SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy track and field teams turned in a strong performance highlighted by multiple event victories and several career-best marks Saturday afternoon at the Sea Lion Invite in San Diego, Calif., at the PLNU Track & Field Complex.
 
"It was a great opportunity to come out here and spend some time training and competing," Navy Director of Track & Field Jamie Cook said. "It was a very successful trip and we [the coaching staff] were very excited to get the group acclimated to the outdoor season and leave the meet very happy."
 
"It's hard to expect much in your first outdoor meet but we were very fortunate to have good weather and the kids took advantage of it," Cook added. "There was some good and some bad but overall, everyone came out with a good attitude. We can't wait to get back to Annapolis and get back to work."
 
Track Events
The track events began with the men's 4x100-meter relay team of Marcel Jackson, Nathan Kent, Jonah Johnson and Tyler Yurich, which won the race with a time of 39.87, the sixth-fastest mark in Navy program history.
 
Kent later claimed the Mids' second track victory of the day in the 400 meters, posting a winning time of 47.15. Conor McFadden finished fifth with a time of 49.20, while Nick Simmons placed sixth in 50.26.
 
Kent added another victory in the 200 meters, winning the event in 21.12. Jackson recorded a career-best time of 21.51 to finish third, Fabian France placed fourth in 21.54 and Yurich followed in fifth with a time of 21.56.
 
Jackson also led Navy in the 100-meter dash, placing second in 10.49, while Yurich finished third in 10.56. France rounded out the Midshipmen competitors with a seventh-place finish in 10.78.
 
On the women's side, the 4x100-meter relay quartet of Savannah Swanda, Samaria Williams, Bennett Pidro and ChiChi Obasi placed third with a time of 47.71.
 
Freshmen Jason Keiser and Michael Wilkerson led Navy in the 110-meter hurdles, tying for second place with identical times of 14.44, just behind San Diego Mesa's Sterling Bryant, who won the race in 14.43.
 
"We had a few days to work with them [freshman hurdlers] while we were here on getting use to running 10 hurdles as opposed to five during the indoor season," Cook said. "They did a good job on getting use to the demands of college track and field. It's tough to be your best at the tail end of a hard training week."
 
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Caroline Rey led the Midshipmen with a third-place finish in 14.46, while Jia Anderson placed fifth with a time of 14.60. Pidro added a seventh-place performance in 14.90.
 
Rey later returned to the track to finish second in the 100-meter dash, posting a career-best time of 12.05.
 
In the women's 400 meters, Sophia Richter finished third with a time of 57.36, while Swanda placed sixth in 58.35.
 
The Midshipmen also had a strong showing in the men's 400-meter hurdles, led by David Walker, who won the event in 53.94. Ayden Henley finished third with a time of 54.10, while Keiser placed fifth in 55.08. Wilkerson recorded a seventh-place time of 55.46, while Jordan Wolverton and Jamison Scott finished ninth and 10th with times of 55.70 and 56.38, respectively.
 
In the women's 400-meter hurdles, Sara McConnell led four Navy competitors with a sixth-place finish in 1:04.51. Sophia Notaro placed seventh in 1:05.49, Morgan Blackford finished eighth in 1:05.73 and Peighton Marrero placed ninth in 1:05.79.
 
Swanda later added a third-place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 25.08. Pidro placed seventh in 25.48, while Williams finished 10th with a time of 25.66.
 
Field Events
Navy opened the field events with an impressive performance in the men's hammer throw, highlighted by Aaron Spears, who won the event with a career-best mark of 58.30 meters (191-3), surpassing his previous best of 50.94 meters (167-1). Cooper Hydock placed fourth with a throw of 53.80 meters (176-6), while Merrick Hocking, Adam Szatanek and Hunter-Robbins Mann finished sixth, seventh and ninth with marks of 49.13 meters (161-2), 48.02 meters (157-6) and 45.75 meters (150-1), respectively.
 
In the women's high jump, Zoie Tesi tied the sixth-best mark in program history to win the event after clearing 1.75 meters (5-8.75). Farrah Eike finished fourth with a clearance of 1.65 meters (5-5), while Sarah Spahr placed sixth at 1.55 meters (5-1).
 
Tesi captured her second victory of the day in the triple jump, recording a mark of 12.28 meters (40-3.50), the fourth-best mark in program history. Notaro finished fourth with a jump of 11.56 meters (37-11.25), while Eike placed sixth with a mark of 10.84 meters (35-6.75).
 
In the men's long jump, William Pierce posted the winning leap of 7.24 meters (23-9), while Gary Choice III finished third with a mark of 6.84 meters (22-5.25).
 
Choice III also placed third in the triple jump with a distance of 13.35 meters (43-9.75).
 
Mann led the Midshipmen in the men's shot put, placing seventh with a throw of 15.40 meters (50-6.25). Hayden Overgaard followed with a 10th-place toss of 15.18 meters (49-9.75).
 
The women's shot put was led by Julia Norris, who finished fifth with a throw of 13.54 meters (44-5.25). Gretchen Hurt placed sixth with a mark of 13.37 meters (43-10.50), while Nalina Smith finished seventh with a throw of 13.34 meters (43-9.25).
 
Navy also swept the pole vault events. On the women's side, Sophia Hill won her first outdoor event after clearing 3.67 meters (12-0.50), while Elisa Ramos tied for fourth with a clearance of 3.52 meters (11-6.50).
 
In the men's pole vault, Brian Schloeder won the event with a mark of 5.13 meters (16-10). Cooper Wakley finished third with a clearance of 4.80 meters (15-9), while Adam Bell placed fourth at 4.65 meters (15-3).
 
The men's discus closed out the field events as Szatanek recorded a career-best throw of 48.72 meters (159-10) to place fifth. Mann finished eighth with a toss of 45.54 meters (149-5), Patrick Thompson placed ninth with a mark of 44.10 meters (144-8) and Spears finished 10th with a throw of 41.45 meters (136-0).
 
In the women's discus, Norris highlighted the event with a third-place throw of 47.85 meters (157-0), which ranks as the 10th-best mark in program history. Hurt also competed in the event and recorded a mark of 38.18 meters (125-3).
 
Navy returns to the East Coast next week when it competes at the Virginia Opener in Charlottesville, Va., next Saturday.