LONG BEACH, Calif. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team opened their west coast trip on Thursday at Long Beach State University's Pacific Coast Invitational with a strong showing inside Jack Rose Stadium as they combined to record a total of eight NCAA provisional qualifying marks.
 
INSIDE THE PACIFIC COAST INVITATIONAL
Location: LBSU Jack Rose Stadium | Long Beach, Calif.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first action on the track for UCCS came in the men's and women's 4x100m relay races, where the Mountain Lions recorded NCAA provisional qualifying times on both sides. In the men's 4x100m relay, Daryn Ofori-Kuragu, Kymani Sterling, Donovan Mini, and Brian Mosley Jr. linked up to record a time of 40.40s that was good for third overall among 16 teams in the competition. The UCCS women's 4x100m relay team of Taryn Fettig, Audrey Bloomquist, Zane Bullock, and Victoria Farinas went on to post a season-best NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 46.40s to claim ninth place in the field of 23 relay teams.
• The entire UCCS men's 4x100m relay team also doubled down in the men's open 100m dash, and it was Mosley Jr. that led the pack with a season-best NCAA provisional qualifying time of 10.49s that was good for ninth overall in the field of 114 sprinters. Mosley Jr. was followed across the line by Mini in 13th place with a time of 10.52s, Sterling in a tie for 19th place with a season-best time of 10.58s, and Ofori-Kuragu in 43rd place at a time of 10.68s. On the women's side, Farinas also took to the track in the women's open 100m dash, where she clocked a time of 11.98s to claim an impressive 22^nd place finish in a field of 90 finishers. Bullock also returned to the track to record a time of 12.40s for a 57^th place finish.
• Just one week after posting the No. 3 mark in the nation for the men's long jump, senior Richard Safoh was back in action and continued to impress as he unleashed an NCAA provisional qualifying leap of 7.42m to finish eighth overall in the field of 73 jumpers. Redshirt senior Peyton Turnage was the next Mountain Lion competitor in the standings as he finished 27^th overall with a leap of 6.96m, while junior Daryon Wilson claimed 50^th place with a jump of 6.50m and sophomore Grant Haskins took 53^rd place at a mark of 6.45m.
• UCCS added two more NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the men's and women's 400m hurdles with redshirt senior Dillon Andrews and freshman Krissie Sanders each hitting the threshold. In the men's race, Andrews put together a season-best effort by nearly half a second with a time of 52.78s that was good for fifth place overall among the 35-person field. On the women's side, Sanders continued her ascension in the event as she shaved more than seven-tenths of a second off her season-best with a time of 1:01.17 that placed her 19^th out of 57 competitors.
• In the women's discus throw, junior Victoria Malaki made a slight improvement on her existing NCAA provisional qualifying mark for the event as she posted a toss of 46.46m to finish 14^th overall in the field of 58 throwers.
• Senior Melissa Moreni posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 14.20s in the women's 100m hurdles on her way to tying for 23^rd place in a large field of 82 finishers. Moreni's time on Saturday was just short of her season-best provisional time of 13.91c that she clocked at the Jo Meaker Classic & Multi last week.
• In the men's javelin throw, Sawyer Christopher put forth a strong effort as he recorded a toss of 55.97m to finish tenth place overall in the field of 25 throwers.
• Competing in a field of 37 competitors in the women's hammer throw, redshirt senior Anna Holland posted a mark of 52.50m that put her in 26^th place for the competition.
• Redshirt sophomore Madissyn Moore put up a leap of 5.36m in the women's long jump to finish in 44^th place overall as she came up shy of her season-best in the event of 5.61m.

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• The Mountain Lions had a pair of updates to the outdoor record book on Thursday with Sanders bolstering her hold on the No. 2 position on the all-time list for the women's 400m hurdles and Malaki strengthening her grip on the No. 2 spot on the all-time list for the women's discus throw.  
• After the conclusion of the Pacific Coast Invitational, the UCCS men's and women's track & field teams have combined to record a total of 24 NCAA provisional qualifying marks throughout the 2024 outdoor track & field season, including 14 from the men's team and 10 from the women's team.  

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will continue their west coast swing tomorrow and Saturday, April 12-13, as they prepare for competition at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif., and the Leopard Distance Carnival in La Verne, Calif.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.