In the final year of NAIA competition, the Cal State San Marcos men's track & field team finished 31^st at the NAIA National Championships, six student-athletes earned NAIA All-America honors and two school records were broken.

The distance runners kicked off the season for the Cougars on Feb. 1 with Enrique Ramirez, Daniel Ybarra and Michael Waltrip competing at the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach, Calif. Ramirez (1:10:46) became the first member of the men's team to post an "A" standard, which automatically qualified him for nationals in the marathon. Ybarra (1:12:36) and Waltrip (1:13:32) hit the "B" standard mark.

At the Rossi Relays on Feb. 28, the first team competition of the year, the distance medley relay team of Steven Ing, Alex Gronotte, Justin Washington and Zach Laurenzana set a new school record with a time of 10:07.9. The previous record of 10:10.57 had stood for 10 years. Three Cougars won their events, with Kyle Johnson winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.16, freshman Andrew Tellames finishing first in the 3000m with a personal and season-best 8:36.67 and Josh Maffei capturing the top spot in the javelin with a throw of 59.67m.

Two Cougars posted "A" standards at the Oxy Distance Festival on Mar. 13.  Ing set a new PR in the 5000m with a time of 14:32.90 to punch his ticket to nationals. Ryan Maize qualified for nationals in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:08.92.

The rest of the squad competed the next day at the San Diego Collegiate Challenge, finishing in fourth with 60 points. Jason Bandong won the 400-meter hurdles with a time off 55.08. Michael Anastasia accounted for 11 points, scoring six in the triple jump (13.08m) and five in the long jump (6.23m).

CSUSM finished in third place at the Ross & Sharon Irwin Collegiate Scoring Meet on Mar. 26, scoring 219 points. Maize qualified for a second event at nationals, winning the 1500m with an "A" standard time and PR of 3:54.14. Anastasia won both the long jump (6.32m) and the triple jump (13.54m) and Frederik Jahr won the high jump (2.0m). The 4x400m relay of Bandong, Jordan Lucas, Gronotte and Washington finished with a time of 3:22.90 to get the win. Bandong finished second in the 400-meter hurdles (54.71), Johnson third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.14) and Washington third in the 800m (1:55.06). The 4x100m relay of Brendyn Heath, Lucas, John Tagulao and Johnson finished third with a time of 43.48.

In the Aztec Invitational on Mar. 27, Ing hit the "B" standard in the 1500m with a PR of 3:54.59. Washington finished second in the 800m, also registering a PR with a time of 1:53.54. Lucas finished second in the 100m (10.84) and Jahr took second in the high jump (2.0m).

Washington qualified for nationals at the California Collegiate Invite on Apr. 4, taking second in the 800m with a PR and "A" standard time of 1:52.49.  Cougars took the top-three spots in the 10,000m, with Tellames (31:26.70) and Ramirez (31:29.66) posting "B" standard times and Ybarra (32:09.50) completing the sweep. Ing won the 5000m (14:51.20), Jahr finished second on the high jump (1.96m), Lucas placed third in the 100m (11.04) and Johnson took third in the 110-meter hurdles (15.25). The 4x400m team of Bandong, Gronotte, Damon Moore and Washington finished second with a time of 3:20.44.

At the Mangrum Invitational on Apr. 11, the annual home competition, the Cougar 4x800m relay team of Maize, Washington, Laurenzana and Gronotte qualified for nationals with an "A" standard time of 7:42.77. Lucas won the 100m with a "B" standard time of 10.73. Jahr hit the "B" standard in the high jump with a leap of 2.03m and Ing ran a "B" standard (3:56.22) in the 1500m.

Caesar Castillo ran a "B" standard and personal-best 14:55 in the 5000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Apr. 17.

Anastasia won the triple jump at the Triton Invitational on Apr. 25 with a mark of 13.92. Three student-athletes set new PRs: Jamal Brewer in the long jump (6.69m), Castillo in the 1500m (4:05.17) and Washington in the 800m (1:51.39).

At the annual adidas/Steve Scott Invitational on May 2, the namesake event for Cougar head coach Steve Scott, Moore posted a "B" standard in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.37. Maize finished third in the 1500m with an "A" standard time of 3:54.39. Washington finished second in the 800m with a "B" standard time of 1:53.15. Jahr tied for second with two NCAA Division I high jumpers, leaping 2.0m.

Ybarra solidified his position in nationals at the Orange County Half Marathon on May 3. He ran an "A" standard 1:08.59, just 11 seconds shy of the school record, to qualify for nationals in the full marathon.

Maize set the school record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:01.38 on May 9 at the Oxy Invitational. The time bested the previous record by more than three seconds and was the sixth fastest time in the NAIA heading into nationals. Bandong ran a PR and "B" standard time of 54.48 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Thirteen Cougars qualified to compete for the men's squad at the NAIA National Championships held in Gulf Shores, Ala. May 21-23.

Poor weather forced the suspension of multiple events on the first day of championship competition. Bandong (54.93) and Moore (57.87) were able to compete in the 400-meter hurdles prior to the suspension, with both placing sixth in their respective heats.

On the second day of competition, the men's 4x800m relay of Fereon Meferia, Gronotte, Luis Vasquez and Washington took home the first All-American honors for the Cougars, placing eighth with a time of 7:39.02. With a dive at the finish line, Washington (1:52.393) finished second in his 800m heat to automatically qualify for the final to take place the next day.

Day three of the NAIA Championships started off with a bang with Ybarra earning All-American honors with a fourth place finish in the marathon (2:36:23.8). Maize completed an outstanding season, taking home All-American honors in the 3000m steeplechase (9:19.42) with a seventh place finish. Washington earned his second All-American honor by placing eighth in the 800m final with a time of 1:53.34.

In all, the men's track & field team finished 31^st overall with nine points.

Jahr was named to the Capital One Academic All-District® 4 Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Team.

Bandong, Castillo, Ace Fletcher and Laurenzana were honored as 2014-15 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes for achieving at least a junior academic standing and holding cumulative GPA of over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.