Event: Brutus Hamilton Invitational
Where: Berkeley, Calif.
When: Saturday, all-day
Who to watch: Lauren Wallace is having a strong outdoor season.
In the UC Davis Classic, the sophomore from Ukiah, Calif. won the 800 with a time of 2:13.87. A week later at the Johnny Mathis Invitational, she took third in the 400, and ran the third leg for the 4×400 team that took first.
On Picnic Day in front of thousands of spectators, Wallace broke yet another personal record in the 800, ending with a time of 2:11.00.
“This is her first year running the 800,” said women’s coach Deanne Vochatzer. “She keeps on having breakthroughs.”
With wins at the Johnny Mathis Invitational and the Woody Wilson Classic, Wallace has put together all the ingredients to have an exceptional April.
Did you know? The Aggies will get a rare opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best. Several international Olympians will attend the event, including runners Yuriko Kobayashi, Jen Rhines and Amy Begley. Kobayashi and Begley competed in the 2008 Olympics, while Rhines is a three-time Olympian.
Preview: The Aggies look to bring the energy they exhibited in the Woody Wilson Classic to Berkeley, Calif. on Saturday as they attend the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
Yet the strength of competition doesn’t concern the Aggies. This is because one of Cal’s coaches, Erv Hunt, is the man who started the event in honor of Golden Bear legend Brutus Hamilton.
In his 30-year tenure as head coach of Cal’s track team, Hunt guided his men’s teams to a .773 winning percentage as well as close to 250 dual meet victories.
Hunt expressed his admiration of the team ethic at UC Davis, something not always held highly at other schools.
“There’s a real team concept,” Hunt said. “The coaches here try to get a real and complete team. Usually at other schools, that’s not the case. There are holes in a lot of different events.”
The Aggies will look to demonstrate this team chemistry in the final meets before the Big West Conference Championships in May.
– Matt Wang
