Los Angeles, CA – At the annual 2024 Oxy and Pomona-Pitzer Dual meet, Occidental's track and field teams delivered outstanding performances against their formidable opponents.  Led by standout achievements across multiple events, Oxy showcased their talent by winning 12 of the 35 events.

 

Women's Highlights:

On the women's front, sophomore Francesca Candelieri displayed her speed and endurance in the women's 400 meter dash, securing victory with a time of 1:02.17.  Oxy went on to sweep the event with junior Tia Akasaki right on Candelieri's heels and crossed the finish line in 1:04.89.  Akasaki was followed by sophomore Alexa Poremba, who finished at 1:05.79. 

The women's field events demonstrated their expertise in their respective fields by coming out on top in five of the field events; three from throws, one from jumps, and one from pole vault.

On the throws squad, junior Chelsea Groves had a double-double with her wins in hammer and discus.  To add to the successful venture, Groves also set new personal records in each throw.  In the hammer throw, her toss of 26.03 meters (85'5") improved her mark by almost seven feet from last year.  She further bolstered Oxy's performance by dominating the discus with a throw of 32.23 meters (105'9"), an almost four-foot improvement.  Senior Skye Garcia continued the dominance in the throws with her win in the shot put.  Garcia threw 9.01 meters (29'6.75"), which was more than four feet ahead of her Sagehen competitors.  Senior Kate Cobain finished in second place in the javelin throw with a one-foot personal record of 30.31 meters (99'5").

Senior Karis Palomino flew into victory with her win in the pole vault.  Palomino cleared 2.68 meters (8'9.5"), which is only a foot off of her personal record.  Senior Rylee Cockett claimed first place in the high jump with a clearance of 1.54 meters (4'9").  Cockett was less than an inch off from her personal record which makes for an exciting start of the season.

The women's team was just edged by Pomona-Pizter, finishing with a final score of 49 to PP's 54.

 

Men's Highlights:

On the men's side, Junior Harrison Williams demonstrated his agility and expertise by sweeping the men's hurdle events.  Williams ran 17.05 in the 110 meter hurdles and 40.89 in the 300 meter hurdles.  First year Oliver Yue started off his collegiate career with a win in the 100 meter dash with a swift time of 11.25.  Yue was followed by fellow first year, Zachary McGraw who ran 11.49 to earn second place and senior Ethan Fong in third with a time of 11.57.

Senior distance runner Nicholas Correnti competed in the pole vault for the first time in his Tiger career. Correnti solidified Oxy's performance by triumphing in the men's pole vault with a successful clearance of 2.83 meters (9'3.25").  Continuing on the trend of distance and dominance, the Oxy 4x1600 meter relay team outpaced their Sagehen competition with a time of 18:30.50.  The relay team was made up of first year Jack Elfenbaum, senior Aidan Lindhe-Johan, senior Joshua Lo, and first year anchor Noe Barranza.

In the field events, senior thrower Nico Morales had a throw of 35.85 meters (124'2") to soar ahead of his competition and claim victory in the event by almost 12 feet.  Morales went on to earn a new personal record in the triple jump with a leap and bound of 11.83 meters (38'9.75").  Fellow jumper Darius Harvey, a sophomore, finished in third place in the high jump with 1.55 meters (5'1").  Harvey's results are only two inches shy of his personal record and hitting those marks at the start of the season bodes well for a promising season ahead.

The men's team finished with a final score of 46 to Pomona-Pitzer's 68.

 

The Occidental's track and field teams demonstrated skill, resilience, and a commitment to excellence, setting a high standard for themselves and their teammates.  They will compete next this upcoming weekend with part of the team traveling to Northern Arizona University for the NAU Tune Up meet and the rest of the team traveling to Pomona-Pitzer for the All-Comers meet.