throw. Feyerabend led the group, winning her flight and finishing sixth overall.
• Day two saw history made by Hannah Waller and Aji Mbye. Waller won the 100m dash with a time of 11.38 seconds which ranks third fastest in SDSU history. She also won long jump at 6.17m (20-3) which ranks seventh best in program history. Mbye finished right behind Waller in the 100m at 11.42 for a new SDSU freshman class record and fifth fastest all-time.
• Overall, the Aztecs won four events at UCSD. To go along with Waller's 100m and long jump victories, Mbye won the 200m and the relay team of Waller, Mbye, Jada Pierre, and Jada Moore won the 4x100m.
• Of the 19 athletes that competed, eight recorded personal bests in their respective events.
Aztec Tidbits
• Head coach Shelia Burrell is in her 15th year leading the Aztec track and field program. This is her 14th outdoor season with 2020 being cancelled due to COVID. In that time, she has led the team to six Mountain West Outdoor Championships and won six MW Coach of the Year awards.
• The roster consists of 22 returning student-athletes and 17 newcomers. Of the newcomers, nine are freshman with the other eight transferring to The Mesa.
• Entering the season, current Aztecs held 23 marks in the program's all-time records and into the year they have added seven more to that total.
• SDSU currently has four marks that lead in the Mountain West this season. Jessica Kain leads the conference in both the 800m and 1,500m while Hannah Waller leads in the 100m and Jordan Leveque leads in pole vault.
• Regionally, the Aztecs have the second best 4x100m relay time and 800m (Kain), fourth best 100m time (Waller), seventh best 100m (Mbye), eighth best triple jump (Evans) and ninth best pole vault (Leveque). Overall, they own 21 marks that rank among the top 25 of the West Region.
• In the national rankings, Kain ranks 17th in the 1,500m and the Aztec relay team of Pierre, Mbye, Waller, and Moore ranks 24th in the 4x100m relay to lead the Scarlet and Black. The team as a whole has six marks that currently rank in the top 50.
• In addition to their weekly team rankings, the USTFCCCA ranks schools based on each event as well. This week's #EventSquad rankings saw the Aztecs move up to fifth in the 100m to go along with their 13th in the 1,500m, 27th in pole vault and 28th in long jump.
• Hannah Waller is in her second year in the Scarlet and Black but first outdoor season, missing the 2023 campaign due to injury. She is carrying over the success she had in indoor into outdoor etching three marks into the record books. She owns the third fastest 100m time, the seventh fastest long jump mark, and ran as part of the ninth fastest 4x100m relay time.
• Jessica Kain has had a terrific start to her final season on The Mesa leading the Mountain West in both the 800m and 1500m through the first month of the outdoor season. She battled the rain at the Aztec Invitational to win the 800m race with a time of 2:07.52, the ninth fastest time in program history. The following weekend at the Stanford Invitational, she ran in the fastest section of the 1500m posting a time of 4:15.99 to break the SDSU senior class record set back in 1982.
• The Aztecs as a whole have enjoyed a successful season in the 1500m run. Along with Kain's win at the Aztec Invitational, Alex Lomeli ran a 4:23.83, Samantha Wood ran a 4:29.20, and Isabella Fauria ran a 4:30.29. Those three times rank fifth, eighth and 11th fastest in SDSU history.
• The 4x100m relay team of Jada Pierre, Aji Mbye, Hannah Waller and Jada Moore have had three races thus far taking second place at the Aztec Invitational, dominating the Arnie Robinson Invitational, and winning the Triton Invitational. Their season best time of 44.31 at the Arnie Robinson meet ranks the ninth fastest in program history and set a meet and stadium record at San Diego Mesa.
• Jordan Leveque became the 21st Aztec to clear 3.82m in her collegiate debut during indoor season and began her outdoor career in a similar fashion. In the first outdoor meet of her career, she cleared 4.07m (13-04.25) to finish tied for fourth at the Aztec Invitational. The mark ranks tied for 13th in program history and she is just the 20th different SDSU pole vaulter to clear 3.97m.