UC Riverside
Big West Championships
Track & Field Impresses at Big West Championships
5/16/2026 6:24:00 PM | Track and Field
Multiple Big West titles highlight championship weekend
LONG BEACH, Calif. - UC Riverside completed its Big West season this weekend at the Big West Championships at Long Beach State's Jack Rose Track.
DAY ONE
Addison Hackett picked up UCR's first points of the weekend with a sixth-place finish in the women's hammer throw (54.11m/177' 6"). The first-year Highlander surpassed her mark from this year's Chris Rinne Invitational for a new collegiate best.
Yuchua Yang improved his No. 7 all-time mark on the men's side.
Baptiste Garderes picked up the next three points with a 9:04.82 in the 3000 meter steeplechase for third all-time. Isatu N'Diaye (4:37.90) and Morgan Nygren (4:32.65) both qualified later on for the 1500m, as did Maxwell Jefferson (14.44) and Arthur Celestine Jr. (14.41) in the men's 110 meter hurdles.
Aaron Fruge (7.57m/24' 10") and Chelsea Aninyei (6.08m/19' 11.50") grabbed the Highlanders' first all-Big West honors of the weekend in men's and women's long jump.
Fruge, Kazu Kimura, Elijah Yoshinaga, and Addae Ma'at combined for 16 points in the long jump to put the UCR men in third.
Kimura later won UC Riverside's first-ever Big West men's or women's high jump title with a mark of 2.12m/6' 11.5" for third all-time.
The Highlanders also placed multiple qualifiers into Saturday's short sprints finals towards the end of day one. Andrew Garcia (47.80) and Mallik Bolton (47.85) advanced in the 400m while Mercy Ehiemere (54.33) did so with a heat win.
Jacoby Madise (10.47) made the cut in the 100m while Natalia Carrillo (11.62) and Raykiyat Olukoju (11.69) made the women's cut. Olukoju also made her fourth straight 200m with a heat win (23.41).
DAY TWO
Men's (2) and women's (5) 4x100m relays each scored to kick off day two, while Morgan Nygren picked up a team point in the 1500m. Mallik Bolton (1) and Mercy Ehiemere (2) also scored in the 400m.
Celestine Jr. improved his 400 meter hurdle time with a 52.76 in the finals. The sophomore moved up to ninth all-time while scoring in his second event (110 meter hurdle).
Raykiyat Olukoju picked up six points in sprints, five from the 200m and one from the 100m.
Joy Weber finished seventh in the women's 5000m in 17:07.73 at a pace of 1:22.22 for two points. Camryn Alo cracked 10th all-time with a 47.64m/156' 3" in the women's discus.
Both 4x400m relays scored to end the track portion of the Big West Championships, and triple jump capped off the weekend with a bang. Chelsea Aninyei captured the triple jump title while Andrew Robinson earned All-Big West.
UCR will await its qualifiers for the NCAA West Regionals in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
