RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's track & field team opened its 2024 season in style on Friday, winning the Riverside City College Early Bird at Wheelock Stadium.

Four CSUSB program records fell on Friday, all in traditional indoor events. In the 60 meter dash, Coyotes crossed the line in both first and second place, both with times lower than the previous program record. In first, the new record holder, was graduate student Alexandra Ackerman (Lake Elsinore, Calif.), who crossed the finish line with a time of 7.66 seconds. Right behind her was junior Hailey Hunt (Winnetka, Calif.) at a blazing 7.69 seconds.

Senior Kyndahl Carter (Los Angeles, Calif.) set a program record in the 60 meter hurdles. She crossed the line in 9.00 seconds. In the 600 meter run, junior Alexis White (San Bernardino, Calif.) shattered the previous program record by nearly eight seconds, finishing with a time of 1:36.91.

The final CSUSB program record to fall was in the 300 meter dash, where Hunt ran a time of 39.86 seconds. Each of the program record times were good for first place in their respective events.

Hunt was one of three Coyote point-scorers in the 300. Freshman Coryssa Hope (Riverside, Calif.) looked sharp in her first collegiate meet, placing third at 41.17 seconds, while junior Na'kel Pennix (Redlands, Calif.) was sixth at 43.01.

A pair of runners scored points for CSUSB in both the mile and two-mile runs. In the mile, junior Samantha Avila (Menifee, Calif.) and freshman Amanda Lynch (San Bernardino, Calif.) finished neck and neck with times of 5:50.24 and 5:50.28 to finish seventh and eighth respectively. Junior Maria Rojas (Riverside, Calif.) was the sixth place finisher in the two-mile at 12:54.35, with freshman Jordan Dennert (San Bernardino, Calif.) following close behind in seventh at 12:58.51.

A trio of CSUSB relay teams finished first, second, and third in their respective events. Mahlaya Salter (Chino, Calif.), Carter, White, and Hunt finished in first place in the 4x100 meter relay at 47.25 seconds, while Alexis Wallace (Orangevale, Calif.), Helena Valdez (Riverside, Calif.), Joanna Lopez (Ontario, Calif.), and Kai Marroquin (Rosemead, Calif.) placed second in the 4x800 meter relay at 10:08.56. The same four runners placed third in the 4,000 meter distance medley relay at 12:53.46.

Junior Dani Lister (Lake Forest, Calif.) was stellar in throwing events on the day, with three top-four finishes. She won the discus throw with a toss of 42.60 meters, while placing second in the shot put at 11.13 meters and fourth in the hammer throw at 36.26 meters.

Also in the shot put, senior Mayra Mejia Haller (Fontana, Calif.) placed fourth at 11.03 meters, with junior Kaleigh Giannone (Menifee, Calif.) placing seventh at 10.73 meters. In the hammer, the top Yote was junior Elizabeth Rushing (Oakdale, Calif.), who placed second with a heave of 42.46 meters, while sophomore Melissa Fongod (Corona, Calif.) was sixth at 35.23 meters.

Junior Jaclyn Brown (Simi Valley, Calif.) had a great start to her season, winning the javelin throw for the Coyotes. She recorded a throw of 28.90 meters.

Junior Emily Nguyen (Westminster, Calif.) placed in the top-four of a pair of jumping events for the Coyotes. She was third in the high jump at 1.43 meters, while also fourth in the long jump at 5.18 meters. Rounding out the Coyote scorers in the jumping pits was junior Gabrielle Aguigui (Vacaville, Calif.) in the triple jump, who placed fifth at 10.08 meters.

The Coyotes will be off for nearly two weeks, returning to action on February 24 at the Rossi Relays at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. 

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