Raykiyat Olukoju

Track and Field

Track & Field Finishes Strong at Big West Championships

Highlanders slew together strong performances at conference championships in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. - UC Riverside Track & Field put in another stellar performance on Friday and Saturday at the Big West Championship, held at Jack Rose Track on the campus of Long Beach State.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

  • The Highlanders had three jumpers score on day one of championship weekend: Elijah Yoshinaga in the long jump (7.34m/24' 1"), Melanie Ceballos in the long jump (5.94m/19' 6") and Owen Pennington in the high jump (2.01m/6' 7").  
  • Juliana Base placed sixth to open Saturday with a 42.99m/141' 0" in the women's javelin.  
  • Andrew Castellon (30:07.76) and Ashraf Abdelmagid (29:33.33) placed eighth and third, respectively, in the men's 10k on Friday evening. Abdelmagid also placed eighth in the 3000s (9:05.31).  
  • Isatu N'Diaye (4:40.56) and Morgan Nygren (4:42.96) each scored for the Highlanders in the women's 1500 on Saturday. N'Diaye later PR'd and scored in the 800 with a 2:11.62. 
  • Avianna Carrillo PR'd in the women's 100 with an 11.82 and now ranks third all-time in program history. Saniyah Starks followed with a 54.41 in the 400 for sixth place.  
  • Arthur Celestine Jr. picked up three points and a sixth-place finish in the 400H (53.25).  
  • UCR shined in women's 200 with two of the top four spots. Raykiyat Olukoju medaled in the event for the third straight year and tied a lifetime best of 23.30, while Avianna Carrillo took fourth with a 23.72. 
  • Joy Weber PR'd in the 5k with a time of 17:18.19. 
  • UC Riverside finished the Big West Championships strong with podium finishes in the men's and women's 4x400 relays. UCR also scored three times in the men's triple jump, highlighted by Kyan Thomas' All-Big West jump.  
  • Women's triple jumpers Chelsea Aninyei and Melanie Ceballos also scored in Long Beach to cap off the weekend.  

NOTABLES 

  • UC Riverside as a team scored 20 times on the weekend.  
  • Yoshinaga set a personal best in the long jump for the second straight meet, following his win at the Chris Rinne Invitational.  
  • Abdelmagid's podium finish in the 10k bolstered his spot in the record books as the fourth fastest Highlander in the outdoor men's 10k.  

UP NEXT 

  • The Highlanders will await their fate ahead of the NCAA West Preliminaries at the end of May in College Station, Texas.  

Players Mentioned

Ashraf Abdelmagid

Ashraf Abdelmagid

Distance
6' 0"
Senior
Andrew Castellon

Andrew Castellon

Distance
5' 10"
Senior
Isatu N

Isatu N'Diaye

Distance
5' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Joy Weber

Joy Weber

Distance
5' 5"
Sophomore
Arthur Celestine Jr.

Arthur Celestine Jr.

Hurdles
5' 8"
Freshman
Avianna Carrillo

Avianna Carrillo

Short Sprints
5' 4"
Sophomore
Chelsea Aninyei

Chelsea Aninyei

Jumps
5' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Elijah Yoshinaga

Elijah Yoshinaga

Jumps
6' 0"
Junior
Juliana Base

Juliana Base

Javelin
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Melanie Ceballos

Melanie Ceballos

Jumps
5' 5"
Junior
Kyan Thomas

Kyan Thomas

Jumps
5' 11"
Junior
Owen Pennington

Owen Pennington

Jumps
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Ashraf Abdelmagid

Ashraf Abdelmagid

6' 0"
Senior
Distance
Andrew Castellon

Andrew Castellon

5' 10"
Senior
Distance
Isatu N

Isatu N'Diaye

5' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Distance
Joy Weber

Joy Weber

5' 5"
Sophomore
Distance
Arthur Celestine Jr.

Arthur Celestine Jr.

5' 8"
Freshman
Hurdles
Avianna Carrillo

Avianna Carrillo

5' 4"
Sophomore
Short Sprints
Chelsea Aninyei

Chelsea Aninyei

5' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Jumps
Elijah Yoshinaga

Elijah Yoshinaga

6' 0"
Junior
Jumps
Juliana Base

Juliana Base

5' 8"
Graduate Student
Javelin
Melanie Ceballos

Melanie Ceballos

5' 5"
Junior
Jumps
Kyan Thomas

Kyan Thomas

5' 11"
Junior
Jumps
Owen Pennington

Owen Pennington

5' 8"
Junior
Jumps