By: Delanie Gearing, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
PUEBLO, Colo. – Cal Poly Pomona Track and Field opened Day 1 of the NCAA Division II National Championships with a strong showing in Pueblo, Colorado, as three Broncos took to the national stage.
The day began with
Gavin Hanes competing in the pole vault, where he finished 13th overall with a mark of 4.97 meters. Reflecting on his first appearance at nationals, Hanes said it felt surreal to finally qualify after narrowly missing the mark in past seasons. "It feels unreal, because I've been chasing nationals for the last two years and it's just been a little out of reach," he said. "And to finally have done what it takes this season to qualify me for nationals feels amazing and is a big relief. This season was my best season of my career by far with a lot of breakthroughs and being consistent. Competing here in Pueblo was an amazing experience, everything was of course extremely organized and everyone involved took amazing care of me and my teammates. It's a very special feeling and I am very grateful I got to experience it."
In the women's 1500 meters,
Vivian Martinez made her first appearance at nationals and took 22nd place with a time of 4:57.29. She punched her ticket to the championships just two weeks ago by breaking the school record.
Alessio Sommacal capped off the day with a standout performance in the 400-meter hurdles. He finished second in his heat and fifth overall with a time of 50.88 seconds—his second-fastest mark this season—earning him a spot in the event finals on Saturday, May 24. "Competing at Nationals is always special," said Sommacal. "This is my fourth year in a row qualifying, but I still feel the same excitement that I felt as a freshman. Having made my first Nationals final is making me smile nonstop. I know the job is not done, but I am going to be one of the nine athletes battling it out for the trophies and that's a huge achievement. I'm really proud and ready to keep going in these next two days."
The Broncos will continue competition on Day 2 with entries in the triple jump, 800 meters, 100-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, and the 4x400-meter relay.
2025 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Hosted by Colorado State University, Pueblo – Pueblo, Colorado
Schedule of Events (Times PST)
Thursday, May 22
✔ | 13
th Place | Men's Pole Vault (Finals) –
Gavin Hanes
✔ | 22
nd Place | Women's 1500m (Prelims) –
Vivian Martinez
✔ | 5
th Place | Men's 400m Hurdles (Prelims) –
Alessio Sommacal
Friday, May 23
4:05 PM | Men's Triple Jump (Finals) –
Collin Joyce
5:00 PM | Women's 800m (Prelims) –
Arissa Hatcher
5:35 PM | Women's 100m Hurdles (Prelims) –
Neshara Smith
5:55 PM | Men's 110m Hurdles (Prelims) –
Nnamdi Onwaeze
7:05 PM | Men's 4x400m Relay (Prelims) –
Alessio Sommacal,
Leroy Crook Jr.,
Joshua Morinaga,
Camden Patterson
Saturday, May 24
10:00 AM | Women's Pole Vault (Finals) –
Isabelle Carreon
3:45 PM | Men's High Jump (Finals) –
Kailen Smith
5:00 PM | Women's 100m Hurdles (Finals) –
Neshara Smith
6:00 PM | Women's 800m (Finals) –
Arissa Hatcher
6:25 PM | Men's 110m Hurdles (Finals) –
Nnamdi Onwaeze
6:35 PM | Men's 400m Hurdles (Finals) –
Alessio Sommacal
8:05 PM | Men's 4x400m Relay (Finals) –
Alessio Sommacal,
Leroy Crook Jr.,
Joshua Morinaga,
Camden Patterson
