CHICO – It may be Spring Break for the majority of Chico State students, but there has been no break in the action for the Wildcat men's and women's track & field teams. Fresh off last weekend's successful home meet at University Stadium, the 'Cats, after a solid week of workouts, hit the road this Friday and Saturday to take part in the annual Johnny Mathis Invitational, taking place at Cox Stadium on the San Francisco State campus.
The meet, named after the international singing star who as a youth was a track & field standout at both San Francisco State and the Bay Area's George Washington High School, gets underway Friday at 3 p.m. with the men's and women's hammer throw, followed by a full day of track & field events beginning at 10:30 Saturday morning. In all, 84 Chico State athletes will compete in the Johnny Mathis Invitational.
Fans can keep track of the results online through the Wildcat Athletics website.
CLICK HERE for Johnny Mathis Invitational results.
Kapri Madrid will representative the Wildcat women Friday in the hammer, with Michael Haddorff and Dallas Wilson letting it fly for the men.
Saturday will be a busy day for Phill Bailey and Scott Pater, who are both scheduled to compete in six events, while Lane Andrews is entered in the 100-meter dash, 4x400-meter relay, high jump, long jump and shot put.
Wildcat sprinters competing Saturday include Andrew Aguirre, Chad Baur and Olu Coker (200-meter dash), Geoff Brown (400-meter dash), with Brock Kraus and Chris Sanchez entered in both the 200 and 400. Sean Goetzl, Tristan Lake and Kelly McConnell will join Bailey and Pater in the hurdles, with the majority of sprinters making up multiple 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams.
Alex McGuirk will be the lone Wildcat toeing the starting line Saturday for the men's 1,500-meter run, but no less than 15 Chico State distance runners – McGuirk, Alan Cuevas, Falco DiGilallonardo, Nick Grubiss, Geoff Hull, Barron Maizland, Kyle Medina, Aaron Mora, Omar Pulido, Ryan Rampoldi, Johnny Sanchez, Brandon Taylor, Germay Tesfai, Aaron Thomas and Nick Valenzuela – will take part in the 5,000-meter run.
The men's jumping events will include Brett Crider and Derek Taylor (long jump and triple jump), Colton George, Mikey Macaluso and Ron Taylor (long jump) and Ryan Troudy (high jump). Dalton McBride and Justin Woo are entered in the men's pole vault competition.
Pater and Brian Egge will handle the javelin throw for Chico State, with Haddorff, Wilson and Nick Denton joining Andrews and Bailey in the shot put. Haddorff and Wilson will also compete in Saturday's discus competition.
On the women's side, the 'Cat sprinters that are set to compete include Aja Erskine, Marina Berrios and September Rodriguez (200, 400), Kristen Brunk, Ashley Jones, Kayla Lawson and Taylor Walker-Wimberly (100, 200), and Kylie Herman, Ruby Davis (100) and Brooke Whitburn (200).
The Wildcats will be out in force for the hurdle events, with Emily Denton, Tibire Edwards, Tori Mason and Jenavieve Turner all running in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. Chico State will let loose two 4x100-meter relay teams (Walker-Wimberly, Jones, Erskine and Davis, and Lawson, Berrios, Rodriguez and Aryana Carvalho-Mires) and four 4x400-meter relay teams.
Chico State distance runners competing in the Johnny Mathis Invitational include Madison Grenier and Morgan McFaddin in the 800-meter run; Jacquie Adams, Bailey Henshaw and Lora James in the 1,500, and Adams, Alex Burkhart, Katie Coleman, Hannah Dorman, Julie Finn, Sadie Gastelum, Montana Loveday, Danielle Oden, Quetta Peinado, Jessica Varela, Kayla Vasquez and Olivia Watt in the 5k.
In addition to Whitburn, Dominique Powell will represent Chico State in the high jump, with Davis, Carvalho-Mires, Herman, Jessa Gansberg and Melanie O'Brien entered in the long jump and Davis, Carvalho-Mires and Zoe Hunt-Murray in the triple jump. The Wildcats will feature Morgan Madigan and Annelise Spargo in the pole vault.
The women's javelin will be handled by Brunk, O'Brien and Carvalho-Mires, with Madrid, Jami Duarte and Kelsey Short competing for the 'Cats in the discus. Duarte, Herman, Whitburn and Short are entered in the shot put.
