Track and field competes in Austin, Tex. from May 28 to 30
Several members of the UC Davis men’s and women’s track and field teams are heading to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Regionals beginning today through Saturday. This is coming after second and fifth place finishes in the Big West Championships for the women’s and men’s teams respectively.
UC Davis will be well represented by their pair of senior sprinters, Ashley Marshall and Cekkari Nixon. Marshall, who was named the Big West Track Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive year, will compete in the 100 and 200 meter races. Marshall owns the sixth fastest qualifying time in the 100 meter, which is also the best time in UC Davis history by a significant margin. Nixon is no stranger to the leaderboards, owning the best time in the Aggies record book in the 200 meter. She will be competing alongside Marshall for that race, while helming the Aggies’ charge in the 400 meter.
Sophomore Rianna Goins will race in the second heat of the 800 meter, while senior Racquel Lambdin comes in as one of the top competitors for the 1500 meter. Lambdin, who will be finishing her UC Davis career in the NCAA meets, owns the second best time in Aggie history for both the 800 and 1500 meter. Two more Aggies, junior Erika Barr and sophomore Clara MacLeod, will compete side-by-side in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Sophomore Emma Redick already owns the third best 400 meter hurdle time in UC Davis history and will be competing in the third heat for the Aggies.
The Aggies will also send one relay team to compete in the 4×100 meter race, while two field athletes will hope to make their mark. Senior Katy Barber will participate in the women’s high jump while senior Veronica Smart will be partaking in the second flight of the shot put.
Additionally, five men’s track and field athletes made the journey to Austin to compete after their fifth place finish. Senior Nathan Strum will compete in the 800 meter race after posting the second best time in the event in UC Davis history earlier this year. Junior Trevor Halstead, one of the best long distance runners currently competing for the Aggies, will attempt to make his name known in the 5000 meter while junior Jason Chandler will compete in the 400 meter hurdles.
Two Aggies will represent the men’s team in the field events. Senior Brandon Greenberg will compete in the first flight of the shot put after a stellar year. Meanwhile, senior Ben Parodi will participate in the hammer throw. Parodi currently holds the sixth and seventh place records for UC Davis in the shot put and hammer throw, respectively.
Graphic by Jennifer Wu.
