Personal records were shattered as several Santa Cruz County athletes saved their best for last during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday.
Stanford graduate student Vanessa Fraser (a Scotts Valley High alum), Arkansas redshirt senior Nikki Hiltz (Aptos) and Cal senior Ashtyn Davis each shined at the Division I meet, held in College Station, Texas, while Williams sophomore Summer-Solstice Thomas (Santa Cruz) showed off her all-around talent at the D-III event in Birmingham, Ala.
The foursome’s accomplishments bode well for the upcoming outdoor track and field season, which is already underway for some schools.
Fraser earned her best individual place in an NCAA race — indoors or outdoors — after clocking a time of 9 minutes, 2.31 seconds to finish fourth in the 3,000 meters on Saturday. Fraser had to avoid a fallen runner in the race but continued on, earning All-American honors for a ninth time.
A day earlier, she ran the opening leg (1,200 meters) of the distance medley relay that placed second in 10:52.02 — just barely behind winner Oregon (10:51.99). Still, the Stanford foursome of Fraser, Missy Mongiovi (400), Elise Cranny (800) and Christina Aragon (1,600) shattered the school record for the event while posting the fifth-fastest time in collegiate history and the fastest second-place time in NCAA championship history, according to the school’s website.
The Cardinal compiled 24 points and placed eighth out of 61 teams. Aided by Hiltz, meanwhile, the Razorbacks (49) finished runner-up to Georgia (61) for the D-I indoor title.
The Aptos alum recorded a PR of 4:32.59 to finish third in the mile — just 0.83 seconds behind winner Elinor Purrier (4:31.76) of New Hampshire. Hiltz’s time was also just 0.21 seconds off Arkansas’ indoor record, according to the school’s website, set by Dominique Scott (4:32.38) in 2015.
Cal’s Davis broke his school’s record in the 60-meter hurdles, posting a PR of 7.63 seconds for third as the Bears placed 20th out of 64 teams. The previous mark of 7.67 was set by Milan Ristic in 2014.
In D-III, Williams’ Thomas placed fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7¼ inches and fifth in the pentathlon with 3,541 points — receiving All-American honors in both events — to help lead the Ephs to a second-place finish behind UMass Boston.
In the pentathlon, Thomas placed fifth in the 800 (2:26.93; 732 points), 11th in the 60 hurdles (9.47; 814), 16th in the shot put (28-2¼; 438), second in the long jump (17-6¼; 654), and won the high jump (5-8½; 903) with a PR. Prior to the event, Thomas was named Field Athlete of the Year for the New England Region of the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association. She also earned All-New England honors in both the high jump and pentathlon events.
Women’s track and field
Selena Friedman (Santa Cruz), UC San Diego, Sr. >> Finished third in the 800 (2:16.28) at the San Diego Collegiate Challenge on Saturday, as the Tritons placed third out of six teams. Friedman also ran the second leg of the 4×400 relay, which won (3:56.99).
Anastasia Kubicki (Santa Cruz), UC Davis, Jr. >> Placed second in the pole vault (12-5½) at the Aggie Open on Saturday, as the Aggies won out of four teams.
Julie Zweng (Scotts Valley), Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, So. >> Leaped 5-2¼ to place second in the high jump at the UC Santa Barbara Tri-Meet on Saturday, as the Mustangs defeated UCSB 97-96 and UC Riverside 112-70.
Melissa Braun (Soquel), Occidental, Jr. >> Place fifth in the pole vault (11-1¾) at the Oxy Distance Carnival Spring Break Classic on Saturday.
Abbey Meck (San Lorenzo Valley), Pepperdine, Fr. >> Place ninth in the 800 meters (2:33.89) at the Ben Brown Invitational on Saturday, and the Waves placed fourth out of five teams.
Men’s track and field
Jack Rose (Aptos), UC Santa Barbara, Jr. >> Placed sixth in the 400 (1:12.10) and fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase (9:42.36) at the UC Santa Barbara Tri-Meet on Saturday, as the Gauchos defeated UC Riverside 111-74 and Cal Poly 105-84.
Sam Schubert (SLV), CSU Fullerton, So. >> Placed fourth in the 110 hurdles (14.90) and eighth in the 100 (11.46) at the Ben Brown Invitational on Saturday, and the Waves placed fifth out of five teams.
Men’s volleyball
Wyatt Harrison (Pacific Collegiate School), UC San Diego, Fr. >> Named the Big West Conference’s Freshman of the Week on Monday after he compiled double-digit kills in matches against USC and Stanford. Harrison produced 12 kills on .435 hitting to go along with four digs in a 3-1 win against USC on March 7 before supplying 10 kills on .533 hitting, three service aces and three digs in a 3-1 loss to Stanford on Friday.
Women’s basketball
Natalie Diaz (Soquel), Dominican University, Jr. >> Named to the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association’s All-West Region first team on Monday. Diaz was also named to the PacWest all-tournament team after averaging 26 points, 8.5 rebounds, four assists and one steal across two games for the Penguins (18-12).
Madison Rocha (Soquel), Menlo College, Sr. >> Scored six points with two rebounds as the Oaks defeated LSU-Shreveport (31-1), 91-79, in the first round of the NAIA National Championship in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday. They advance to the Sweet 16, where they will play Benadictine on Friday at 8 a.m. PDT. The winner advances to an Elite 8 game on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Final 4 will be played Monday and championship on Tuesday.
Morgan Green (PCS), UC Irvine, Jr. >> Recorded 17 points, one rebound, four assists and two steals for the Anteaters (18-13), who lost to UC Riverside 86-74 in the Big West Tournament. UC Irvine will compete in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
Delaney Moore (Monte Vista Christian), Idaho State, Fr. >> Recorded two points, one rebound, one assist and three steals in 13 minutes, as the Bengals defeated Weber State University 113-109 in the Big Sky Tournament on March 7. Moore played seven minutes for Idaho State (21-11) in its 73-66 loss to the University of Northern Colorado on Friday.
Men’s basketball
Cole Welle (Aptos), Cal, Sr. >> Pulled down one rebound in two minutes as the Bears (8-24) lost to Stanford 76-58 in the first round of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 7.
Baseball
Tanner Murray (SLV), UC Davis, Fr. >> Infielder combined to bat 4 for 11 with a double, an RBI, three runs and three walks as the Aggies (11-4) won one of four games against host Oregon last weekend.
Dillon Houser (St. Francis), San Francisco State, Sr. >> Left-handed starting pitcher threw a complete game and led the Gators (6-15, 6-10) to a 12-5 victory over CSU San Marcos on Saturday. Houser (2-3) allowed no earned runs on nine hits while striking out six across nine innings.
Michael Heinevetter (Aptos), Central Washington, Sr. >> First baseman/outfielder combined to bat 4 for 11 with a double, five runs, four RBIs, three walks and a stolen base, and the Wildcats (12-6, 7-1) won three of four games from visiting Concordia University (Oregon) last weekend.
Chris Rivera (Watsonville), Long Beach State, Jr. >> Right-handed closer made two appearances and earned his fourth save, as the Dirtbags (5-11) defeated Vanderbilt 4-3 on March 7 before losing three games to host Texas A&M last weekend. Rivera combined to allow no runs on one hit, striking out three and walking one.
Ryan Gallegos (Scotts Valley), Biola, Fr. >> Designated hitter batted 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs, a stolen base and a run, and the Eagles (14-4, 6-2) defeated the University of Saint Katherine 9-7 on Tuesday.
Sahid Valenzuela (St. Francis), CSU Fullerton, So. >> Infielder combined to bat 3 for 14 with three runs, an RBI and a walk as the Titans (4-10) won one of three games against host Oregon State last weekend.
Joe Gillette (Scotts Valley), Menlo, Sr. >> Infielder combined to bat 3 for 11 with a home run, a double, an RBI, five runs and four walks, as the Oaks (11-15, 7-11) swept their three-game series against visiting San Diego Christian on Friday and Saturday.
Jordan Peabody (SLV), Cal State Los Angeles, Jr. >> Second baseman combined to bat 4 for 16 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, and the Golden Eagles (10-7, 7-5) defeated Cal Poly Pomona four times within the last week.
David Snider (Scotts Valley), Saint Francis (Ind.), Jr. >> Infielder combined to bat 3 for 11 with a double, five runs and four walks, and the Cougars (3-13) won one of four games against visiting Robert Morris University (Ill.) on Friday and Saturday.
Jack Harris (Aptos), San Francisco State, So. >> Outfielder combined to bat 3 for 20 with a double, two runs and two RBI, as the Gators (6-15, 6-10) won three of four games from visiting Cal State San Marcos last weekend.
Austin Muller (MVC), Westmont, Redshirt Jr. >> Outfielder combined to bat 1 for 8 with a home run, an RBI, two runs and a walk, as the Warriors won two of three games against visiting Hope International on Friday and Monday.
Fineas Del Bonta-Smith (Soquel), San Jose State, Jr. >> Right-handed reliever allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out one across 1.2 innings, as the Spartans (6-9, 0-5) lost to host Nevada 10-9 on Saturday.
Troy Miller (Soquel), Michigan, Jr. >> Right-handed reliever allowed two earned runs on no hits, walking three while striking out four across 2.1 innings, as the Wolverines (4-10) defeated host Lipscomb 16-11 on Friday.
Dylan McPhillips (MVC), Sacramento State, Fr. >> Catcher combined to bat 1 for 9 across three games with a run and three walks, as the Hornets (6-10) won one of four games against Santa Clara last weekend.
Ian Blair (San Lorenzo Valley), Pacific (Ore.), Fr. >> Outfielder batted 0 for 4 with two walks, as the Boxers (8-12, 4-8) lost to visiting Pacific Lutheran 11-10 in 11 innings on Sunday.
Houston Roberts (Aptos), UC Davis, Redshirt Jr. >> Catcher batted 0 for 2 for the Aggies (11-4) in their 7-2 loss to host Oregon on Saturday.
Women’s tennis
Caroline Casper (St. Francis), Pomona-Pitzer, Jr. >> Split singles matches but earned a pair of doubles victories with partner Arianna Chen, as the Sagehens (5-1) defeated Amherst 5-4 on Monday and Bowdoin 8-1 on Tuesday. At No. 1 singles, Casper lost to Amherst’s Camille Smukler 6-4, 7-6, but rebounded a day later at No. 2 singles, defeating Bowdoin’s Tasha Christ 7-5, 6-3.
Beach volleyball
Jenna Belton (Aptos), USC, Sr. >> Teamed with Jo Kremer to go 3-1 at the East Meets West Challenge on Saturday and Sunday, as the No. 2 Trojans (8-4) earned victories over Florida International, TCU and Florida State while losing to LSU. Belton and Kremer defeated Florida State’s Madison Fitzpatrick and Molly McBain 21-17, 21-17 in what was that match’s decisive victory.
Madison Dueck (Aptos), Cal, So. >> Along with teammate Bryce Bark, No. 3 duo went 3-1 across four matches at the Stanford Tournament, as the Bears (7-1) defeated Boise State, No. 18 Tulane, San Jose State and Arizona State on Friday and Saturday.
Sjea Anderson (MVC), Cal Poly-SLO, Fr. >> Paired with Livy Lee at No. 5 to defeat McKenzie Schwan and Kellie Hughes 21-13, 21-13, as the Mustangs (10-2) swept University of Portland 5-0 on Saturday at Main Beach in Santa Cruz.
Avery Keathley (MVC), Concordia, So. >> Teamed with Kersti Whitney to go 0-2 at the No. 1 spot, as the Eagles (2-2) split their matches with a loss to CSU-Northridge preceding a victory over CSU-Los Angeles last Thursday.
Sarah Savoca (Soquel), University of Portland, Sr. >> Paired with Lauren Naatz at the No. 3 spot and went 0-4 across four matches at Main Beach on Saturday and Monday, as the Pilots (1-3) defeated Sacramento State before falling to CSU-Northridge, Cal Poly-SLO and San Jose State.
Softball
Sarah Reyes (Scotts Valley), Menlo, Jr. >> Third baseman/pitcher led the Oaks (17-12, 2-0) to six wins — two over Ottawa University of Arizona last Thursday, two against Benedictine University at Mesa on Friday, and two more against Arizona Christian on Saturday. Reyes combined to bat 10 for 19 across five of those games with 11 runs, nine RBIs, four doubles, two home runs, one stolen base and one walk. In two appearances in the circle, Reyes (5-2) combined to allow one earned run on seven hits while striking five across six innings.
Anna Gurr (Soquel), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Sr. >> Left-handed pitcher earned the win as the Athenas (12-4, 5-3) defeated visiting Redlands 4-3 on Saturday. Gurr (9-4) allowed three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five across seven innings.
Casson Rasmussen (Scotts Valley), Weatherford College, Fr. >> Right-handed pitcher, in three appearances, earned a pair of wins as the Coyotes (14-7) defeated Vernon College 1-0 on March 7 before beating Grayson College 13-6 on Monday. Rasmussen (4-1) combined to allow four earned runs on 12 hits while striking out eight across 16 innings.
Alyssa Rodriguez (Santa Cruz), Arizona Christian, Sr. >> Reserve batted 0 for 1 with a stolen base as the Firestorm (6-13) lost 13-1 to visiting Menlo College on Saturday.
Lacrosse
Nicholas Wameling (Aptos), Notre Dame de Namur, Sr. >> Combined to score four goals and three assists across three games, as the Argonauts defeated Shorter 9-6 last Thursday before falling to Alabama Huntsville 14-6 on Saturday and Montevallo 7-5 on Monday.
Alex Katz (PCS), UC Davis, Sr. >> Recorded one goal, one assist and two ground balls for the Aggies (6-1), who defeated San Jose State 17-5 on Sunday.
Nathaniel Williams (Harbor), UC Davis, Fr. >> Recorded one ground ball for the Aggies (6-1), who defeated San Jose State 17-5 on Sunday.
Galen Sloss (PCS), University of Colorado, So. >> Combined to record two ground balls and one assist, as the Buffaloes (5-1) defeated Liberty 17-15 on Friday and Georgia Tech 12-11 on Sunday.
Blaise Demaree (Mitty; Santa Cruz native), Dominican University, Jr. >> Combined for 10 ground balls, as the Penguins (3-4) lost 11-9 to Oregon State last Wednesday and Washington 12-7 on Friday.
Gymnastics
Anya Barca-Hall (Scotts Valley), Brown, Jr. >> Scored 9.750 to place 14th on floor as the Bears (193.525) placed fourth behind Kentucky (196.800), New Hampshire (196.425) and Yale (194.675) in a four-team meet on Sunday.
Equestrian
Natalie Wendt (Aptos), Fresno State, So. >> Combined to go 0-4 across two disciplines — equitation over fences and equitation on the flat — during the Bulldogs’ (3-9) losses to No. 10 South Carolina and No. 2 Auburn on Friday and Saturday.
County Connections appears Thursdays in the Sentinel. Contact sports@santacruzsentinel.com if you know of a former Santa Cruz County prep athlete now playing at the collegiate level.
