TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Track & Field opened the 2024 outdoor season on Saturday at Drachman Stadium with the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta. It was the first time the meet has been held by the Wildcats and the team took advantage with a very strong season opener. The Wildcats finished the day with six event wins, 15 top-three finishes, and a flurry of personal bests.
 
"We were super excited about this opening competition for us today," said Head Coach Fred Harvey. "We've never opened up as a full team this early in the season, so to watch them all grow through the training aspect of it was really exciting. The number of PRs we had today was huge and it tells me a lot about where we are going as a team this year. The future looks really good, we've just got to stay focused and keep training."
 
TOP-THREE FINISHES
Tapenisa Havea – First, Women's Shot Put
Cooper Quigley – First, Men's 1500m
Antonia Sanchez Nunez – First, Women's 400m Hurdles
Yan Vazquez – First, Men's 400m Hurdles
Trayvion White-Austin, Tyson Tippett, Brian Limage, James Onanubosi – First, Men's 4x100m Relay
Isaac Davis, Christian Simmons, Yan Vazquez, Trayvion White-Austin – First, Men's 4x400m Relay
Ava David – Second, Women's Hammer Throw
Paris Mikinski – Second, Women's High Jump
Jenica Bosko – Third, Women's 200m
Isaac Davis – Third, Men's 400m
Lauryn Ford – Third, Women's Long Jump
Emma Gates – Third, Women's High Jump
Tyler Michelini – Third, Men's Shot Put
Tyson Tippett – Third, Men's 100m
Antonia Sanchez Nunez, Keilee Hall, Camila Aguilar-Perez, Ava Simms – Third, Women's 4x400m Relay
 
FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
Ava David got the day started for the Wildcats in the women's hammer throw. She finished runner-up in the event with a heave of 192-0 (58.52m). Tapenisa Havea also made the event's final round and placed ninth. In the men's hammer throw, Michael Ogbeiwi finished fourth overall with a mark of 190-2 (57.96m).
 
After winning three shot put competitions during the indoor season, Tapenisa Havea continued her dominance in the event, winning with a big personal best heave of 55-2.75 (16.83m). That mark now moves her up to seventh all-time in school history. Lauryn Love finished sixth in the event as well.
 
The Wildcats had two top-three finishers in the women's high jump: Paris Mikinski and Emma Gates. Both Mikinski and Gates cleared 5-10 (1.78m) with Mikinski finishing second overall and Gates placing third. That mark is a new personal best for Mikinski and matches Gates' previous PB in the event.
 
Lauryn Ford placed third overall in the women's long jump with a leap of 19-1.5 (5.83m).
 
Freshman Tyler Michelini finished third overall in the men's shot put with a throw of 57-4.75 (17.49m). Additionally, Sam Hala'ufia placed sixth in the event and Michael Ogbeiwi finished eighth. Hala'ufia also placed fourth overall in the men's discus with a throw of 173-10 (53.00m).
 
In the women's javelin, freshman Aislin Martinez-Pompa placed sixth overall with a throw of 150-3 (45.80m) in her first collegiate competition. In the men's javelin, Jared O'Riley and Jesse Avina placed sixth and seventh respectively.
 
Tanner Kippes finished fifth in the men's pole vault.
 
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
The Arizona Men started the outdoor season off fast in the 4x100m relay. The team of Trayvion White-Austin, Tyson Tippett, Brian Limage, and James Onanubosi won the event with a time of 39.33.
 
The Wildcats dominated the 400m hurdles, with Yan Vazquez winning on the men's side and Antonia Sanchez Nunez winning for the women. Vazquez clocked a time of 51.09, which moves him into eighth all-time in school history. He was followed by Julius Cheek who placed fifth. Sanchez Nunez won the women's event with a time of 58.51 while freshman Keilee Hall placed fifth with a time of 1:00.72.
 
Cooper Quigley claimed his first victory of the season, winning the men's 1500m with a personal best time of 3:46.54, shaving off four seconds from his previous best time. Additionally, Ian Sanchez Lopez placed fourth overall in the event and freshman Michael Urbanski finished seventh.
 
Tyson Tippett led the Wildcats in the men's 100m, finishing third overall with a personal best time of 10.33. That time moves him into sixth all-time in school history in the event. Additionally, Trayvion White-Austin placed sixth overall with a time of 10.41 in the event and James Onanubosi finished seventh with a time of 10.47. Pierce LaCoste also clocked a personal record time of 10.62 and ended in 10th place. In the women's 100m, McKenna Watson (11.72) and freshman Jade Brown (11.83) finished fourth and fifth overall respectively. Presley Money also clocked a personal best time in the event.
 
In the men's 400m, Isaac Davis finished third overall with a time of 46.46. Brian Limage also clocked a personal best in the event. Camila Aguilar-Perez posted a big personal best time of 54.23 in the women's 400m to place fourth overall. She was followed by freshman Ava Simms, who ran a time of 54.74 and finished in sixth.
 
Tyson Tippett (20.54) and James Onanubosi (20.78) both clocked big personal best times in the men's 200m to finish fifth and sixth overall. Tippet's time moves him into sixth all-time in school history in the event. Sir Jonathan Sims also ran a PB in the event. In the women's 200m, Jenica Bosko ran right around her PB time and finished third overall. McKenna Watson posted a personal best in the event as well, finishing fifth with a time of 23.67. Presley Money (24.61) and Camila Aguilar-Perez had personal records as well.
 
Ian Sanchez Lopez paced a handful of his fellow Wildcats in the fast heat of the men's 800m, with Cade Russo ending as the team's top-finisher. He clocked a time of 1:52.50 and placed fifth overall. Freshman Noah Ray also notched a ninth-place finish in the event. In the women's 800m, freshman Sorcha Shiu placed third overall.
 
To start the day on the track, Zachary Extine clocked a time of 14.56 in the men's 110m hurdles and placed sixth overall. In the women's 100m hurdles, Taylen Wise finished fifth overall with a time of 14.05.
 
To end the day, the Arizona Men won the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:11.58. The team consisted of Isaac Davis, Christian Simmons, Yan Vazquez, and Trayvion White-Austin. The women's team of Antonia Sanchez Nunez, Keilee Hall, Camila Aguilar-Perez, and Ava Simms placed third in the relay with a time of 3:39.93.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back at home next weekend for their second competition of the season, the Willie Williams Classic, on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23.
 
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