EAGLE ROCK, Calif. (March 12, 2022) – The Caltech Men's and Women's Track and Field teams had a successful outing at the Oxy Distance Carnival and Spring Break Classic on Saturday, breaking multiple personal records (PRs) and placing amongst the top athletes in the nation.
The Women's Team saw improvement in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m Runs as well as both Discus and Shot-Put events. In the 800m event, freshman Sydney Vernon (Bellevue, Wash. / Eastside Preparatory) finished with a time of 2:33.80, placing third in her heat and 38 overall. Sophomore Alex Burr (Chicago, Ill. / Whitney Young) competed in the 1500m Run and finished fifth in their heat with a time of 5:34.12, breaking their previous PR of 5:41.57 set at last weekend's SCIAC Multi Dual 1 at Caltech.
In the 5000m event, freshman Sophia Dalfonzo (Fair Haven, N.J. / Biotechnology & Rumson Fair Regional) finished with a time of 18:09.48 and placed 32nd out of 143 entries. Dalfonzo also set a new PR that ranks 2nd on Caltech's all-time leaderboard; her previous PR of 18:31.7 was set at UCR's 40th Annual Cross-Country Invitational in September of 2021. Senior Claire Hu (Palo Alto, Calif. / Henry M. Gunn) also ran in the 5000m event and placed 42nd with a time of 18:22.45. Also in the top 75 was junior Lauren Garriques (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest), who placed 62nd and set a new PR of 18:51.50. Garriques' previous PR was 19:36.5 and set at UCR's 40th Annual Cross-Country Invitational.
In the field portion of the meet, sophomore Megan Robertson (Nashville, Tenn. / Harpeth Hall School) participated in the Shot-Put and Discus events. Robertson placed 16th overall in Shot-Put with a 9.80m throw, which now ranks fifth on the Caltech leader board just behind her fourth-ranked throw of 9.97m. In discus, Robertson placed 2nd in her heat and 11th overall with a throw of 35.77m. The sophomore broke her previous PR of 34.09m, which she threw just last weekend at the SCIAC Multi Dual 1 Meet. Moreover, Robertson's new PR replaces her previously third-ranked throw on Caltech's leader board.
The Men's Team saw success in the 1500m and 5000m Runs. In the 1500m event, Sophomore Kyle Lethander (Dayton, Ohio / Oakwood) placed 3rd in his heat and 43rd out of 135 total entries with a time of 4:07.29. Lethander also broke his previous PR of 4:10.08, set at last weekend's SCIAC Multi Dual 1 Meet. Senior Gaurav Phanse (Fremont, Calif. / Dublin) placed third in his heat with a time 4:33.24. Furthermore, Junior Julen Lujambio (Middletown, Conn. / Xavier) finished the 1500m in 4:25.10, breaking his old PR of 4:26.70 which was also set at last weekend's home meet.
In the 5000m Run, sophomore Joey Litvin (Bala Cynwyd, Pa. / Lower Merion) finished with a new PR of 15:01.49, which now ranks 3rd on Caltech's all-time leader board. Litvin's previous PR of 15:38.32 was set at the Redlands Final Qualifier in May 2021. Also running in the men's 5000m was sophomore Kyle Piper (Lafayette, Colo. / Centaurus), who finished the race in 15:57.22. Additionally, freshman Rohun Agrawal (Cupertino, Calif. / Monta Vista) placed third in his heat with a time of 15:59.64 and following close behind was freshman Miles Jones (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo), who placed fourth in the same heat with a time of 15:59.79.
After a two-week hiatus for finals and spring break, Head Coach Kelli Blake and the Beavers will be traveling to Santa Barbara to compete in the Westmont Classic on March 26. Information on live stats and results can be found at GoCaltech.com
