LOS ANGELES – Double the days of racing gave the Toreros plenty of opportunities to compete in a highly sought-after environment for college track on Thursday and Friday, however, San Diego stepped up to the challenge.
"Two long days on the track can take a lot out of a team," head coach
Will Guarino said. "What I was proud of from our team was how they handled the constant challenges that they faced. This is a weekend of chaos and logistical execution, and many young runners are shaken by the constant waves of energy that it takes to compete in two meets on both days."
A particularly exemplary display came at the Leopard Invitational in La Verne, Calif. from
Lilly Dow's personal best in the 800m (2:19.11) as she won her race with a gritty last 300m kick. Dow also set up the 4x400m squad for an outstanding start as they placed second and ran the third best 400m relay time of all-time for USD.
Rebecca Bronstein raced a season-best 36:55.16 and placed fourth in the 10,000m. Her 10k now places her as sixth best all-time at USD. She ran a well-executed pace race.
Meanwhile, the 1500m women raced with tremendous determination at the highly-touted Bryan Clay Invite in Azusa, Calif.. Junior
Lizzie McVey got fifth in a tight, competitive field that carried her to a 4:43.24 finish. This also marked a personal best and a San Diego 14th all-time performance.
Aryam Jaimes continued to elevate her racing as she finished in ninth place of the 1500m but with a personal best of 4:38.13. This now places her on the eighth-best 1500m in USD history
"We walked out with hard-contested battles, great race placements, and top USD all-time times," said Guarino. "I was happy with the fight that our team had and enjoyed watching them grow as a collective. There are still opportunities, and those areas of growth are what we will handle at our next practices."
The Toreros will be rewarded with a training week before they return to the track at UC Irvine in a couple of weeks' time, for the Steve Scott Invite on Friday, May 2.
