CHICO, Calif. — Powered by a standout performance in the field and a series of podium finishes on the track, the Jessup University track and field program secured a third-place team finish at the Chico Invitational on Saturday.
With 61 total points, the Warriors showcased their depth across the board, highlighted by Aurora Osburn's individual title in the triple jump.
Aurora Osburn provided the highlight of the day in the women's triple jump, where she claimed first place with a mark of 10.61m, adding 10 points to the Jessup tally. Osburn also contributed in the high jump, clearing 1.35m to finish eighth. On the men's side, Rogelio San Miguel was a major force in the jumps, securing a third-place podium finish in the high jump by clearing 2.00m and adding a sixth-place finish in the triple jump at 12.62m.
The Warriors' throwers delivered consistently heavy marks throughout the afternoon. Shiloh Vallejos led the women's group with a stellar second-place finish in the shot put (11.66m) and a sixth-place finish in the hammer throw (30.79m). Vallejos also added a point in the javelin with a ninth-place throw of 25.96m and competed in the discus (11th, 24.38m).
For the men, James Brooks earned a hard-fought point in the shot put with a ninth-place mark of 12.31m, while also competing in the hammer throw. Lucas Patterson rounded out the throwing efforts, placing 11th in the discus (38.54m), 17th in the shot put, and 19th in the hammer. In the horizontal jumps, Ethan Poirier finished 11th in the long jump with a mark of 6.16m.
The hurdles proved to be another high-scoring area for Jessup. Ephraim Schmidt captured a runner-up finish in the men's 400m hurdles, crossing the line in 57.63 to earn eight points. In the women's 100m hurdles, Jocelyn Pedretti battled into the finals to take fourth place with a time of 15.89. Pedretti also contributed to the high jump scoring with a fifth-place clearance of 1.45m. Joining her in the hurdles were Kayla Carpenter (11th, 19.49) and Jaylee Hameister (13th, 20.24).
In the short sprints, Noah Sasaki led the men's efforts with a 14th-place finish in the 100m (11.16) and a 12th-place finish in the 200m (22.58). Ethan Poirier also competed in the 100m, finishing 39th. For the women, Erica Waseq reached the finals of the 100m dash, finishing seventh with a time of 12.68. Kimora Hill-Brown (18th, 13.59) and Hope Garten (20th, 14.48) also turned in solid times in the 100m, while Hill-Brown added a 16th-place finish in the 200m.
The mid-distance crew saw points from both Angela Gladysh and Mary Stuart in the 800m. Gladysh finished eighth in 2:22.45, while Stuart followed in 10th with a 2:23.64. Both runners also competed in a massive 1500m field, where Gladysh placed 18th (4:54.99) and Stuart took 20th (4:55.46). They were joined in the 1500m by Madison Sutton (37th, 5:10.61) and Juliet David (50th, 5:29.06).
In the men's events, Antonio Leal cracked the top ten in the 400m dash, finishing 10th with a time of 50.95. Travis Brown anchored the long-distance efforts in the 5000m, finishing 11th overall in 17:29.64. Oscar Duncan also represented the Warriors on the track, placing 31st in the 200m.
The Warriors closed the day on the track with the men's 4x400m relay team. The quartet worked together to secure an eighth-place finish, crossing the line in 3:32.78 to cap off the team's scoring for the invitational.
With a successful third-place finish in the books, Jessup will carry this momentum into their next outing at the Aggie Open on March 21st.
