NCAA Division 1 indoor runner-up in women’s pole vault opens outdoor season with victory in final collegiate home meet; Thomas, Wilson and Brazil’s dos Santos all win multiple individual events

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

Perhaps San Diego State’s most decorated current track and field athlete, Bonnie Draxler says the reality of being a fifth-year senior hasn’t completely set in.

Draxler, though, continues to leave everything on the field, and that included her final competition on her home track.

The four-time Mountain West indoor pole vault champion and recent NCAA Division 1 runner-up in Birmingham, Ala., Draxler won that event in the elements Saturday at the 41st Aztec Invitational Track and Field meet, missing the meet record by one centimeter, or a half-inch, and defeating a solid field that included Brazilian Juliana Campos and teammate Marissa Berry.

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Draxler cleared 14 feet, 2 inches (4.32m) for the win and the collegiate outdoor lead, hours after being one of the San Diego State athletes honored for senior day.

“Kind of crazy,” she said. “We had our senior day presentation. I don’t really think it’s really hit me yet that I’m a senior, but it’s been such a great time here at San Diego State.”

Campos placed second by clearing 13-10 (4.22m). Having the Brazilian team in San Diego was a plus, Draxler said.

“It was really fun,” she said. “I love competing here. I love representing San Diego State. Our meet is getting bigger and bigger each year.”

While Draxler enjoyed a triumphant victory, five other invitational athletes Saturday were double winners, including three who secured a pair of individual victories.

Perhaps the most unexpected was Adams State senior Kandace Thomas, who competed unattached.

Thomas won the 100 meters and the long jump, with the 100 victory coming in the most anticipated event of the day, even after Olympian Tori Bowie did not compete. Thomas surged at the line, giving the NCAA Division 2 program a 1-2 finish, as she ran 11.33 seconds, with teammate Dianna Johnson second in 11.48. Oregon had four of the next five finishers.

Her victory in the long jump was also impressive at 20-0.50 (6.11m).

“I love it, just to see where I’m at for the season,” said Thomas, who won the 200 (23.57) and took second in the 60 (7.26) on March 9 at the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships in Kansas.

“I love the competition. It just gives me another boost out there.”

Oregon senior Cravon Gillespie already looked like he had one. He ran the second leg of the Ducks’ winning 4x100 relay team (39.33) – joining Rieker Daniel, Spenser Schmidt and Oraine Palmer – before later overwhelming an international field to win the 100 in a wind-aided 10.04 seconds.

The mark would’ve set a meet and facility record, but it just missed being wind-legal. It also would’ve tied a personal best for him as he looks to break the 10-second barrier.

“Just coming off indoor running 6.5 (in the 60), I know that I’m able to eventually go sub-10,” said Gillespie, who prepped in Southern California at Monrovia High and Mt. San Antonio College.

“So to have my family here, come out here and to finally get some sun, it was great.”

German-born Arizona junior Karolina Pahlitzsch owned the quarter-mile Saturday, rallying and then holding off a late kick by Kansas State’s Ranae McKenzie to win the 400 in 53.83.

“Right now, we’re practicing on the last 100 meters to have a strong finish,” Pahlitzsch said. “I didn’t really get into the race until, like, 250 (meters), so I was like, ‘I just have to run and catch them.’”

Given that, she noted progress she’s seen in herself since a year ago.

“Last year,” she said, “I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Later, she anchored the Wildcats 4x400 relay team of Tatum Waggoner, Shannon Meisberger and Neysia Howard to a victory in 3:38.10.

UCLA sophomore Alyssa Wilson doubled with wins in the hammer throw with a meet-record 223-5 (68.11m) and shot put with a mark of 52-10.75 (16.12m). That should have come as no surprise, since the New Jersey native was an All-American in both events last season.

Wilson also placed second in the discus in 61-10.5 (56.58m) after fouling on her first two attempts.

“Nerves caught me in the beginning,” she said, “and then I was able to pull out 56.58.”

The marks in the hammer and discus were both personal bests.

“Definitely coming away with two huge PRs, I am excited about that and what the rest of the season holds,“ she added.

Brazilian Alison dos Santos was the other double winner, topping the men’s 400 meters (47.22) and the 400 hurdles (52.51).

As for teams Saturday, Oregon made its outdoor debut and again looked strong.

Ducks athletes won seven events. The team of Venessa D’Arpino, Brianna Duncan, Iman Brown and Jasmin Reed made it a clean sweep in the 4x100 relay with an easy win 43.82.

Freshman Emily Sloan squeaked out a win over Kansas State’s Ariel Okorie (13.78 to 13.79) in the 100 hurdles, sophomore Keira McCarrell prevailed in the women’s javelin with a throw of 160 feet (48.78m) and Jackson Van Vuren punctuated his javelin victory with a sixth-round throw of 223-6 (68.13m).

Eric Edwards Jr. was Oregon’s other winner, easing to a 100 hurdles victory in 14.08. He’d rather not have eased to it, though.

“I really wanted to get under 14 today, especially with my first meet back,” he said. “I haven’t competed since late January. …

“I felt a little uncomfortable,” Edwards added. “I was a little nervous, which is not usual of me. Not a clean race at all, a lot of things to work on in practice, but we’ve got time.”

Arizona claimed five victories, with three on the men’s side.

Jordan Geist triumphed in the discus with a throw of 177-11 (54.24m), Justice Summerset cleared 7-1 (2.16m) in the high jump and Grayson Fleming prevailed in the men’s hammer by throwing 211-11 (64.60m).

Draxler wasn’t the only Aztecs winner Saturday. Freshman Nyjari McNeil won the 800 in 2:07.20, with sophomore Callista Fletcher capturing the 200 and making it a 1-2 finish with freshman teammate Danae Dyer. Fletcher ran 24.07.

Other men’s victories were Qatar’s Abubaker Abdalla (1:47.35 in the 800), China in the 4x400 (3:08.49), UCLA’s Nate Esparza with a mark of 62-6 (19.05m) in the shot put, Grand Canyon’s Troy Johnson with a leap of 24-5 (7.45m) in the long jump, Kyle Pater clearing 18-0.50 (5.50m) in the pole vault and BYU’s Rickey Fantroy with an effort of 49-1 (14.96m) in the triple jump.

In the 200, Cerritos College’s Daniel Stokes won in 21.02. He wound up as the day’s only two-year college winner.

Other women’s winners were UC San Diego’s Claudia Cox (1:00.04) in the 400 hurdles, Brazil’s Fernanda Martins throwing 205-11 (62.76m) in the discus, BYU’s Andrea Stapleton-Johnson clearing 5-9.75 (1.77m) in the high jump and UC Santa Barbara’s Cassidy Peng with a triumph in the triple jump by leaping 39-6.50 (12.05m).

The distance portion of the meet was Friday night, and four of the eight event winners came from the state of Arizona.

Jennie Baragar-Petrash (4:30.82) and Kayla Young (16:58.28) won the 1,500 and 5,000, respectively, with Grand Canyon sweeping the 3,000 steeplechase with Paige Hildebrandt (10:40.88) and Chris D'Angelo (9:35.92).

In the 3,000, Loyola Marymount’s Kyla Danforth prevailed in 9:58.61, with the Oregon men going 1-2-3 with winner Soren Knudsen (8:25.25).

Other men’s winners Friday night were Armando Rabadan of club montes in the 5,000 (14:57.37) and Jamal Hairane capping a 1-4 finish for Qatar by winning in 3;46.17 in the 1,500.

There was only one triple winner in the entire meet, and that was Great Oak CA junior Bryce Lucas, who ran the opening leg of the Wolfpack’s 4x100 relay, which won in 43.23, and won the 100 (11.15) and 200 (22.62).

Lucas leads a relay looking to defend a California state title won last year. And he said the biggest thing he’s working on right now is his starts.

“I know my start can improve,” he said, “and once my start does improve, I can get down to that 10.9-10.8 range.”

Other high school double winners were San Diego High’s Sonia Redon in the girls 100 hurdles (14.82) and 200 (25.95) and Donovan Castillo of Scottsdale Horizon AZ in the boys 400 (49.95) – a triumphant break of 50 seconds – and as the anchor of Horizon's winning 4x400 relay team (3:33.14).