April 14, 2012

BERKELEY - Golden Bears posted a number of lifetime-best performances and the California men's and women's teams jumped out to early leads in the 118th edition of the Big Meet Saturday at Edwards Stadium. But in the end, Stanford prevailed with convincing victories both competitions to sweep the meet for the second year in a row.

Among Cal's highlights were a 7-2.25 clearance by Brian Carmichael in the men's high jump, wins by Collin Jarvis and Taylor Bryson in the 3000-meter steeplechase races, and a big PR from Malaina Payton in the women's long jump.

"Like most Big Meets, there were some people who stepped up and did a great job," said Cal director of track & field Tony Sandoval. "We had some bright spots, but not enough of them. I think Stanford, overall, is just a bit deeper than we are. We have a few people with some nicks and bumps that didn't compete. We kept out (All-Americans) Chelsea Reilly and Deborah Maier, but I don't know if they would have made any difference. At least emotionally, it's kind of tough for that to happen. Sofia (Oberg) also rolled an ankle in the 1500. Sometimes, those types of things just get you on a roll, and we just didn't respond very well."

The Cardinal claimed the men's competition, 106-67, as well as the women's meet, 122-41.

Carmichael, a senior, won the high jump with his lifetime best of 7-2.25, which moved him into Cal's all-time top 10 in the event as he is now tied for ninth. He had a previous PR mark of 7-1.50 during a runner-up finish at last year's Pac-10 Championships.

On Saturday, Carmichael did not miss on any of his first five heights, including his winning clearance, until the bar reached 7-3.25. He edged Stanford's Dartis Willis, who was second at 7-1.00, while Golden Bear teammate Nick Ridge was third in a PR 6-11.75.

Bryson set a 21-second PR to capture the opening event on the track - the women's 3000-meter steeplechase - by nine seconds in 10:19.73, second only in Cal history to the 10:14.94 run by Rowena Tam last year. The time was Bryson's third PR of the year to go with a 16:05.72 in the 5000 meters posted last weekend and 2:09.05 in the 800 from early March.

In the men's steeple, Jarvis also established a lifetime best with his winning time of 8:54.06 as he becomes the No. 9 all-time performer at Cal in the event. Simon Schmidt PR'd with his third-place mark of 9:02.36.

Payton captured the women's long jump with a wind-aided 21-6.25, which would have put her second on Cal's all-time performer list behind former NCAA champion Sheila Hudson had it been under allowable conditions. Still, Payton produced a legal 20-7.75, which moved her up to fifth on the performer chart and was the best by a Golden Bear since the 2005 season. Sunny Margerum, competing in her first meet since tearing her Achilles tendon last spring, was fourth at 16-7.00.

Linda Oseso opened the meet in the morning with a victory in the women's hammer, making her a back-to-back Big Meet champion. She posted a best of 183-0 in her first outdoor competition of the year, surpassing 180-feet on four of her six attempts. Scott Esparza made it a clean sweep of the hammer for the Bears with a PR 193-5 in the men's event. He led a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Cal, with Derek White (192-4) and Stephen Burke (170-11) also posting lifetime bests.

In addition, the Cal men swept the long jump with Jonte Grant and Chase Wheeler tying for first at 24-1.75 and Taylor Kientzel in third at 23-3.50. Grant matched his outdoor best, while Wheeler and Taylor both had PR efforts.

Katie Bruzzone set a PR with her second-place effort in the women's javelin. Her mark of 135-2 makes her the No. 9 performer at Cal. In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Emani Truluck took third, but lowered her lifetime best to 13.62 to put her fourth on the school performer chart.

In the women's 200 meters, Charnell Price (24.07) and Alima Kamara (24.19) both set PRs as they finished 2-3 in the race, while Kelsey Santisteban improved her time by more than 30 seconds from two weeks ago in the 3000, crossing the line in third place in 9:50.62.

The lone record to fall went to Stanford's Chris Derrick, who was timed in 7:54.31 in the men's 3000 meters. He broke his own Big Meet and Edwards Stadium mark of 8:03.59 from 2010. Cal's Jarvis, who earlier captured the steeplechase, nosed out Miles Unterreiner of Stanford for third place in 8:05.88. Unterreiner was timed in 8:05.90.

Despite her sprained ankle in the 1500, Oberg came back to take second in the 800 meters, losing a spirited battled down the homestretch with Stanford's Joy O'Hare. Oberg was clocked in 2:06.20, just .17 seconds behind O'Hare.

The Golden Bears take a week break before returning to Edwards Stadium for the annual Brutus Hamilton Open and Invitational April 27-28. That weekend will also see them wrap up the regular season at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford April 29.

The Big Meet - Cal vs. Stanford
Edwards Stadium / Berkeley, Calif.

Team Scores

Women: Stanford 122, California 41

Complete Results

California Men's Results
100 meters - 3. Dash Oliver 10.86; 4. Michael Bullard 11.24; 5. Chase Wheeler 14.44

200 meters - 3. Dash Oliver 22.06; 4. Charles Saseun 22.60; 5. Jonathan Berry-Smith 22.76; 6. Michael Bullard 23.01

400 meters - 2. Jonathan Berry-Smith 48.53

800 meters - 4. Colin Holtson 1:52.97; 6. Sebastian Sam 1:53.89; 7. Dylan Isaacson 1:54.91

1500 meters - 4. Matt Carpowich 3:51.62; 5. Chris Walden 3:53.83; 6. Maxime Chevee 3:54.08

3000 meters - 3. Collin Jarvis 8:05.88; 7. Matt Miller 8:13.43; 8. Maxime Chevee 8:23.58; 9. Chris Walden 8:24.17; 11. Matt Carpowich 8:34.77; 12. J.P. Slater 8:37.08

110-meter hurdles - 2. Chad Jones 14.57

400-meter hurdles - 2. Ryan Holmes 56.33; 3. Simon Schmidt 1:04.22

3000-meter steeplechase - 1. Collin Jarvis 8:54.06; 3. Simon Schmidt 9:02.36; 6. Chris Kigar 9:41.22

4x100-meter relay - 2. Dash Oliver, Hammed Suleman 41.19

4x400-meter relay - 2. Jonathan Berry-Smith, Ryan Holmes, Colin Holtson, Sebastian Sam 3:16.25

High Jump - 1. Brian Carmichael 7-2.25 (2.19m); 3. Nick Ridge 6-11.75 (2.13m); 4. Mike Tracy 6-9.75 (2.08m)

Pole Vault - 2. Evan Barr 14-7.25 (4.45m); Andrew Ramay NH

Long Jump - 1. Jonte Grant 24-1.75 (7.36m); 1. Chase Wheeler 24-1.75 (7.36m); 3. Taylor Kientzel 23-3.50 (7.10m)

Triple Jump - 2. Jonte Grant 48-9.50 (14.87m); 4. Chad Jones 48-5.25 (14.76m); 5. Taylor Kientzel 47-1.50 (14.36m)

Shot Put - 2. Sullivan Parker 52-6.75 (16.02m); 3. Stephen Burke 46-4.00 (14.12m); 4. Scott Esparza 46-2.00 (14.07m)

Discus - 2. Derek White 180-8 (55.06m); 3. Chijoke Nwuzi 160-10 (49.03m); 4. Sullivan Park 151-3 (46.10m); 5. Isaac Dan 119-5 (36.41m)

Hammer - 1. Scott Esparza 193-5 (58.95m); 2. Derek White 192-4 (58.62m); 3. Stephen Burke 170-11 (52.11m); 4. Chijoke Nwuzi 159-5 (48.59m); 5. Isaac Dan 150-5 (45.84m)

Javelin - 4. Hammed Suleman 145-0 (44.20m); 5. Chijoke Nwuzi 140-8 (42.87m)

California Women's Results
100 meters - 3. Charnell Price 12.03; 4. Malaina Payton 12.05; 4. Carisma Lyday 12.06; 6. Emani Truluck 12.72; 7. Tiarra Pittman 12.73; 8. Nicole Larson 14.09

200 meters - 2. Charnell Price 24.07; 3. Alima Kamara 24.19; 4. Gia Trevisan 24.53; 5. Carisma Lyday 25.19

400 meters - 2. Angelica Weaver 54.80; 3. Gia Trevisan 55.26; 4. Alima Kamara 55.48

800 meters - 2. Arielle Stevenson 2:10.30; 5. Sydney Gray 2:11.80; 7. Dynasty Gammage 2:13.40; 8. Taylor Lawson 2:14.78

1500 meters - 4. Taylor Dutch 4:32.87; 5. Sydney Gray 4:33.61; Sofia Oberg DNF

3000 meters - 3. Kelsey Santisteban 9:50.62; 7. Hillary Hayes 10:11.09; 8. Laura O'Neill 10:26.92; 9. Kathleen Uyttewaal 10:52.49

100-meter hurdles - 3. Emani Truluck 13.62; 7. Tiarra Pittman 15.68; Golde Ibia DQ

400-meter hurdles - 5. Angelica Weaver 1:08.77

3000-meter steeplechase - 1. Taylor Bryson 10:19.73; 6. Juliana Green 11:50.87

4x100-meter relay - DNF

4x400-meter relay - 2. Arielle Stevenson, Taylor Lawson, Gia Trevisan 3:44.72

High Jump - 2. Gianna Fernandez 5-6.50 (1.69m); 4. Kristin Rimbach 5-6.50 (1.69m); 5. Grace Beaudoin 5-4.50 (1.64m); 6. Tara Lookabaugh 5-4.50 (1.64m); Aziza Baker NH

Pole Vault - 4. Nicole Larson 11-9.75 (3.60m); 5. Mackenzi Landry 11-3.75m (3.45m)

Long Jump - 1. Malaina Payton 21-6.25w (6.56m); 4. Sunny Margerum 16-7.00 (5.05m)

Triple Jump - 2. Amanda Hunter 41-0.25 (12.50m); 4. Aziza Baker 39-8.00w (12.09m)

Shot Put - 3. Linda Oseso 43-5.25 (13.24m)

Discus - 3. Linda Oseso 133-11 (40.81m)

Hammer - 1. Linda Oseso 183-0 (55.77m)

Javelin - 2. Katie Bruzzone 135-2 (41.21m); 3. Cheri Chan 131-1 (39.96m)