BERKELEY – Fresh off a jam-packed home meet in which the Golden Bears set "bests" galore, California track & field has a quick turnaround this week as it travels south to Walnut for the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Wednesday-Saturday.
 
Cal currently has 12 total event squads ranked in the NCAA's top 25; of those, five are ranked in the top three (men's discus, women's hammer, men's pole vault, men's hammer, men's decathlon).
 
The men, who came in at No. 21 in the latest national rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), will field six total members in the Mt. SAC "elite" competitions. The men's elite decathlon, which will run from Wednesday-Thursday and is set to feature some of the world's top multi-event athletes (including collegiate record-holder Kyle Garland from Georgia and 2022 Bowerman finalist Ayden Owens-Delerme from Arkansas), has one Cal representative in senior Hakim McMorris; this will be McMorris' first full multis competition since the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Friday will begin with junior Garrett MacQuiddy racing in the elite 1500m section; MacQuiddy, who ran a sub-four-minute mile in the indoor season, will then travel to the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa to compete in the same event on Saturday.
 
After posting the second-farthest throw in collegiate history and taking the world lead in his season opener, star sophomore Mykolas Alekna will appear in Saturday's elite men's discus competition alongside teammate Iffy Joyner, who currently stands at 12^th in the NCAA. No. 5-ranked Tyler Burns, a sophomore, is slated to take on some of the world's best pole vaulters – including Akron's Hunter Garretson, fourth-best in the world this year – while junior Jeff Duensing enters the men's elite shot put field. Cal's men will also field four top-25 NCAA athletes in the collegiate sections: senior Skyler Magula (No. 6 pole vault), senior Kegan Schroeter (No. 12 hammer), junior Ivar Moisander (No. 13 hammer) and sophomore Aiden Lippert (No. 22 400m).
 
Cal's women will feature three of their own in the elite sections, beginning with junior Claire Yerby in the 1500m on Friday; her current personal best of 4:19.96 ranks ninth in program history. Freshman Carolina Visca, a former Mediterranean U23 champion and European U20 champion, will make her collegiate debut in the elite javelin contest that afternoon. Making her debut in the women's elite hammer field on Saturday is NCAA leader Anna Purchase, who will again face off with world leader and Cal alumna Camryn Rogers for the second straight week Meanwhile, sophomore and indoor school record-holder Toby Lai will attempt to better her mark in the elite women's high jump. Other nationally ranked individuals competing in the women's collegiate sections include senior Amari Turner (No. 11 pole vault) and junior Busola Akinduro (No. 15 triple jump).
 
Mt. SAC Relays – Entries (NCAA Rankings Notated)
MEN – Elite (Wed.-Thurs.)
Decathlon: Senior Hakim McMorris
 
MEN – Collegiate (Fri.)
100m: Juniors George Monroe and Samir Thota; sophomore David Foster; freshman Jason Plumb
200m: Juniors George Monroe and Samir Thota; sophomore Gavin Schurr
400m: Senior Henry Larkin; junior Josh Keller; sophomores Aiden Lippert (No. 22) and Isaiah Shaw
1500m: Sophomore Arjun Vadgama; freshman Caden Carney
5000m: Junior Carrick Denker
110m Hurdles: Senior Riley Hunt; sophomore Di'Niko Bates; freshman Seth Johnson
400m Hurdles: Sophomore Di'Niko Bates
4x100m Relay: California
4x400m Relay: California
High Jump: Senior Jai Williams; sophomore Riley Knott; freshman Seth Johnson
Long Jump: Freshman Jason Plumb
Pole Vault "A": Senior Skyler Magula (No. 6)
Pole Vault "C": Senior Jono Pelusi; freshman Parker Terrill
Discus: Junior Justin Wirtz
Shot Put: Junior Jake Porter
 
MEN – Elite (Fri.)
1500m: Junior Garrett MacQuiddy
 
MEN – Collegiate (Sat.)
Hammer: Senior Kegan Schroeter (No. 12); juniors Michael Gupta and Ivar Moisander (No. 13)
 
MEN – Elite (Sat.)
Pole Vault: Sophomore Tyler Burns (No. 5)
Shot Put: Junior Jeff Duensing
Discus: Senior Iffy Joyner (No. 12); sophomore Mykolas Alekna (No. 1)
 
WOMEN – Collegiate (Fri.)
100m: Senior Jazlynn Shearer; junior Jada Hicks; sophomores Makhaila Mills and Jahzara Richardson
200m: Junior Ryan Lacefield; sophomores Jahzara Richardson and Aysha Shaheed
400m: Junior Ryan Lacefield; freshman Jayden Hill
1500m: Senior Lucy Hurt; freshman Emilie Barrett
5000m: Senior Natalie Weiner; freshman Georgia McCorkle
100m Hurdles: Senior Jazlynn Shearer; junior Jada Hicks; sophomore Yuki Hamachi
400m Hurdles: Sophomore Jordyn Grady; freshman Loreal Wilson
Long Jump: Seniors Asha Fletcher and Ijeoma Uche; sophomore Yuki Hamachi; freshman Torre Anderson
Pole Vault "A": Senior Amari Turner (No. 11)
Pole Vault "B": Senior Kylie Hilton; sophomore Gabrielle Pack; freshman Ali Sahaida
Triple Jump: Seniors Asha Fletcher and Felicia Renelus; junior Busola Akinduro (No. 15)
Discus: Sophomore Sara Pettinger
 
WOMEN – Elite (Fri.)
1500m: Junior Claire Yerby
Javelin: Freshman Carolina Visca
 
WOMEN – Collegiate (Sat.)
4x100m Relay: California
4x400m Relay: California
Hammer: Junior Rebecca Tomann; freshman Audrey Jacobs
 
WOMEN – Elite (Sat.)
High Jump: Sophomore Toby Lai
Hammer: Senior Anna Purchase (No. 1)
 
 
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