LOS ANGELES — The Caltech women's and men's track & field teams competed in the annual Oxy Distance Carnival on Saturday, with multiple athletes posting big results against high-level competition. Occidental College hosted the large-scale meet, which ran all day and saw athletes from Divisions I, II and III and the junior college level, among others.
One of the most notable results of the day came in the men's 5000-meter race as junior Rohun Agrawal (Cupertino, Calif. Monta Vista) destroyed the Caltech program record. Agrawal ran a 14:23.33 to beat the previous record of 14:37.51. The standout placed 10th overall out of 211 runners across seven heats; he finished fifth among Div. III athletes.
Senior Joey Litvin (Ardmore, Pa. Lower Merion) also posted a commendable time in the 5K, crossing the line after 14:45.99 to finish 26th. Agrawal and Litvin now sit first and second all-time in Caltech 5,000-meter history. Junior Miles Jones (San Diego, Calif. Rancho Bernardo) set a monumental personal record to finish in 60th; the Beaver ran a 15:11.92 to top his previous best by nearly 43 seconds. Jones now sits seventh all-time in program history for the 5K. Rounding out the Beavers' success in the Men's 5k were first-year Ryan Fortin (Londonderry, N.H. Londonderry) and senior Ryan Chan (Arcadia, Calif. Arcadia), who each won their respective heats in the 5000.
Other highlights from the Beavers include the exceptional race out of sophomore Gigi Pistilli (Portola Valley, Calif. Woodside), who placed 18th out of 111 runners in the women's 5,000-meters with a career-best time of 18:05.34. Pistilli, whose time ranked ninth among Div. III athletes in the race, improved on her previous personal best of 18:12.37. She currently sits third all-time in program history for the distance. Junior Sophie Dalfonzo (Fair Haven, N.J. Biotechnology & Rumson-Fair Regional) finished in 48th at 18:35.55.
The men's 10,000 meters saw sophomore Jacob Wolmer (Tenafly, N.J. Tenafly) secure 11th place with a quick time of 33:19.13. Wolmer finished fifth among athletes not in Div. I or II, and he now sits at sixth all-time in Caltech 10K history.
Rookie Louise Marie Choi-Schattle (Barrington, R.I. / Barrington) ran an impressive PR in the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:26.06; the first-year placed 19th out of 49 runners. With the time, Choi-Schattle moves up to ninth all-time in program history for the distance.
Sophomore Aaban Syed (Laurel, Md. / North County) tied for fifth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.05m (13' 3.5").
Senior Ezra Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Columbus Academy) registered a strong day in the field as he took on two separate men's throwing disciplines. In shot put, the senior earned third place out of 23 athletes with a mark of 13.39m (43' 11.25") before securing eighth in the discus throw with a result of 37.66m (123' 7").
Junior Roy Jiang (Vancouver, B.C. / Southridge School) earned 17th in the men's 400-meters out of 46 competitors, crossing the line at 51.63 seconds.
Junior Emily Hu (Vancouver, B.C. / Crofton House) secured 10th in the women's hammer throw in the 23-athlete competition after she threw a superb 35.98m (118').
First-year Colin Gray (Greensboro, N.C. / Early College at Guilford) nabbed 11th out of 22 in men's shot put with a personal-record mark of 39.60m (129' 11") while sophomore David Castillo (Johns Creek, Ga. / Chattahoochee) led the team in men's hammer throw, where he too earned 11th among the 22 athletes with a personal record of 40.01m (131' 03"). Castillo sits eighth all time for the discipline in the program record sheets.
The women's 4x100m relay team – comprised of first-years Ivy Brainard (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day), Isha Goswami (Saratoga, Calif. / Saratoga), Aurelia Kuester (San Diego / Canyon Crest Academy) and junior Isabela Ceniceros (Mukilteo, Wash. / Kamiak) – ran 54.02 seconds for seventh.
Sophomore Elisa Grillo (Cypress, Texas / Bridgeland) doubled in the 1500m and 5K; running 5:17.48 in the former and 19:58.46 in the 5,000m.
Head Coach Kelli Blake and the Beavers will return to action on Friday at noon as part of the Redlands Invitational, hosted by the University of Redlands. Watch the meet live on the SCIAC Network and follow the team on X/Twitter and Instagram at @CaltechXCTF
