BERKELEY – California track & field senior Anna Purchase was shaking.
 
"I was hoping to PR," she said, adrenaline coursing through her body, "but I'm a little shocked."
 
PR? Purchase did that and more at Edwards Stadium on Saturday, posting a massive throw of 73.02m (239-6) in the women's hammer competition to take the NCAA lead and thrill fans in the morning hours of the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. She already owned the No. 2 mark in program history, but bettered that by 7 feet, 10 inches to move into fifth on the all-time collegiate list.
 
"I worked very hard both physically and mentally this year to prepare myself for the outdoor season in the best way possible," said Purchase, who entered the week ranked sixth in the nation, "and it is starting to show. My goal is to obviously make the podium at the NCAA Championships, and it would be a dream to keep the women's hammer title in the Cal name after the last few years of Camryn Rogers' success.
 
"After that," she said, "the World Championships are my target – it's now pretty realistic, since I'm just 58 centimeters off the automatic qualifier mark."
 
Purchase's sensational throw earned her second place in the contest behind Rogers herself, who wore the red-and-white uniform of Team Canada as she competed in her first meet as a professional. The former Golden Bear's winning mark of 77.30m (253-7) was just one foot, three inches off her personal best and smashed her old Edwards Stadium and Brutus Hamilton Invitational records, also setting a new 2023 world lead.
 
Cal's women totaled seven additional event wins, starting with senior Amari Turner's winning pole vault mark of 4.21m (13-9.75) and followed by the 4x100m relay quartet of junior Jada Hicks, sophomore Jordyn Grady, senior Jazlynn Shearer and sophomore Aysha Shaheed, whose time of 45.97 eclipsed the second-place squad by nearly three seconds. Sophomore Toby Lai claimed a share of the high jump crown with a leap of 1.76m (5-9.25), just short of the program's top-10 list, while Hicks earned her second win of the day by posting a time of 13.56 in the 100m hurdles. Junior Ryan Lacefield ran a personal-best time of 54.76 in the 400m dash to outpace the field; shortly afterwards, Shaheed blazed to a 200m time of 23.74 for her second win of the day. The 4x400m relay squad of freshman Loreal Wilson, freshman Jayden Hill, Lacefield and Grady finished things off for Cal with their winning time of 3:44.14, adding a second victory to Lacefield's and Grady's afternoon.
 
The much-anticipated season debut of sophomore Mykolas Alekna was predicted by many to highlight the men's competition, and the world's No. 2 discus thrower did not disappoint. His best legal throw of the day soared 68.39m (224-4) – just 34 centimeters off his own collegiate record and the second-best throw in NCAA history – and topped the 2023 world leaderboard. Although a later throw of over 71 meters was declared a foul, Alekna's winning mark shattered his own meet record and put him quite comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. At the other end of the stadium, senior Skyler Magula was putting on his own eye-popping performance – his pole vault clearance of 5.52m (18-1.5) moved him up to fourth in program history and earned him a meet record of his own.
 
Nine other Bears also earned men's event titles, including one in the first event of the day with Kegan Schroeter's hammer throw mark of 67.86m (222-7). Like their women counterparts, Cal's 4x100m men's relay team (sophomore Gavin Schurr, junior George Monroe, junior Samir Thota, sophomore David Foster) won their race decisively with a time of 40.44. Junior Jake Porter, who earlier competed in the hammer throw for the first time, posted a win in the shot put at 17.64m (57-10.5); meanwhile, on the track, junior Carrick Denker earned Cal's first distance event win of the day with his 1500m time of 3:52.82.
 
Sophomore Aiden Lippert earned his second straight 400m victory at 46.57 – well-suited for the nation's 18^th-ranked runner in that race – while Foster posted a win of his own in the 100m dash at 10.33. Carney followed that with another distance event win for the Bears, finishing the 800m in 1:52.15; later, junior Will Sornberger recorded a season-best time of 53.30 in the 400m hurdles to outpace the field. Monroe recorded the men's final win of the night on a new personal best, racing to a time of 21.35 in the 200m dash.
 
Cal will look to continue its red-hot streak into next week, when a large contingent of its best athletes will travel down to Walnut for the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays on April 12-15.
 
Day Three Results – April 8, 2023
MEN
Hammer: 1. Kegan Schroeter 67.86m/222-7; 4. Michael Gupta 62.40m/204-8; 8. Jake Porter 50.07m/164-3
4x100m: 1. California (Gavin Schurr, George Monroe, Samir Thota, David Foster) 40.44
Shot Put: 1. Jake Porter 17.64m/57-10.5
1500m: 1. Carrick Denker 3:52.82; 9. Arjun Vadgama 3:59.65; 14. Landen Lee 4:01.07 (PR)
110m Hurdles: 2. Riley Hunt 14.26; 3. Di'Niko Bates 14.32
Pole Vault: 1. Skyler Magula 5.52m/18-1.25 (Meet Record) (4^th Cal history) (PR)
400m: 1. Aiden Lippert 46.57; 2. Henry Larkin 46.73; 3. Isaiah Shaw 47.11 (PR); 5. Josh Keller 48.35 (PR); 6. Di'Niko Bates 48.58; 12. Hakim McMorris 49.72
100m: 1. David Foster 10.33; 4. Samir Thota 10.64 (PR); 21. Allen Seo 11.20; 23. Ethan Song 11.31
800m: 1. Caden Carney 1:52.15
400m Hurdles: 1. Will Sornberger 53.30; 5. Aiden Baker 55.09
Discus: 1. Mykolas Alekna 68.39m/224-4 (World Lead) (NCAA lead) (Meet Record); 2. Iffy Joyner 58.69m/192-6; 3. Justin Wirtz 52.69m/172-10; 7. Charlie Dang 48.42m/158-10; - Hakim McMorris FOUL
200m: 1. George Monroe 21.25 (PR); 4. Henry Larkin 21.51 (PR); 5. David Foster 21.59; 6. Samir Thota 21.60; 7. Isaiah Shaw 21.67 (PR); 11. Riley Hunt 21.81w; 12. Josh Keller 21.93; 27. Gavin Schurr 22.80; 30. Ethan Song 23.47
 
WOMEN
Hammer: 2. Anna Purchase 73.02m/239-6 (5^th NCAA history) (2^nd Cal history) (NCAA lead) (PR); 4. Audrey Jacobs 60.77m/199-4; 5. Rebecca Tomann 55.80m/183-1; 6. Destiny Okoh 53.79m/176-5 (PR); 9. Sara Pettinger 48.84m/160-3 (PR)
Long Jump: 5. Felicia Renelus 5.54m/18-2.25; - Ijeoma Uche FOUL
Pole Vault: 1. Amari Turner 4.21m/13-9.75; T2. Kylie Hilton 4.06m/13-3.75; T5. Ali Sahaida 3.76m/12-4; - Seanne Chan NH; - Gabrielle Pack NH
4x100m: 1. California (Jada Hicks, Jordyn Grady, Jazlynn Shearer, Aysha Shaheed) 45.97
High Jump: T1. Toby Lai 1.76m/5-9.25 (PR)
1500m: 2. Georgia McCorkle 4:32.07 (PR); 7. Natalie Weiner 4:35.97; 11. Lauren Calcagno 4:43.51 (PR); 27. Sydney Morrow 5:02.37
100m Hurdles: 1. Jada Hicks 13.56; 2. Jazlynn Shearer 13.80
400m: 1. Ryan Lacefield 54.76 (PR); 2. Jayden Hill 56.14 (PR); 4. Jordyn Grady 56.51; 5. Loreal Wilson 56.97 (PR)
100m: 2. Makhaila Mills 11.99; 4. Jazlynn Shearer 12.04; 5. Jahzara Richardson 12.06 (PR); 6. Grace Lanouette 12.15; 9. Jada Hicks 12.31; 12. Masina Mayo 12.44 (PR); 13. Zanae Woods 12.47; - Chloe Decker FS
800m: 3. Lucy Hurt 2:13.48 (PR); 6. Carolina Dawson 2:15.94 (PR)
200m: 1. Aysha Shaheed 23.74 (PR); 2. Jahzara Richardson 24.33 (PR); 3. Jordyn Grady 24.51; 6. Makhaila Mills 24.74 (PR); 9. Grace Lanouette 24.88 (Cal PR); 18. Zanae Woods 25.85; 31. Chloe Decker 26.73 (PR)
4x400m: 1. California (Loreal Wilson, Jayden Hill, Ryan Lacefield, Jordyn Grady) 3:44.14
Triple Jump: 5. Felicia Renelus 11.89m/39-0.25
Discus: 4. Sara Pettinger 43.46m/142-7
 
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