Track and field closes out SCIAC Championships

On day one of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships, junior economics major Derek Amlicke and senior psychology major Lindsey Gray placed first in the pole vault and long jump events, respectively. The second and final day was wrapped up with three first-place finishes: junior business administration major Wyn Smoole in the decathlon, sophomore screen acting major Eva Ndoye in shot put and junior health sciences major Isaac Robin in the triple jump.

Ndoye set a school record of 12.43 meters and broke her own mark from earlier this season. Likewise, Smoole broke his own school record. He placed first in the 100-meter run, high jump, 400-meter run, 110-meter hurdles, pole vault and the 1500-meter run to clinch gold for the decathlon with 6,447 points. 

“I think the most important thing is just trying to be consistent in all of my events,” Smoole said. “If you don’t feel confident in an event, it usually tends not to go well.” 

Smoole said one of the most challenging parts of competing in the decathlon was the physical and mental recovery process between events. Despite the difficulty, he remained composed throughout the competition. 

“It's the biggest meet, and you really just see who can shine under the pressure,” Smoole said.

For Ndoye, the record was no surprise. She said she came into the meet with that objective in mind.

“When I set a goal, I really want to achieve it,” Ndoye said. “Finishing first was really, really rewarding and amazing.”

Ndoye said the team’s chemistry also added to the intensity of SCIAC Championships. 

“Everyone was really supporting each other,” Ndoye said. “I think our program is really strong because we're really all like a big family.”

After two more races designed to give runners one last shot at making the national championship meet, the qualifiers were confirmed. The men's 4x400-meter relay qualified, sending senior environmental science and policy major Mason Fara, Smoole, sophomore business finance major Alex Vasquez and freshman film production major Charley McCarthy to the national meet. Sophomore business finance major Thatch Balady also qualified for the pole vault competition through the Azusa Pacific last chance meet.

The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be May 21 through May 23 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.