SAN FRANCISCO—It's pretty common knowledge that San Francisco is a special place to visit. The Chico State women's track & field team can certainly vouch for that, as the Wildcats' multi-day stay in the City by the Bay resulted in several memorable performances at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. Saturday was no exception, as the 'Cats concluded the three-day event with nine personal best performances, a handful of season-best marks, and a new record in the meet's distance medley in action at Cox Stadium on the campus of San Francisco State.
The Wildcat quartet of Jaclyn Denham, Kelli Vierra, Katie Hawley, and Marissa D'Atri combined to win the distance medley (with legs of 1,200-, 400-, 800-, and 1,600-meters) with a time of 12:07.58, breaking the Mike Fanelli Track Classic's six-year old record in the event by 1.3 seconds. The previous best mark had been held by Stanislaus State since 2016. It also represents a new Chico State record in the event.
Chico State also took top honors in the 4x100-meter relay, as Mckenzie Blair, Chloe Taylor, Savannah Bailey, and Nadia Torkman collectively posted their best time of the season at 48.46 seconds.
Bailey also came within a half-second of scoring an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark while finishing second in the 400-meter dash. Her personal time of 56.51 seconds also moved her up to fifth place on Chico State's all-time 400-meter Top 10 list.
Taylor netted a PR with a third place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, stopping the clock at 1:03.91. She wasn't the only Wildcat who excelled in the event Saturday—Talyn Steffens (1:10.65) and Selina Schillig (1:10.83) recorded season-best times while finishing 13th and 14th, respectively, and Alexis Hinojosa posted a personal best 400-meter hurdle time of 1:11.43 on the way to a 16th place finish.
Hinojosa was Chico State's top performer in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing sixth overall with a PR time of 15.04 seconds. Blair was the first Wildcat to cross the finish line in the 100-meter dash, placing ninth with a time of 12.83 seconds.
Two other Wildcat runners notched a personal best time Saturday. Natalie Muse's 13.31 second effort in the 100-meter dash resulted in a PR and 18th place finish, while Dinin recorded her best-ever time (2:22.90) in the 800-meter run, placing 32nd.
In the handful of field events at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, Torkman finished second in the high jump (1.63 meters), with Steffens matching her personal best with a height of 1.43 meters, resulting in an 11th place finish.
Amy Bell was the Wildcats' highest-flying pole vaulter, placing third at 3.67 meters. Rebecca Graham was right behind Bell in fourth place, with her vault of 3.67 meters representing a personal best mark. Elise Barnum (3.52 meters) finished fifth, while Lara Condosta (3.37 meters) netted an eighth place finish. Carissa Rodriguez placed ninth in the pole vault, matching her PR height of 3.37 meters.
Muse racked up a 10th place finish in the triple jump, with a distance of 10.46 meters.
The Mike Fanelli Track Classic concluded with the always exciting sprint medley, comprising back-to-back 200-meter legs with a 400- and 800-meter leg. Bailey, Danielle Bacon, Kaitlyn Gonzales, and Taylor Lee combined for the 'Cats to post a third place finish in the event with a time of 4:18.46.
The Wildcats will be competing in two meets next week. The heptathlon will be featured Thursday and Friday in Turlock at the Stanislaus State Multis, then the full Chico State women's track & field team will be in the state capital Saturday to take part in the Sacramento State Invitational.
