Three first place finishes and two school records comprised this week’s group of Big West Track and Field Athletes of the Week.
Cal State Fullerton junior Marcel Espinoza (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica HS) notched Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors as he won the 400 meters at the prestigious Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational. His time of 46.13 seconds set a school record, breaking Darion Zimmerman’s mark of 46.86 from 2017. The time also ranks as the 23rd-fastest in the country and 10th-best in the West Region. Espinoza leads the Big West in the event by .88 of a second. He also ran the anchor leg of the winning 4x400 relay team which finished in a season-best 3:10.11. Espinoza’s ran his split in 46.5.
CSUN senior Sydney Mosley (Pasadena, Calif./Monrovia HS) collected Big West Women’s Track Athlete of the Week accolades for her efforts at the Triton Invitational. She claimed a first-place victory in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.44 seconds. That ties her for No. 19 in the West Region while also ranking her No. 1 in the Big West. It was a personal-best for Mosley and landed her at No. 3 on the CSUN all-time list, just off the record of 13.39 shared by Courtney Robinson and Heather Heron. Mosley also combined with De’Andreah Young, Lena Kandissounon and Briana Gilchrist for a first place showing in the 4x100 relay in 3:42.86. She capped off her participation in the meet with a fifth place finish in the 100 meters (11.98).
Long Beach State sophomore Charlie Vernoy (Ventura, Calif./Ventura HS) unleashed a personal-best throw in the discus that netted him Big West Men’s Field Athlete of the Week distinction. He posted a mark of 186-01 (56.73m) that broke his previous best by nine feet and won the competitive Open section of the Triton Invitational. Vernoy moved into the top spot in the Big West by more than three feet, while also putting him at No. 14 in the West Region and No. 17 nationally. Vernoy also finished in 11th place with a toss of 182-08 (55.67m) in the hammer.
Continuing her impressive senior campaign, UC Irvine’s Barbara Coward (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony HS) nabbed her third Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award this season as she set another school record in the discus. The top collegiate finisher – and sixth overall – at the Triton Invitational, Coward uncorked a personal and program-record best 186-04 in her final attempt in Flight 1. The mark bettered her own school record by 5 feet, 8 inches. She also turned in quality efforts of 183-11 and 181-05 in the finals. Coward dominates the Big West in the event with a lead of more than 18 feet over her closest competitor, and she ranks eighth in the West Region and 10th in all of NCAA Division I.
Others nominated (Men’s Track): Bashiru Abdullahi (CSUN); Max Glasser (UC Davis); Quinn Williams (UC Riverside)
Others nominated (Women’s Track): Kristen LaCosse (Hawai‘i)
Others nominated (Men’s Field): Clint Meyer (CSUN); Jered Española (UC Davis); John Ober (UC Riverside)
Others nominated (Women’s Field): Ty Wallace (CSUN); Erinn Beattie (UC Davis)