Track breaks records, finishes No. 2

photo by Peter Schupmann

Freshman Lakia Sims runs the first leg in the women's 4x100 meter relay team. At the SCIAC championships on Monday, La Verne placed second behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with a time of 48.63 seconds. That time ranks ULV 15th among Division III schools as they head into the National Championships in St. Paul, Minn. on May 23. ULV also placed second overall behind CMS in SCIAC competition, setting many provisional qualifying times in women's events.

by Amanda Egan
Staff Writer

The University of La Verne men and women's track and field team broke records and placed an impressive second overall in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships on Monday at Frank Burns Track Complex in Claremont.

The meet consisted of all eight SCIAC competitors and gave the athletes a chance to improve against their conference rivals, one last time.

ULV put up a good showing; several athletes were on top in their individual events.

ULV's women did all of the record breaking.

Junior Dejuana Satchell placed first in the women's 100 meters with a time of 12:12.

Satchell not only outran her competition on Monday, but also outran all competition from years before as she gained the fastest time ever at a SCIAC championships meet.

Records kept breaking as the night went on when Leti Arroyo came in first in the women's 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:43.94.

Arroyo was the first La Verne runner ever to win a long distance race.

Junior Liz Lucsko placed first in the long jump, with 5.43 meters and the triple jump, with 11.50 meters.

Lucsko also placed second and broke a ULV school record in the women's 100-meter low hurdles with a time of 14.97.

"I was amazed after I finished my race and I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that I had broken 15," she said.

The men were also highly successful, both as a team and individually.

Dimitri Watson placed first in the men's 200 meter with a time of 21.77.

Watson, Eric Thomas, Will Lawson and Brandon Jones were each part of the winning 4x400 meter relay team that placed first with a time of 3:17.56.

Lawson also placed first individually in the 400 meters, 48.72 and in the 400 meter hurdles, 53.05.

"My goal was to get all conference in four events," junior Brandon Tedrow said. "I did, so I am pleased."

Tedrow finished ahead of the field, gaining first place in the men's discus throw.

He scored in the top four in his four other events.

"Overall this was a good season, I was consistent in all of my events," Tedrow said.

Tedrow provisionally qualified for Nationals in the discus and has automatically qualified in the decathlon.

He is also ranked in the top five nationally.

La Verne has finished SCIAC competition and earned a second place spot in the conference.

"Next year we have a lot better shot at gaining first in conference," Tedrow said. "We have many people returning and good athletes being recruited. It will be our best chance."

The men's and women's track and field teams will compete in an invitational at UC Irvine tomorrow.

In two weeks will travel to St. Paul, Minn., to compete in Nationals.