Johnson Claims Shot Put Crown On Day Two

Saturday, May 14

Eugene, Ore.

11:00 a.m.

California

Pac-12 Championships (Outdoor)

Event Schedule Tickets Live Results Watch (W)Watch (M)

Photo by: Isaac Wasserman

5/15/2022 12:12 AM | Track & Field

Cal Goes 1-3-5 In Men’s Shot Put, Three Women Qualify For 100m Finals

By: Cal Athletics

EUGENE, OREGON – California track & field (No. 25 men, No. 24 women) entered day two of the Pac-12 Championships hoping to build upon its successful first day and did so in glorious fashion, adding a new champion to its ranks and qualifying six more runners to Sunday's finals. The Bears will enter the final day of competition with the men in third place (40 total points) and the women in fifth (29 total points).

A one-time walk-on, senior Josh Johnson posted a tremendous outing in the men's shot put with a personal-best 19.95m (65-5.5) to win his first Pac-12 Championship by over two feet. He became just the fourth men's shot putter in Cal history to win a conference title, joining the elite company of Matt Baggett (1963), Dave Porath (1981) and Peter Simon. Until this weekend, the Bears have never had both a men's and a women's thrower win conference championships in the same year, with Camryn Rogers claiming the women's hammer title on Friday afternoon.

"(Josh) used to be the baby of the group, since we also had McKay (Johnson) and Peter Simon," reflected throws coach Mohamad Saatara, referencing two of the team's top alumni. "Now he's built up to become a great thrower in his own right."

Johnson's teammates Jeff Duensing and Jake Porter also contributed points for Cal, with Duensing's best throw of 18.71m (61-4.75) earning him third place and Porter's (17.95m/58-10.75) granting him fifth to add up to 20 points – half of Cal's current total.

Ivar Moisander was the third Cal man to make the podium on Saturday, smashing his PR in the hammer throw to reach a distance of 68.18m (223-8) and earn him third place in an incredibly talented field. Both Mason Mangum (fourth place, 7.49m/24-7) and Hakim McMorris (7.31m/24-1) scored in the long jump; Mangum's mark was a significant personal best. Freshman Riley Knott concluded the decathlon with three more event PRs to reach a combined personal-best 6128 points across two days of competition. Finally, two Bears advanced to the next day's men's event finals, with McMorris posting the second-best (and personal-best) time of 13.96 in the 110m hurdles preliminary and Moises Medrano racing to a time of 1:50.35 in the 800m run.

On the women's side, the 100m dash preliminary acted as the standout event for Cal; no fewer than three Bears qualified for Sunday's final (Ezinne Abba, Maisie Stevens and Aysha Shaheed). It was an especially significant accomplishment for Shaheed, a freshman, who moved all the way up to No. 7 on the program all-time list with her finish of 11.62.

"I didn't expect to make the Top 10 list this year," she said after the meet, smiling in disbelief.

Sophomore Jada Hicks also reached a new top-10 mark in her own event preliminary, qualifying for the 100m hurdles final after racing to a finish of 13.46 that ranks fourth in program history. Meanwhile, two women scored for the Bears, as freshman record-holder Amelia Flynt once again broke 16 meters on her way to a seventh-place 16.27m (53-4.5) in the shot put and Asha Fletcher leaped to an eighth-place 5.92m (19-5.25) in the long jump.

Day Two Results
MEN
Decathlon: 7. Riley Knott 6128 points (PR)
              -110m Hurdles: 16.01 (732 points, 5^th place) (wind-legal PR)
              -Discus: 33.28m/109-2 (529 points, 8^th place) (PR)
              -Pole Vault: 4.01m/13-1.75 (620 points, T6th place)
              -Javelin: 45.20/148-3 (518 points, 7^th place)
              -1500m Run: 5:28.85 (405 points, 7^th place) (PR)
Hammer Throw: 3. Ivar Moisander 68.18m/223-8 (4^th Cal history) (PR); 15. Michael Gupta 60.49m/198-5
Long Jump: 4. Mason Mangum 7.49m/24-7 (PR); 7. Hakim McMorris 7.31m/24-1; 9. Kamau Carlisle 7.21m/23-8
110m Hurdles (Prelim): 2. Hakim McMorris 13.89Q (PR)
Shot Put: 1. Josh Johnson 19.95m/65-5.5 (2^nd Cal history) (PR); 3. Jeff Duensing 18.71m/61-4.75; 5. Jake Porter 17.95m/58-10.75
400m Dash (Prelim): 11. Henry Larkin 47.43; 18. Josh Keller 48.56 (PR)
800m Run (Prelim): 9. Moises Medrano 1:50.35q; 13. Ben Micallef 1:51.33
100m Dash (Prelim): 13. David Foster 10.64; 17. Christian Catlin 10.74

WOMEN
Long Jump: 8. Asha Fletcher 5.92m/19-5.25; 15. Ijeoma Uche 5.64m/18-6
100m Hurdles (Prelim): 8. Jada Hicks 13.46q (4^th Cal history) (Cal PR); 10. Jordyn Grady 13.98
Shot Put: 7. Amelia Flynt 16.27m/53-4.5; 10. Krissy Smoot 15.61m/51-2.75 (6^th Cal history) (PR); 16. Sara Pettinger 13.04m/42-9.5
400m Dash (Prelim): 10. Aly Conyers 54.57; 17. Ryan Lacefield 56.36
100m Dash (Prelim): 2. Ezinne Abba 11.20Q; 5. Maisie Stevens 11.44Q; 9. Aysha Shaheed 11.62q (7^th Cal history) (PR)

DAY THREE SCHEDULE (All Times Pacific)
11:00 a.m.: Women's Discus

Flight 1: Krissy Smoot, Sara Pettinger
Flight 2: Jasmine Blair, Amelia Flynt

1:00 p.m.: Women's 4x100m Relay
1:05 p.m.: Women's High Jump

Flight 1: Hawa Wague, Toby Lai

1:10 p.m.: Men's 4x100m Relay
1:15 p.m.: Women's Triple Jump

Flight 1: Felicia Renelus, Busola Akinduro, Asha Fletcher

1:30 p.m.: Men's 1500m Run (Final)

Heat 1: Garrett MacQuiddy

1:30 p.m.: Men's Triple Jump

Flight 1: Isaiah Shaw

1:35 p.m.: Men's High Jump

Flight 1: Riley Knott, Jai Williams

1:40 p.m.: Women's 100m Hurdles (Final)

Heat 1: Jada Hicks

1:45 p.m.: Men's Discus

Flight 1: Justin Wirtz
Flight 2: Iffy Joyner, Mykolas Alekna, Josh Johnson

1:47 p.m.: Men's 110m Hurdles (Final)

Heat 1: Hakim McMorris

2:05 p.m.: Women's 100m Dash (Final)

Heat 1: Aysha Shaheed, Maisie Stevens, Ezinne Abba

2:22 p.m.: Men's 800m Run (Final)

Heat 1: Moises Medrano

2:37 p.m.: Men's 400m Hurdles (Final)

Heat 1: Will Sornberger

2:45 p.m.: Women's 200m Dash (Final)

Heat 1: Ezinne Abba

3:00 p.m.: Women's 5000m Run

Heat 1: Marea Zlatunich, Erin Archibeck, Meredith Corda

3:25 p.m.: Men's 5000m Run

Heat 1: Carrick Denker, Colin FitzGerald, Gabriel Abbes, Xavier Court

3:50 p.m.: Women's 4x400m Relay
4:05 p.m.: Men's 4x400m Relay

UP NEXT
The Bears conclude the Pac-12 Championships with yet another full day of events, starting with the women's discus throw at 11:00 a.m. PT.

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