LOS ANGELES – Kate Bouvatte and Ryan Maize set new CSUSM records and Jason Bandong became the 26^th Cougar this season to post a nationals qualifying mark at the Oxy Invitational on Saturday, the final competition before NAIA National Championships.
 
Bouvatte finished the 5000m with an "A" standard time of 16:33.86, topping the previous school record of of 16:39.32. (Suzanne Cornwell, 2012).  Bouvatte's mark is the third fastest in the NAIA this outdoor season. Bouvatte set the CSUSM record in the 10,000m earlier this season with a time of 34:41.07, the fastest time in the NAIA this season.
 
Maize finished fourth with a time of 9:01.38 in the 3000m steeplechase, shedding 7.54 seconds off of his previous personal-best and besting the previous school record of 9:04.67 (Daniel Lyon, 2011). It is the second time Maize has reached the "A" standard in the event and the sixth fastest time in the NAIA this outdoor season.
 
Bandong ran a PR and "B" standard time of 54.48 in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
Seventeen student-athletes have posted "A" standard marks this season, automatically qualifying them for nationals. Thirteen Cougars have posted "B" standard marks, with four members recording both "A" and "B" standard marks in multiple events.
 
Brittany Hollie ran an "A" standard in the 100-meter hurdles for the eighth time this with a time of 14.59.
 
Charlotte Kuzminsky set a new personal-best in the 1500m with an "A" standard time of 4:36.95, the third time she has been under the "A" standard this season. Natalie Rodriguez, who ran an "A" standard in the 1500m earlier this season, posted a "B" standard time of 4:40.40.
 
Cristen Lane ran a PR and "B" standard time of 2:14.65 in the 800m, missing the "A" standard by .15 seconds. This is the third time Lane has posted a "B" standard in the 800m. Salena Gallardo also set a PR in the 800m with a time of 2:16.08, just .08 seconds off the "B" standard.
 
Justin Washington posted his third "A" standard time of the season in the 800m, finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 1:52.10. Fereon Meferia ran a new personal-best of 1:53.97 in the 800m, .47 seconds shy of the "B" standard.
 
In the 5000m, Steven Ing ran an "A" standard 14:42.02, the second time with an "A" standard this season. Caesar Castillo ran a PR and "B" standard time of 14:49.64.
 
The men's 4x400m of Bandong, Alex Gronotte, Damon Moore and Washington finished in second with a time of 3:18.77.
 
In the field events, Josh Maffei finished third in the javelin (48.43m), Frederik Jahr took fifth in the high jump (2.01m) and Michael Anastasia came in fifth in the triple jump (13.44m).
 
NAIA Outdoor National Track & Field Championships will be held May 21 to May 23 at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.