The recipients of Big West Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors own the conference’s top marks in their respective events.
Cal State Fullerton junior Marcel Espinoza (Eastvale, Calif./East Roosevelt HS) notched Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors with a productive meet at the Titan Team Challenge. Espinoza competed in four events and finished in first place in three of them. He won the 400 meters with a personal-best time of 46.93 seconds, the first time he broke the 47 second barrier. He also contributed to the winning 4x100 (40.33) and 4x400 (3:13.84) relay teams. Espinoza ran the anchor leg on the season-best 40.33 showing in the 4x100, improving upon their top Big West time of 40.54. He also placed third in the 200 meters in 21.47. His 400 meter time is No. 1 in the Big West and 11th in the West Region.
Cal State Fullerton junior Samantha Huerta (La Mirada, Calif./Santa Rosa HS) collected her third Big West Women’s Track Athlete of the Week accolade this season as she continued to excel in the 800 meters. Huerta broke her own school record at the Titan Team Challenge – and posted the nation’s second-fastest time – as she ran a scorching 2:04.33. In addition to ranking No. 1 in the Big West and West Region with that performance, Huerta beat her nearest competitor by nearly seven seconds. Huerta walloped her previous school record time of 2:07.36, which came at the 2018 Titan Team Challenge.
UC Santa Barbara senior Kordell Hampton (San Diego, Calif./Helix HS) nabbed his second Big West Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award in 2019 with a solid performance in the discus at the Stanford Invitational. Hampton uncorked a throw of 175-10 (53.61m) to finish in fifth place overall. The distance put Hampton atop the Big West in that event as well as placing him No. 19 in the West Region.
Long Beach State senior Bria Palmer (Moreno Valley, Calif./Cerritos College) captured Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Week accolades as she registered a season-best and conference-leading mark in the high jump at the Jim Bush Legends Invitational. Palmer cleared 5-09.75 (1.77m) in the high jump to take first place, a mark that puts her in comfortable position to advance to the NCAA West Preliminary in Sacramento in May.
Others nominated (Men’s Track): Gabe Simpson (Long Beach State); Jordy Ceja (UC Davis)
Others nominated (Women’s Track): Sarah Anderson (UC Davis); Hope Bender (UC Santa Barbara); Kristen LaCosse (Hawai‘i)
Others nominated (Men’s Field): Marcel Sylvester (Cal State Fullerton); Charlie Vernoy (Long Beach State); Drake Foote (UC Davis)
Others nominated (Women’s Field): Iesha Hamm (Cal State Fullerton); Erika Contreras (UC Davis); Cassidy Peng (UC Santa Barbara); Alexis Brenzil (Hawai‘i)