Cal Poly Track and Field Shatters Records with 17 Top-Five Marks at UW Preview

SEATTLE, Wash. — Highlighted by a school-record breaking performance by junior Jordan Jackson, the Cal Poly track and field team posted an impressive 17 top-five marks in program history across two days of action at the UW Preview this Friday and Saturday. In their first of three trips to Dempsey Indoor this indoor season, the Mustangs certainly made plenty of noise, tearing apart the program record books. The stellar showing by the 32 Mustangs that made the trip to Seattle was led by Cal Poly’s sprints and jumps squads, who accounted for 11 of the top-five marks. The men were responsible for nine of the historic performances and between the men’s and women’s teams, 24 indoor personal bests were recorded and three events were won by Mustangs. Nearly 30 Cal Poly athletes competed during the second day of the meet Saturday. Jackson was the lone Mustang to take home a school record from the meet. While running alongside two of her teammates in heat two of the women’s 600-meter, Jackson led the way with a time of 1:31.77, shattering Mikaela Romanini’s 2020 school record by .13 seconds. The 2024 All-Big West honoree is also the current school record holder in the women’s indoor 400. The performance allowed her to place sixth in the event, while sophomore Avery Adelman captured eighth with the third-fastest time in school history (1:32.01). Junior Elianah DeMange finished in 10th (1:32.67) and now ranks No. 4 in school history in the event. Three Mustangs recorded a pair of top-five marks at the meet — sophomores Madison Easter, Ava Simos and Vincent Atilano. Overall, Easter had arguably the most impressive showing by a Mustang at the UW Preview. First, the Ventura, Calif. native qualified for the final in the women’s 60 where she ran the third-fastest time in school history (7.52 seconds) to place second. Then, she wrapped up the day by winning the 200 with the second-fastest indoor time in program history (24.40 seconds), crossing the line just .04 seconds off the school record. Simos grabbed top-five marks in the exact same events, improving her fifth-best time in school history in the 60 to earn fourth (7.61 seconds) and finishing sixth in the 200 with a time of 24.82 seconds, tied with Akuavi Hine (2000) for No. 4 in program history. Atilano took second in the men’s 200 with an all-around lifetime best of 21.82 seconds — No. 2 in school history — and ran the fifth-fastest 60 time (7.02 seconds). Aiden Pastorian and Wil Brennan both secured first-place finishers in their events. In his first meet as a Mustang, Pastorian, a transfer from Long Beach State, won the men’s shot put with an indoor personal best of 55 feet, 6.25 inches, good for No. 2 in school history. It was Pastorian’s first track meet since competing in the 2024 NCAA West Preliminaries with the Beach. Albert Beerbower took fourth in the event with the fourth-best mark in school history (50 feet, 7.5 inches). Brennan ran away with the title in the men’s 600, running the third fastest time in school history (1:20.54). Sophomore Ben Feyrer, a 2025 NCAA West Prelims qualifier, shined in the men’s pole vault, recording an all-around lifetime best of 17 feet, 3.5 inches to capture fourth. The mark is the second best recorded in program history indoors and is less than 3 inches off Mathis Bresko’s 2023 school record. Carson Smith ran an over 4-second lifetime best in the men’s 1,000 (2:21.54) to take sixth and move to No. 3 in school history. In the first meet of her final season as a Mustang, Melody Nwagwu broke into the top-five all-time indoors in the women’s triple jump. The 2024 Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Year recorded the fifth-best mark in program history indoors (40 feet, 1.5 inches) to place third. Junior Taylor Hofland broke into the top marks list with the fifth-best women’s indoor shot put performance in school history (45 feet, 6.25 inches) to earn fourth. It was the best shot put mark recorded by a Mustang indoors in 18 years. True freshman Golda Demby finished fifth in the event (44 feet, 2.5 inches). Sophomore Tayhlore Hoagland secured third in the women’s long jump with an indoor personal best (18 feet, 8.5 inches) and also ran a PR in the 60 of 7.69 seconds, seventh fastest in school history. Junior Melanie Castelli (5 feet, 8 inches), graduate student Grace Proudfoot (5 feet, 7 inches) and freshman Charli Kennedy (5 feet, 7 inches) finished fourth, seventh and eighth respectively in the women’s high jump. Micah Grossman and Ibzan Felix were the only Mustangs that competed on the first day of the meet Friday. Grossman won the B Section of the men’s 3,000 by running the third-fastest time in school history (8:05.24) while Felix ran a PR (8:18.76). Cal Poly heads back to the University of Washington on Jan. 30-31 to take part in the UW Invitational and Mile City. Cal Poly Results WOMEN 60-meter: 2, Madison Easter, 7.52. 4, Ava Simos, 7.61. 5, Desie Armstrong, 7.65. 9, Tayhlore Hoagland, 7.69 (prelims). 200-meter: 1, Madison Easter, 24.40. 6, Ava Simos, 24.82. 32, Kalia Estes, 26.52. 600-meter: 6, Jordan Jackson, 1:31.73. 8, Avery Adelman, 1:32.01. 10, Elianah DeMange, 1:32.67. Mile: 18, Tatiana Cornejo, 4:49.61. 3,000-meter: 31, Mackenzie Hack, 9:50.63. 60-meter hurdles: 12, Kalia Estes, 9.20. High jump: 4, Melanie Castelli, 5-8 (1.73m). 7, Grace Proudfoot, 5-7 (1.70m). 8, Charli Kennedy, 5-7 (1.70m). Long jump: 3, Tayhlore Hoagland, 18-8.5 (5.70m). 4, Desie Armstrong, 18-7.75 (5.68m). 9, Melody Nwagwu, 18-4.25 (5.59). Triple jump: 3, Melody Nwagwu, 40-1.5 (12.23m). Shot put: 4, Taylor Hofland, 45-6.25 (13.87m). 5, Golda Demby, 44-2.5 (13.50m). 14, Isabella Rigby, 39-7.25 (12.07m). MEN 60-meter: 9, MacGregor TeSelle, 7.00. 12, Vincent Atilano, 7.02. 200-meter: 2, Vincent Atilano, 21.82. 400-meter: 10, Alexander Franco, 49.60. 12, MacGregor TeSelle, 49.99. 600-meter: 1, Wil Brennan, 1:20.54. 1,000-meter: 6, Carson Smith, 2:21.54. 7, Lewis Westwood, 2:23.88. Mile: 11, Miles Cook, 4:05.68. 16, Taj Clark, 4:10.23. 19, Mateo Malko-Allen, 4:11.94. 3,000-meter Section B (Friday): 1, Micah Grossman, 8:05.24. 10, Ibzan Felix, 8:18.76. Pole vault invite: 4, Ben Feyrer, 17-3.5 (5.27m). Shot put: 1, Aiden Pastorian, 55-6.25 (16.92m). 4, Albert Beerbower, 50-7.5 (15.43m).