Cal Track and Field: Bears Women Are Strong and Fast at Brutus Hamilton Invite
Camryn Rogers extended her own NCAA-leading mark in the women’s hammer throw and four of her fastest Cal teammates eclipsed an 18-year-old school record in the women’s 4x100 relay at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Edwards Stadium on Saturday.
Rogers and teammate Anna Purchase also pulled off a first by collegiate women teammates.
Rogers, who represented Canada at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, threw a season-best 74.80 meters (245 feet, 5 inches), which bettered the previous 2022 world-leading mark of 74.40 by Finland’s Krista Tervo.
But Rogers, the two-time defending NCAA champion in the event, did not take over the global lead because American Brooke Andersen recorded a mark of 77.26 (253-6) on Saturday at the Sun Angel Classic at Tempe, Arizona.
Rogers finished fifth at the Olympics last summer while Andersen — a 26-year-old graduate of Northern Arizona — was 10th.
Purchase, was second in the event at Brutus Hamilton, recording her third straight personal-best throw of 70.36 meters (231-8), which improves her No. 2 ranking on Cal’s all-time lists and elevates her to No. 3 in the NCAA this season.
According to Cal, Rogers and Purchase became the first teammates in NCAA history each to record mark of at least 70 meters in the women’s hammer at the same meet.
Purchase, who improved her best by more than nine feet, also logged the second-longest hammer throw ever by a female athlete from Great Britain. She ranks No. 17 on the yearly world list. But Purchase needs to throw 72.50 meters to qualify for this summer's world championships, joining Rogers at the meet in Eugene, Oregon.
On the track, the foursome of Jada Hicks, Ezinne Abba, Maisie Stevens and Aysha Shaheed completed the 4x100 relay in 44.25 seconds to erase the Cal record of 44.45, set in 2004.
Abba, already the school-record holder in the 100 meters, ran the 200 in a personal-best the of 22.99 to rank second all-time at Cal, first among non-altitude times.
In other top performances by the Bears:
— Ivan Moisander won the men’s hammer with a personal-best throw of 66.40 meters (217-10) to climb to No. 4 on Cal’s all-time list.
— NCAA leader and school-recordholder Mykolas Alekna, a freshman from Lithuania, won men’s discus with a throw of 64.97 (213-2). He had four throws over 200 feet. Iffy Joyner finished second at 60.87 (199-8) as the Bears swept the top six places.
— Freshman Tyler Burns finished second in the pole vault with a personal best of 5.21 meters (17 feet, 1 inch), which ties him for No. 8 in program history. His father, Brent Burns, has held Cal’s school record of 5.70 meters (18-8 1/4) since 1992.
— The men’s 4x100 relay team of Kamau Carlisle, George Monroe, Christian Catlin and David Foster won in a season-best 40.05.
— In the men’s shot put, senior Josh Johnson won in a season-best of 19.63 (64-5), leading a Cal sweep of the top five places.
— Cal went 1-2 in the women’s shot, led by winner Amelia Flynt with a best of 15.91 (52-2 1/2).
Cover photo of Ezinne Abba passing the baton to Maisie Stevens in the 4x100 relay by Marcus Edwards, KLC fotos
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo