Albuquerque, N.M. (and Seattle, Wash.) – Valentine's Day arrived on Friday and San José State fans had to love what they saw out of the program's throwers and distance runners at the New Mexico Don Kirby Elite Invitational and Husky Classic.
A pair of indoor school records were set by the team on Friday, led by the Spartans best showing through sophomore Jasmine Pharms in the throws. Pharms placed seventh in the shot put, hitting a mark of 15.37m to set a new indoor record.
"The throwers really shined this weekend," said head coach Kendra Reimer-Gonzales after the meet. "We had multiple personal bests and new school records. There were a lot of strong competitors there and they really rose to the occasion."
It was sophomore Nysiah Legardye who shined in the throws on Thursday in Albuquerque, hitting a mark of 16.13m in the weight throw to set a school record for herself. There was success all around on the first day of the meet as sprinter Daryia Greene turned in the second-best mark in women's program history for the indoor 400 with a time of 56.31. That mark was good enough for a fifth-place finish against a stacked field.
Rounding out the strong performances for the SJSU throwers was an impressive mark from a freshman. It was Jacob Lopez who topped the team's marks in the shot put, hitting a mark of 15.17m to lead San José State.
Lastly, the team's distance runners rounded out a successful day for the Spartans up in Seattle at the Husky Classic.
The group was highlighted by senior Jennifer Sandoval, who smashed the program's previous indoor record (held by herself at 17:07.29) in the women's 5000 with a time of 16:24.85. Fellow senior Jose Piña set a school record on the men's side with his time of 14:58.02.
W 5000 m | #SpeedCity
— SJSU Track & Field/Cross Country (@SanJoseStTFXC) February 15, 2020
Up in Seattle, @that_girljenny just crushed the school's previous record in the 5000 with a time of 16:24.85! pic.twitter.com/LMdAnHDDdQ
The trip to Albuquerque served as a final tuneup before the program returns to the Albuquerque Convention Center later this month for the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championship.
"I thought it was important for our team to compete against some of our conference's teams and get a final tuneup at our conference facilities," Reimer-Gonzales said.
Top-15 Finishes/School Records
Jasmine Pharms - W Shot Put - 15.37m - 7th Place*
Roman Johnson - M 60 m Qualifying - 7.00 - 15th Place
Iman Bayat - M 800 m - 1:58.00 - 15th Place
Jennifer Sandoval - W 5000 m - 16:24.85 - 25th Place*
Jose Pina - M 5000 m - 14:58.02 - 71st Place*
* - Indoor School Record