The University of Redlands men's and women's track & field teams turned in quality marks at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday. The Bulldogs competed well with 14 career-best times in the meet.
Highlighting the men's success, senior Joseph Esparza (Arcata, CA) improved upon his previous best time in the 3000 Steeplechase by winning the race in 9:16.00 for the seventh-best mark in NCAA Division III. Also with a podium finish, sophomore Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) turned in a career-best time of 1:51.30 in the 800 Meters to finish in third place. Cargile now ranks second in the country. In the 400 Hurdles, senior John Pease (Fallbrook, CA) fired off the fastest time of his career at 55.36, which lands him in sixth place at the meet and 24th in the nation.
With career marks in the 5000 Meters, sophomore Quentin Olive-Larson (Fort Collins, CO) and senior Andrew Kargol (Aiea, HI) served as the top finishers for the Bulldogs with times of 15.41.11 and 16.07.78, respectively.
For the women, junior Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) registered the top finish for Redlands with an eighth-place time of 17:48.50 in the 5000 Meters to rank 24th in Division III. Junior Karli Stichter (Tustin, CA) shaved off nearly 20 seconds from her previous best time by stopping the clock in 19:21.24 in 33rd place.
Competing in the 3000 Steeplechase, senior Ellie Ramsey (Waterbury, VT) pushed herself to a career-best finish of 11:32.56 for eighth place, which was a 12-second improvement over her previous standard. She also ranks 21st in the nation.
In the 800 Meters, each of Redlands' three competitors clocked career-best times for a solid showing. Sophomore Desiree Cadena (San Jose, CA) was the Bulldogs' top finisher in 19th place with a time of 2:17.88. First-years Isabella Glenn (Seattle, WA) and Ashlynn Allen (San Bernardino, CA) followed with marks of 2:23.78 and 2:28.46, respectively.
Redlands heads to Whittier College for the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 3 on Saturday, April 13, at 10 a.m.