Freshmen shot putters moved another step closer to topping the record books as the men’s and women’s track and field teams continued their strong performances at the U.C. Irvine Collegiate Classic Saturday.
The Warriors next meet will be tomorrow against conference rivals Mt. SAC and Cerritos.
“It’s going to be close, but we should compete very well,” coach Dean Lofgren said.
Making it seem easy, freshman shot putter Jacob Weintraub showed his dominance in his event, taking first place with a throw of 54 feet and two inches.
Weintraub said that learning from his coaches and studying the techniques of the great shot putters of the past is a reason he competes so well.
Weintraub not only placed among the top of his event for the third straight time, but he also moved up to fifth place on the college’s all-time top ten list for men.
“I got really pumped up and I gave it my best: I’m going for the record,”Weintraub said, who is working hard to perfect his technique and build his body up. “I am trying to hit the weight room and get stronger for the state championships.”
Other solid peformances by the men included freshman distance runner Steven Calise, who ran the 1,500-yard event in 3.57.96.
With his fifth-place finish, Calise now ranks second in the state in the event.
Freshman Na ‘I Leni also made her presence known in the shot put event by throwing a distance of 45 feet, two and a half inches. Leni, who is leading the state in the shot put event, placed above two Cornell athletes.
Leni’s throw earned her a second-place finish in the event and also propelled her into second place on the college’s all-time top ten list for the women.
“It felt good because it was against university athletes, and it was good for the team,” Leni said, referring to athletes who competed from Yale, Cornell and Cal Poly Pamona.
Continuing the strong performances by freshmen athletes, Elizabeth Pereyra ran her heat of the 400-meter hurdles in 65.75, falling 0.001 seconds short of setting a record.
“We took a small group out there, but the athletes who went up there stepped up and did well,” Lofgren said.ÿÿÿÿÿÿ
