Kasselstrand and Nichols Capture Wins; Lead Men to Victory at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. - CSU Bakersfield junior Derek Kasselstrand won the weight throw and junior Ryan Nichols edged out teammate Michael Davis in the 55 meter dash on Friday at the Fresno State Run for the Dream indoor track and field meet. Those performances lifted the Roadrunner men to a team victory while the women's squad turned in several season–best performances.

Kasselstrand's mark of 59–01.25 on his fifth attempt landed him top honors in the weight throw. Senior Ryan Lucker ran a season–best 4:32.08 in the mile to place second overall. Teammate Jose Orozco also had a season–low time of 4:34.27, finishing two spots behind Lucker in fourth place. Davis, ran consecutive 6.39s in the 55 meter dash races on the day. He was the top qualifier heading into the finals when Nichols, who ran an identical 6.39 in the finals, clipped him, giving CSUB a 1–2 finish. In the 800 meters, senior Daniel Hernandez place third in 2:05.33. Junior Jose Lopez and senior Eddie Lee finished in second and third in the 3,000 meter run, recording times of 9:09.94 ad 9:18.04, respectively.

On the women's side, freshman Cecilia Lopez ran a season–best 2:29.96 to place fourth in the 800 meters. Junior Casey Glassey also placed fourth in the 5,000 meters (19:22.13) and was followed two places later by classmate Johanna Montes (20:43.97) in sixth. In the one mile run, junior Arianna Celis ran a season–low 5:21.25 to finish seventh, followed by senior Sara Mijwel who was ninth in 4:34.27. Senior Sheena Cooper was eighth in the 55 meter dash with a time of 7.29.

“I thought today we competed well,” said Head Coach Alan Collatz. “Our sprinters in the 55 meters did very well and I was also pleased with our performance in the weight throw on the men's side. I was very happy with the way we competed. We are just continuing to get better every weekend so that is a very positive sign.”

Up next, CSUB heads back to Flagstaff, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 13, for the Northern Arizona Invitational. After that, outdoor season begins with the Lee Adams Open on the CSUB track on Saturday, Feb. 20.

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