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IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's track & field team makes its way north to the state capital this weekend for the Mondo Team Challenge on Saturday, April 1.
The 'Eaters will go up against host Sacramento State, UC Davis, North Dakota and Fresno State at Hornet Stadium. The one-day meet is set to begin at 11 a.m. with both the hammer throw and 5000m. UCI has 20 athletes entered in 13 events.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine had a strong all-around meet at the UCR Spring Classic Invitational last weekend. Sophomore Barbara Coward earned her fourth consecutive victory in the discus with a toss of 177-11. The school record holder was over 27 feet better than the runner-up as she remained unbeaten this year. Freshman Brianna Villanueva also registered a season-best 146-07 to take fourth. For the third weekend in a row, sophomore Elizabeth Akindele set a personal record in the shot put, winning the event with a toss of 46-10. Senior Melanie Speech added a lifetime-best 44-09.50 to claim runner-up honors. Senior Ariel Cheng cleared a season-best 12-05.50 to finish third in the pole vault.
On the track, senior Megan George was the top finisher in the 100m hurdles, clocking in at 13.76, while junior Persis William-Mensah took second in the 200m with a season-best 24.30. Senior Crystal Lizaola was also the runner-up in the 400m hurdles with a personal-record 60.72, and sophomore Hope Bushnell contributed a lifetime-best 11.97 in the 100m.
RACKING UP THE HONORS
Sophomore Barbara Coward has claimed two of the four Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week awards this season. Her first honor came after shattering the school and meet record with a toss of 177-10 at the All-UC Challenge. The Atwater, Calif., native then uncorked a throw of 180-08 at the Ben Brown Invitational. Coward's new standard ranks first in the Big West, fourth in the West Region and seventh in the NCAA.
BIG WEST LEADERS
Two Anteaters hold the top mark in the Big West in their respective events. Senior Megan George and sophomore Barbara Coward rank first in the 100m hurdles (13.70) and discus (180-08), respectively.
ALL WE DO IS WIN
The 'Eaters have posted 16 individual victories (including relays) through the first four meets of the season. Barbara Coward leads the way as she is still unbeaten in the discus. She has thrown for over 177 feet in every meet, including the Ben Brown Invite where she unleashed a school-record 180-08. Senior Crystal Lizaola, junior Persis William-Mensah and sophomore Elizabeth Akindele also have two event wins each. William-Mensah finished ahead of the pack in the 100m (UCI meet) and 200m (All-UC Challenge), while Akindele snagged top honors twice in the shot put. Lizaola was the 400m hurdle champion at the Ben Brown Invitational, before adding an 800m victory with a lifetime-best 2:10.85 at the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic.
SETTING THE STANDARD
Senior Megan George is on track to continue her success in the 100m hurdles during her final campaign. She opened the season at the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic where she ran a Big West-leading 13.70 to claim runner-up honors. George then picked up her first victory of the season, winning the 100H at the UCR Spring Classic Invitational (13.76). She is a two-time NCAA West Preliminary qualifier and two-time defending Big West champion, and also owns the school record at 13.28 seconds.
SUMMER TO REMEMBER
Junior Persis William-Mensah had an eye-opening summer in 2016 as she traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to compete in the Olympic Games. William-Mensah, who was born in Cape Coast, was selected as a member of the 4x100 relay team, making her one of Ghana's 16 Olympians. At UC Irvine, William-Mensah is an all-conference performer and school record holder in both the 100m (11.59) and 4x100 (44.51). She is scheduled to compete in the 100m and 200m at the Mondo Team Challenge and enters the meet with season bests of 11.70 and 24.30, respectively.
VAULTING TO SUCCESS
Senior Ariel Cheng is a two-time All-Big West performer in the pole vault and owns a personal-best 12-10.75, which ranks second in school history. Cheng earned her first victory of the 2017 campaign at the UCI Spring Break Collegiate Classic, while she registered a season-best 12-05.50 at the UCR Spring Classic Invitational.
PR TIMES THREE
Sophomore Elizabeth Akindele has improved her shot put mark in all four meets this year and has set three-straight personal records. She currently ranks fourth in school history with a best of 46-10, which was the winning mark at the UCR Spring Classic Invitational.
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will travel to Long Beach next week with the Big West Challenge Cup on tap for Friday, April 7.
