LONG BEACH, Calif. – Alessio Sommacal stole the show at the Beach Opener this past weekend, breaking the meet record in the 110 meter hurdles with a new personal best of 13.99 seconds. It goes without saying that Sommacal also placed first, finishing .21 seconds ahead of the next closest hurdler. The Belluno, Veneto native now ranks third in school history in the event, and is the current DII national leader with an NCAA provisional mark.
 
Sommacal also had a first place finish in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 54.20 seconds, crossing the line a full 1.13 seconds faster than second place. Freshman Darryll Stevens placed 11^th in the event with a time of 59.59, his first time competing in his collegiate career. With Sommacal's two first place finishes, he was named CCAA Track Athlete of the Week on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Justin Cardoza excelled in the triple jump, reaching a distance of 15.06 meters. This mark also ranks first in all of Division II and earned Cardoza an NCAA provisional qualifier, while it also leads the CCAA by over five feet. He now ranks eighth all-time in school history with his new personal record, and was named CCAA Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Both Kailen Smith and Cardoza had strong performances in the high jump, finishing third and fifth out of 17 athletes, respectively. Smith's height of 2.06 meters earned him an NCAA provisional mark, and he now leads the nation.
 
The 4x400 relay team of Jake Tilford, Camden Patterson, Leroy Crook, and Ryan Fields had a first place finish with a time of 3:14.33, falling just a half second short of an NCAA provisional mark.
 
The Broncos also dominated the pole vault, seeing three Top 10 finishes from Gavin Hanes (3^rd, 4.80m), Ian Strode (5^th, 4.65m), and Jaeden Correa (9^th, 4.50m).
 
The Cal Poly Pomona record holder in the long jump, Deandre Smith, placed fifth in the event on Saturday, jumping a distance of 7.24 meters. Riverside City College transfer Darius Hill placed eighth in the event with a distance of 6.94 meters, his first meet competing as a Bronco.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will compete at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton this Friday and Saturday, March 8th and 9th.


Bronco Bits

• Three of the first six CCAA Athletes of the Week have been form Cal Poly Pomona.