Cal Poly picked up three of the weekly Big West honors this week, the second time this season that the Mustangs have been given two of the four awards. The other two accolades were nabbed by athletes from UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
On the track side, Cal Poly's Daniel Gonia and UC Riverside's Brenda Martinez won the Men's and Women's Athlete of the Week honors, respectively.
Gonia, a junior from San Diego, Calif., ran a 28:57.28 in the 10K at the Mt. SAC Relays, the third-best time in Cal Poly history. The time is an NCAA provisional standard and has traditionally gained access to the NCAA Championships in the past.
Martinez, a junior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., ran the 1500 at the Mt. SAC Relays in a Highlander and Big West record 4:14.66, tops amongst collegiate runners and second overall. Her time is the fastest 1500m time for an American this year and the fastest time for a collegian in the nation. This week Martinez will run at the presitigious Drake Relays as the anchor for UCR’s distance relay squads.
The men's field award was presented to two athletes as James Nunno of Cal Poly and Julian Eison of UC Irvine were given the honor. The women's Field Athlete of the Week went to another Mustang as Jenna Homes claimed the accolade.
Nunno, a senior from Templeton, Calif., recorded 7,142 points in the decathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays. The total is second all-time in Mustang program history and is the top point total in the conference.
Eison, a senior from Daly City, Calif., won the high jump with a mark of 2.15m (7-0) at the Mt. SAC Relays. His mark tied his lifetime best set earlier this season and ranks No. 2 in UCI history. Eison is a four-time NCAA-regional qualifier in the high jump.
Homes, a sophomore from Walnut Creek, Calif., cleared the bar at 13-5.25 in the pole vault at the Mt. SAC Relays, winning first place in the process. The mark is the conference’s top result, an NCAA Regional qualifier and is second all-time at Cal Poly.