April 30, 2012
Meet Results
TUCSON - The University of Arizona Wildcat No. 13 men's and No. 8 women's track and field teams were represented by sophomore Lawi Lalang and junior Jen Bergman at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. The meet was held at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field.
Lalang clocked a school-record time of 3:36.77 in the men's 1,500-meter race. The previous record, 3:39.1, was set by John Quade in Westwood, Calif. on Aug. 6, 1989. Lalang earned a fourth-place finish in the race. Lalang was one of two collegiate competitors in the race and the only collegiate to finish in the top eight. Lalang's personal-best time is also the No. 1 collegiate time this year and No. 8 in collegiate history. His time also meets the Olympic "B" Standard. Lalang also has the No. 2 collegiate time in the 5K and has the Olympic "A" Standard. He is now the owner of four school records, three indoor (mile, 3K, 5K) and one outdoor (1,500 meters).
"He came in here to run a fast time," associate head coach James Li said. "It was a good thing he didn't have to be in the front to push the pace and do all the work. We had some pretty good conversations before the race and things worked out. It was great out here and it was definitely a good race for him, a big school record and a big personal best. I think it gives him a lot of confidence going forward and this is the best race he has run during the outdoor season. It really is a good thing for him going into the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Championships."
Bergman had a time of 33:14.93 in the women's 10,000-meter race, good for fifth place in section two of the event. That is the second-best time of her career. Entering the race, Bergman's personal-best time of 33:10.87 was the No. 10 time in the country in the event and the best time in the Pac-12.
The Wildcats will return to the track for the inaugural Pac-12 Track and Field Championships on May 5-6 for the combined events and May 12-13 for the track and field portion. The University of Oregon will be hosting the championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
