Author: Lizeth Castillo
On Saturday, March 13, the Tigers hosted their first track and field dual meet in over a decade. The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens traveled to Tiger territory for an event that inaugurated the beginning of the annual meet between the two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) rival teams.
Occidental ended the dual meet on a victorious note, dominating both the men’s and women’s events. The women fared 88-69 in their 19 events scored, while the men ended 81-68 in their 18 scored events.
Both schools hope that Saturday’s meet against Pomona-Pitzer will turn into an annual classic rivalry meet, in which a symbolic trophy will be passed between the winners. “The dual meet with Pomona was an excellent establishment for track and field, and I would love to see it continued,” Eric Kleinsasser (sophomore) said. “Hopefully an annual event will generate student interest and attract students to the team.”
On March 12, just a day before the dual meet with Pomona-Pitzer, the Bill Henry Track was the site of the Annual Oxy Distance Carnival. During the event, teams from all divisions congregated and participated in five separate running competitions. Over 600 athletes from SCIAC Division I, II and III teams, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and independent runners partook in the athletic free-for-all.
Notable performances in the women’s races came from Elena Robertson (first-year), who placed fourth in the fourth section of the women’s 800 meter run; Grace Peck (senior), who placed sixth in second round of the 1500 meter run; and Sadie Mohler (sophomore), who placed fourth in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
In the men’s Distance Carnival events, Will Moseley (sophomore) placed third in the 800 meter run and Jon Wheeler (senior) placed fifth; Jeff Ross (sophomore) and Avery Mainardi (first-year) placed third and fourth, respectively, in the second section of the 800 meter run; and Charlie Sauter (first-year) placed second in the first section of the men’s 3000 meter steeplechase.
The season’s enduring success was kicked off with the team’s first SCIAC conference multi-dual meet at Caltech on March 6, in which Caltech, Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer competed alongside Oxy. The women’s team defeated the University of Redlands with a slim 82-81 victory and annihilated the Caltech Beavers, 143-20. This meet proved to be especially trying for the women’s team, according to Andrea Attenasio (first-year). “We only won by a single point, so because it was such a close meet, everyone had to step up and perform their best in order for us to win,” she said.
The men’s team, although able to secure a 116-40 win over Caltech, were unable to come away victorious over the University of Redlands Bulldogs, losing 177-45.As the year unravels, members are looking to build on the established success of the team. “At this point in the season, this year’s team is in one of the best positions to compete that I have seen during my time here,” Sara Hooker (senior) said. “We have a young, talented team that has been stepping up to compete . . . With the second half of the season in front of us, we have promising potential for even greater improvement.”
Since their first dual meet of the season, the teams have collectively fared well and continue to improve as the season progresses. Kleinsasser attributes this steady development to the dedicated coaching staff. “Our coaches have been working to adjust training that will facilitate optimal results for all of us,” he said. “Training is as specific and individualized as possible for every runner, thrower and jumper for every event.”
The women’s and men’s teams’ next competition is at University of California Los Angeles for the Cal-Nevada State Championships on Saturday, March 27.
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