SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay track and field team competed in its first meet as a full squad this season, setting the tone with a plethora of personal bests and more CCAA qualifying marks before the calendar turns to March.
"What a way to officially kick off the season, the early season that is," head coach Greg Rhines said. "There were some Otters who were on fire today. More qualified for the CCAA's, and we are still in February. This is going to be a fantastic season."
CSUMB showcased its depth and distance prowess this weekend, led by a standout performance from senior Ali Keith and a flurry of personal records across the roster.
The highlight of the distance events came in the 3,000m, where senior Ali Keith clocked a blistering PR of 10:18.35 to take 2nd place overall and shatter her own school record. She was followed closely by Angeline Gutierrez, who pulled off an impressive double-PR day, taking sixth in the 3,000m (10:24.61) and in the 1,500m (4:47.19).
Rachel Hoops, who doubled across the middle distances, secured a fourth-place finish in the 1,500m with a time of 4:43.90, before returning to take fifth in the 800m (2:20.41), combining for nine team points.
The 1,500m proved to showcase seven personal bests for the Otters—Gutierrez, Reese Colton, Daniela Munguia, Cozette Wood, Cassidy Andreadakis, Hannah Amundsen, Maya Centeno, and Charlotte Grant—all setting new lifetime bests.
Gutierrez clocked the fourth-best performance by an Otter woman with her time of 4:47.19. A total of three Otters hit conference marks in the event.
On the men's side, sophomore Erik Bromley provided the scoring punch in the 800m. Bromley maneuvered through a crowded Heat 1 to finish seventh overall, breaking the sub-2:00 barrier with a time of 1:59.95 to secure two points for CSUMB. He also led a deep Otter contingent in the 1,500m, clocking a 4:05.62.
Junior Angel Arciniega showed off his range, leading the Otters in both the 1,500m (4:03.26) and the 3,000m (8:44.69). In the 3000m, the Otters displayed impressive pack running, with Jake Walton (9:10.07), Franky Hernandez (9:19.30), and Alex Chavez (9:21.39) all crossing the line with new PRs.
CSUMB will continue the early season at the Golden Gate Track Fest scheduled for March 6 in San Francisco.
