Chico State 4x100, others reach provisional marks

CHICO, Calif. -- Athletes circled the University Stadium track for six hours at the Chico State Twilight Invitational on Saturday. It took Joey Johnson, J Patrick Smith, Theodore Elsenbaumer and John Brunk just 41.15 seconds to provide one of the night’s biggest highlights: the sixth fastest 400-meter relay in school history.

The quartet’s winning time is an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and the fastest by a Chico State squad in 13 years.

Four other Wildcats also grabbed provisional qualifying marks: Alex McGuirk and Dayne Gradone in the 1,500 and Hakeem Dyson and Sean Goetzl in the 110 hurdles.

Dyson dominated the preliminaries and finals. However, his teammate stole the show in the event. Sean Goetzl joined Dyson on the NCAA provisional qualifying and Chico State all-time top 10 lists with a 14.58 PR. That’s the fifth fastest time in school history (Dyson sits atop that list.)

McGuirk won the 1,500 Invitational in 3:50.89 and Gradone finished fourth in 3:51.81. Both times are personal records (PRs), as were Germay Tesfai’s seventh-place time of 3:53.38 and Aaron Thomas’ 12th-place time of 3:58.69.

There were PRs aplenty in the seeded 1,500 race as well. Aaron Mora won the event in 3:59.75. Chico State athletes took the first three spots and seven of the first eight. Six did so while setting new PRs. Rogan Meza was second (4:00.58-PR), Johnny Sanchez (4:00.97-PR) third, Andrew Cobourn fifth (4:04.74-PR), Andrew Overton sixth(4:05.20-PR), Alan Cuevas seventh (4:05.84) and Geoff Hull eighth (4:06.21-PR).

Johnson and Chad Baur set new personal standards in the 200 meters. Johnson finished second in 10.75 seconds and Baur eighth. His 10.83 qualifying time was his fastest ever. Baur also PR’d in the 200 meters, finishing sixth in 22.45.

Nick Sloggy won the 400 dash in 49.44 and finished second in the 200 in 22.23.

Elsenbaumer won the 400 hurdles in 54.02 and Sam Peters finished second with a PR of 54.69.

Inside of the track the Wildcats tore up the field events as well. Dallas Wilson scored PRs in the shot put (49-feet-5.75) and discus (153-7) while Derek Nichols finished third in the discus with his own PR of 158-6.

Derek Taylor’s triple-jump of 46-9 was good for fourth place and a PR. Brunk’s 15-feet-1 clearance in the pole vault matched his PR and won the event.