The men’s and women’s track and field teams celebrated remarkable record-breaking achievements at the 2024 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Track Championships on Sunday at Strehle Track at Pomona-Pitzer.
Leading the charge was sophomore sprinter Tyler Thomas, who became the fastest man in the SCIAC with victories in both the 100-meter and 200-meter events, setting new school records along the way. His electrifying 10.54-second sprint in the 100-meter not only surpassed his previous best, but also ranks 15th in NCAA Division III.
Thomas continued his dominance in the 200 meter, setting a SCIAC meet and La Verne record with a lightning-fast time of 20.94 seconds.
Junior Dawson Bell emerged as a standout performer for the women’s team, securing a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash with an impressive personal best time of 12.25 seconds.
Graduate student Zachary Reid reclaimed his SCIAC crown, winning the 110 meter hurdles. His winning time of 14.31 set a new school record and also broke a SCIAC meet record of 14.48 set in 1976.
The Leopards secured a dramatic win in the 4×400 meter relay, with graduate student Austin Haines, senior Ivan Estrada, junior Jayden Figueroa and Thomas crossing the finish line at 3:17.26. Figueroa managed to avoid a collision between runners from Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, propelling the Leopards into the lead. Thomas then anchored the team to victory, leaving the competition behind.
In the men’s 4×100-meter relay, freshman Davion Fields, freshman Russell Maxie, Estrada and Thomas finished third with a time of 41.25, which is the fifth-fastest time in school history.
In the 400-meter hurdles, senior Joshua Collier finished second with a season-best time of 53.65.
Sophomore decathlete Hunter Bond finished sixth after setting personal bests in five events.
—Jonas Holt
Jonas Holt is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is sports editor of the Campus Times, a staff writer for La Verne Magazine and staff photographer for both publications. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times.
