DAVIS—Just two full meets into the 2022 season, and the Chico State women's track & field team is already piling up the kind of successes that could result in a truly special year for the program. The Wildcats enjoyed a very productive day in Davis Saturday at the Aggie Open, posting 12 individual personal best marks, nearly as many season-best scores, and two efforts that earned a place in the Chico State history books—one toppling an eight year old school record.
 
Chico State finished in fifth place in the Aggie Open's team standings, with the 47 points earned by the Wildcats the most of any Division II team competing Saturday at Woody Wilson Track on the UC Davis campus.
 
The big story of the day was Amy Bell setting a new program record in the pole vault. Her winning mark of 4.00 meters is not only a personal best for the senior and bettered her NCAA Provisional height of a week ago, it topped Kasey Barnett's school record of 3.99 meters set back in 2014.
 
Another senior, Nadia Torkman, posted a personal best mark of 39.51 meters on the way to a sixth place finish in the Aggie Open's javelin competition. Torkman now owns the 10th-longest javelin distance in the history of Chico State women's track & field.
 
In addition to Bell winning the pole vault competition, Marissa D'Atri took top honors in the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 7:11.79.
 
The quartet of Samantha Brackett, Alyssa Evans, Alexis Hinojosa, and Chloe Taylor delivered the fastest Chico State 4x400-meter relay time so far this year, finishing third Saturday at 3:59.75. Hinojosa, Danielle Bacon, Kaitlyn Gonzales, and Natalie Muse teamed up to record the Wildcats' fastest 4x100-meter relay time in the young 2022 season, stopping the clock at 51.18 seconds.  
 
Thrower Ava Cavallaro scored a personal best in the hammer Friday (42.18 meters, good for 12th place overall), then followed up with another PR Saturday in the shot put (11.78 meters, sixth place). Sara Filter also posted a PR in the hammer Friday with a heave of 35.37 meters, resulting in a 19th place finish.
 
Hinojosa (15.51 seconds) and Taylor (15.60 seconds) both posted personal bests while finishing eighth and ninth, respectively, at the Aggie Open's 100-meter hurdles.
 
While Savannah Bailey was the Wildcats' top finisher in the 200-meter dash (fifth place, 26.03 seconds), Gonzales (ninth place, 26.96 seconds) and Bacon (10th place, 26.99 seconds) each scored PR's in the event.
 
Natalie Dinin was the top 'Cats performer in the 800-meter run, placing ninth with a personal best time of 2:24.52. Elise Barnum's fifth place finish in the pole vault garnered a PR height of 3.50 meters, and Nicole Groteguth delivered a personal best distance of 6.63 meters in the shot put.
 
Among the many season-best marks at the Aggie Open:
 
-- Alana Ochoa in the discus (second place, 40.80 meters)
-- Lara Condosta in the pole vault (eighth place, 3.50 meters)
-- Citlalli Fernandez in the hammer (ninth place, 43.71 meters) and the shot put (19th place, 9.59 meters)
-- Amy Bell in the javelin (13th place, 30.75 meters)
-- Alyssa Evans in the 400-meter hurdles (17th place, 1:13.88) and the 100-meter hurdles (28th place, 19.47 seconds)
-- Sara Filter in the discus (21st place, 28.24 meters) and the shot put (23rd place, 7.05 meters)
 
Top Chico State finishers in various events:
 
-- Nadia Torkman in the high jump (tied for fourth place, 1.60 meters)
-- Taylor Lee in the 400-meter dash (seventh place, 59.99 seconds)
-- Talyn Steffens in the 400-meter hurdles (12th place, 1:11.89)
-- Katie Hawley in the 3,000-meter run (16th place, 10:11.75)
-- Natalie Muse in the 100-meter dash (23rd place, 13.45 seconds)
-- Samantha Brackett in the long jump (23rd place, 4.76 meters)
 
Complete Aggie Open results can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
 
The Chico State women's track & field team is back in action next Friday and Saturday, hosting the Wildcat Invitational at University Stadium.