TUCSON, Ariz. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV track & field team concluded its regular season at the Arizona-hosted Desert Heat Classic highlighted by a program record in the 3,000m and multiple personal best performances at Drachman Stadium.
The headline of the meet for the Rebels came from the distance squad, as senior Natalia Ruiz shattered a 25-year-old program record in the 3000m, clocking an impressive 9:39.34 to finish second overall. The performance eclipses the previous school mark set by Katie Barto in 2000.
In the field events, Grace Cunningham cleared 1.79m (5' 10.5") in the high jump to tie for sixth, while Erin Thompson tied for 18th with a clearance of 1.59m (5' 2.5"). Lauryn Williams also had a standout day, setting a personal best of 47.80m (156' 10") in the hammer throw.
Juliana Roberson contributed on multiple fronts, leaping a personal best 5.71m (18' 8.75") to place second in her flight of the long jump and later earning ninth place in the triple jump finals with a mark of 12.25m (40' 2.25").
The Rebels also had a strong presence in the throws, with Krishna Jayasankar (51.25m, 168' 1") and Roxene Simpson (50.10m, 164' 4") placing fourth and seventh, respectively, in the discus. Sophia Clark also contributed a solid mark of 42.76m (140' 3").
On the track, personal bests continued to roll in. Sadia Green led the 400m contingent with a career-best 55.74, followed by Malika Mashack clocking a personal-best of 57.15 and Jayda Bushay (57.23). In the 200m, Gabriella Caldwell blazed to a personal best of 24.43, while Green (24.77), Kaelin Gowdy (24.92), Mashack (25.10), Aja Melo-Powell (25.94) and Jada Lujan (28.48) rounded out the evening sprint performances.
Middle distance efforts were highlighted by Autumn Viscardo's personal best of 2:23.79 in the 800m. Leah Okuda posted a 2:21.60 in the same race, while Claire Rands closed out the evening with a 4:47.13 finish in the 1500m, placing 27th overall.
UP NEXT:
UNLV will take a week off before competing in the Mountain West Outdoor Championships in Clovis, California May 15-17.
To get updates on all things Rebel track & field, links to the season's meets can be found on the team's schedule page. You can also get live updates on how the Scarlet & Gray are faring on the team's X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram accounts.
