SportsTrack & Field

Leopards stand out in Claremont

Breaking the University of La Verne and SCIAC record in the triple jump with a lifetime best of 39-4, senior Lakia Pearson earned first place honors at the Claremont Classic Track and Field Meet, Saturday. The distance was an NCAA provisional qualifier and fell one half inch below the NCAA automatic standard of 39-4 1/2. Pearson became the first woman in conference history to surpass the 39-foot barrier. She also earned top marks in the 4x100-meter relay and long jump. / photo by Jenna Campbell
Breaking the University of La Verne and SCIAC record in the triple jump with a lifetime best of 39-4, senior Lakia Pearson earned first place honors at the Claremont Classic Track and Field Meet, Saturday. The distance was an NCAA provisional qualifier and fell one half inch below the NCAA automatic standard of 39-4 1/2. Pearson became the first woman in conference history to surpass the 39-foot barrier. She also earned top marks in the 4×100-meter relay and long jump. / photo by Jenna Campbell

Matt Griffin
Staff Writer

The University of La Verne women’s track and field team traveled to Claremont to compete with some of the selected best in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the Claremont Classic Track and Field Meet, Saturday.

This gave all of those who qualified for the meet another opportunity to advance themselves to the NCAA championships.

Among those who won one of La Verne’s best and SCIAC Female Athlete of the Year stood out amongst the rest, senior Lakia Pearson.

Pearson competed in the triple jump, long jump and 4×100-meter relay.

Pearson not only broke the La Verne record in the triple jump but the SCIAC record as well.

She is the first athlete in SCIAC history to win three consecutive titles (2003,2004,2005) in the triple jump.

Pearson had an all time best jump of 39-4.

This leap gave Pearson a first place finish at the meet as well as becoming the first female athlete in the conference to jump over the 39-foot mark.

Pearson was just a half an inch short of the automatic qualifying mark for the NCAA.

La Verne alumna and current assistant track coach Katrina Hall, setting the mark at 38-8 1/2 in 1998, held the school record.

Pearson ran along side of Deonne McLean, Krystle Luckey and Lauren Johnson in the 4×100-meter relay team by running a 47.51 earning a second place finish and making the NCAA qualifying mark. All four will be traveling to the final championships to compete among the nations best.

Pearson then finished her day off by placing fourth in the long jump leaping 18 1/2, also a qualifying mark for the NCAA meet.

Sophomore Veronica Andrews, who also achieved impressive marks at the meet, joined Pearson.

Andrews, who has been sound in all of the events that she has participated in this year, placed first in the javelin with a throw of 133-9.

Pearson will be competing in the long jump, triple jump, and 4×100 relay among those who received NCAA qualifying marks will now travel to Waverly, Iowa on May 28 to compete against the nations best in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

“I plan on traveling and taking a year off after this season,” said Pearson. “I hope to go to grad school and will start training with my husband.”

Pearson has high hopes to one day participate in the world games and in the distant future the Olympic games.

Matt Griffin can be reached at mgriffin@ulv.edu.

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