Fresno, Calif. - 728 days after its last outdoor meet, the San José State track and field teams returned to outdoor competition on Saturday at the Central California Invitational in Fresno.
By all accounts that return was a successful one as the men's program placed first in team scoring and senior Chantel Ward set a school record in the women's shot put.
"We are so blessed to be competing again and so happy to be surrounded by the wonderful competitive energy of this team," said director of track and field Kendra Reimer-Gonzales after the meet. "It was a good shake-out meet as we saw a lot that excites us and some things that can be improved. I thought we really shined in the shot put, the 800 and the jumps. We look forward to our next meet in Sacramento."
Ward led the way in the shot put, tying for first with her school-record mark of 12.85m. That eclipsed the program's previous high set by Jade Childs in 2017 (11.96m).
Also impressing on the women's side were sophomores Mahkaia Lee and Juliette Noyer.
Lee placed first in the triple jump with a clip of 12.19m, a mark that moves her into fourth on the program's all-time performance list. She also shined in the long jump, posting a mark of 5.95m to place second.
Noyer also claimed a second-place finish of her own, this one coming in the 800 with a time of 2:15.28.
Over on the men's side, it was a pair of shot putters who helped pace the Spartans. Freshman Ty Seligman and sophomore Jacob Lopez finished one-two in the shot put, posting marks of 14.76m and 14.71m, respectively.
A youth movement out in the high jump carried the Spartans to some late pivotal points on Saturday. Freshman Kyle Jankans placed first in the event with a clip of 6' 8" while another freshman - Tyler Cash - posted a mark of 6' 6" and finished second.
M High Jump | jump for joy.@kjankans303 and freshman Tyler Cash go one-two in the high jump! #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/7PnPrlnBUq
— SJSU Track & Field/Cross Country (@SanJoseStTFXC) March 7, 2021
With plenty of momentum in hand after its first meet of the season, SJSU now sets its sights on the Hornet Invitational. Hosted by Sacramento State, the meet is scheduled for March 20 in the state's capital.
Central California Men's Invitational
Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, Calif.
Team Scores (after 19 events)
1. San José State, 154 points
2. Fresno Pacific, 130 points
3. Biola, 85 points
4. CSU Bakersfield, 80 points
5. Academy of Art, 79 points
6. Fresno State, 45 points
7. The Masters, 42 points
8. Pepperdine, 36 points
9. Hope International, 7 points
Central California Women's Invitational
Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, Calif.
Team Scores (after 19 events)
1. Biola, 149 points
2. Fresno Pacific, 147 points
3. San José State, 125 points
4. Fresno State, 103 points
5. Academy of Art, 72 points
6. CSU Bakersfield, 42.5 points
7. The Masters, 29.5 points
8. Pepperdine, 15 points
9. Hope International, 5 points