Sheila SobchikThe Cal Poly track and field team will send 15 athletes to compete at the NCAA West Regional Meet at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., today through Saturday.
The men’s team will be led by Cal Poly’s Male Athlete of the Year, junior distance runner Phillip Reid, who broke the Big West Conference Championships meet record in the 1,500-meter run May 12. He finished in 3 minutes, 42.54 seconds to eclipse the 1978 mark set by former UC Irvine runner Steve Scott – a future three-time Olympian – by more than a second. Reid’s time was the third-best in school history.
Reid will be joined by Matt Johnsrud and Evan Anderson in the 1,500 after they finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the conference championships in addition to earning regional qualifying times.
The men’s team finished third in conference behind Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara.
Cal Poly distance coach Mark Conover was impressed with his team’s performance, especially in the “deepest year ever for our conference.”
Troy Swier will be the lone Mustang representative in the 5,000 after placing fourth in the Big West with a time of 14:44.43.
“Everyone is in a really good spot right now in terms of their fitness levels,” Conover said. “With the right race, we could have a whole group moving on.”
Cal Poly senior men’s javelin thrower Aris Borjas will look to add another milestone to his career this weekend. He already owns the best four throws in school history.
Junior Sharon Day will continue her dominant season after winning the conference title in the high jump with a leap of 6-0 1/2.
The Mustang women also took the top two spots in the 800 and triple jump. Lea Wallace and Cassie Atkinson snagged regional qualifying times in the 800 and Jessica Eggleston and Caitlin Schields took over the triple jump.
Conover is hoping the aura surrounding one of the most historic venues in track and field will have a positive impact on his athletes.
“Hayward Field is really a special place for middle- and long-distance events,” Conover said. “Eugene is one of the few cities in the country that really embraces track and field.”