The Cal State Bakersfield men's and women's track and field program is just days away from the first official meet of the 2024 season as they travel to Long Beach for the Beach Opener this Friday and Saturday. Notable school's competing in the meet includes UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, USC, Pepperdine, Azusa Pacific, and Loyola Marymount.
CSUB at Beach Opener - Friday-Saturday, Mar. 1-2, All Day
- On the men's side, the throwers will lead the way with Matthew Garrett, Axel Salazar, and newcomer Emanuel Salazar set to compete on Friday in the hammer throw and will return on Saturday for the shot put.
- Big West Runner-Up in the shot put Tom Richardson, will miss the season due to shoulder surgery but will return next year for Bakersfield. Last year, the men's hammer throw group was ranked 22nd in the nation for the event.
- Garrett is coming back ranked #9 all-time in the shot put and #11 in the hammer throw.
- Other notable men to watch are Skyblue Gonzales (sprints), Kenny Rugnao (sprints), and Jacob Yagers (distance). Gonzales had a breakout season last year where he improved his 400m time by two seconds.
- The women's team features Jessi Solis, she was CSUB's top finisher the entire indoor season Solis holds the #4 mark for the weight throw after a great indoor season. She looks to transition into the hammer throw for outdoor competition.
- Julia Stein and Jaztyn Greer will compete in both hurdle events and the 4x400m relay-race. Both women are ranked in the to 20 for program history.
- Julie Johnson is set to compete in the 400m. Johnson set the indoor school record for the 400m.
- Nerissa Thompson is ready for the 100m and 200m events, she is coming off big improvements during the indoor season. Thompson is ranked #10 all-time in program history for the 100m.
- For the women's distance events, Helena Valentic has led the charge since becoming a Roadrunner. Valentic is ready to race the 3,000m after dealing with a foot injury the last couple of months.
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