SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's track & field team earned three gold medals as it placed third at the CCAA Championships for the second consecutive season on Saturday at Mangrum Track & Field.

Following the meet, Trevor Boaz was awarded this year's CCAA's Elite 13 Award. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the final CCAA championship site in each conference-sponsored sport. This is Boaz's second CCAA Elite 13 Award as he earned the honor for cross country in 2021.


 
TOP PERFORMANCES

• Nick Melanese picked up his first gold medal of the day as he won the CCAA 1500-Meter Championship with the third-fastest time in program history and an NCAA provisional of 3:48.17.
• Just a little while later, Melanese won the CCAA 800-Meter Championship with the second-fastest time in program history and an NCAA provisional of 1:50.11. Renton McGregor had the eighth-fastest time in program history at 1:53.13 while finishing fifth.
• Kalathan Laiwa-McKay won the CCAA Shot Put Championship with the second-best mark in program history at 16.11 meters. He's the Cougars' second shot put champion as Ndoto Strong won the title in 2019.
• Isaac Muanza silvered in the triple jump with a mark of 14.15 meters.
• Chris Lee tied for sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.37 meters – just .01 off his personal best.
• Jeremy Rack took sixth in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.49.
• Ruben Pina placed seventh out of 29 in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:59.25.
• The 4x100-meter relay team of Zavier Hidalgo, Sam Whelan, Adam Moe and Jackson Cross picked up two points for CSUSM with a seventh-place finish of 45.14.
• CSUSM closed out the meet with a fifth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay as the the team of Kenyon Riley, Braden Oberg, Renton McGregor and Justice Chima finished in 3:20.86.

 
TEAM SCORES
1. Cal Poly Pomona – 311; 2. Chico State – 206.50; 3. Cal State San Marcos – 99.50; 4. Cal State LA – 95; 5. Stanislaus State – 56; 6. Cal Poly Humboldt – 41; 7. Cal State East Bay – 7
 
POST-MEET NOTES

• CSUSM's three gold medals were its most ever at the CCAA Championships. The Cougars earned two gold medals in 2019.
• Melanese is the first Cougar to win multiple gold medals at the CCAA Championships in the same season for the men's team.
• The Cougars will head into next week's meet with three NCAA provisionals in tow.

 
UP NEXT
CSUSM will wrap up the regular season at the APU Last Chance Meet on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13 in Azusa.