AUSTIN, Texas – Cal track & field opened the 2019 NCAA Championships with two Second Team All-America performances at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Wednesday. The Bears had to fight sweltering humidity and heat throughout the day after the meet was moved up two hours due to concerns of inclement weather in the forecast.
 
Silviu Bocancea started off his hammer throw series with a throw of 67.69m/224-9. The mark was a good opener as he sat in fourth place after the first round. Going into his third attempt, Bocancea was outside the top nine. However, the senior came through on the final attempt of the semifinals with a throw of 68.50m/224-9 to move into seventh place. He waited out the rest of the flight to finish in ninth and earn a spot as one of the nine finalists. That mark was also the second-best throw of Bocancea's career.
 
He was unable to better that mark on any of his final three throws, finishing his Cal career by earning second team All-American honors. This was the second straight year that Bocancea earned second team plaudits after taking 16^th place at last year's championship. He will conclude his career in second place on the school's all-time hammer throw list. 
 
Misana Viltz took 16^th in the men's 110m hurdles as he ran 13.87. Viltz was at a disadvantage as he was in the second lane of the third heat. However, the competitor in the third lane did not start, and the one  in the fourth lane tripped out of the starting blocks, meaning Viltz was competing without a runner in the two lanes around him on either side. However, the senior ran a comparable time to his last two meets, finishing in 13.87. That was good enough to earn second team All-America honors. He did not advance to the final, but finished his career ranked ninth on the school's all-time list.
 
Paramveer Chohan was the final Bear to compete on the opening day of the NCAA Championships and the junior took 23^rd place in the 400m hurdles. Starting in lane nine, the Fresno native finished in a time of 52.36. He defeated two people in the competition. He finishes the season ranked fifth on the school's all-time top 10 list.
 
Three Bears will be in action tomorrow as Camryn Rogers will get things started in the women's hammer throw at 4:30 p.m. CT. Rebecca Croft will compete in the 800m at 8:44 p.m. and Zion Corrales Nelson will run in the 200m at 9:14 p.m.
 
Wednesday's Results
Men
110m Hurdles Semifinal: 16. Misana Viltz, 13.87
400m Hurdles Semifinal: 23. Paramveer Chohan, 52.36
Hammer Throw Final: 9. Silviu Bocancea, 68.50m/224-9