SAN DIEGO – In normally sunny San Diego, it never showed up to shine on Saturday.
 
But Hannah Chang certainly did.
 
 

The Seattle Pacific sophomore took coach Karl Lerum's advice to heart, ran an aggressive race, and came through not only with a personal-best time, but also a victory in the 100-meter hurdles in the PLNU Invitational track and field meet at Point Loma Nazarene.
 
Chang went from starting blocks to finish line in 14.37 seconds. No one else was even close, as she was nearly a full second ahead of runner-up Kaitlyn Ulalisa from Pomona-Pitzer at the wire.
 
"Before the race, Coach was telling me that I needed to focus on running through the hurdles," Chang said. "I felt like I was kind of hurdling without a good set intention. So I went into the race thinking I needed to run through the hurdles and that was the cue I needed to get over the hurdles fast today.
 
In a span of just eight days – last Saturday at the PLU Open in Tacoma, Friday at the Mangrum Invitational in San Marcos, and now Saturday at PLNU – Chang has gone from 15.08 to 14.79 to 14.37. Her previous best was 14.50 at last year's Mangrum.
 
"It was amazing. I definitely wanted to PR," said Chang, who also won the PLU race. "I wasn't sure it was going to happen or not, so I just went out and gave it my all."
 
Her hurdles time was one of two personal bests that Chang recorded this weekend. On Friday, she went 16 feet, 3¼ inches in the long jump in San Marcos, eclipsing her previous best of 16-1¼ from the season-opening Ed Boitano Invitational on March 2 in Tacoma.
 
"The long jump I felt went OK," Chang said. "I feel like I have a lot more in me, especially technically. I have a lot of stuff to work on with Coach, so I'm just plugging away every meet."
 
Chang also high jumped on Saturday, getting over at 4 feet, 9 inches to tie for sixth.
 
 

BROWN BREAKS THROUGH AGAIN
It's another barrier busted for Johanna Brown. The SPU junior ran her first-ever sub-58 in the 400-meter dash, winning her heat in 57.86 seconds. That placed her fourth overall. Brown's previous best was 58.20 last Saturday at PLU.
 
In Brown's very first college outdoor race as a freshman in 2022, she clocked 1:00.59 at the PLU Open. She subsequently had a couple of 1:01s and a 1:02 later that season. Her first sub-minute actually came on an indoor oval, 59.78 at the 2023 Husky Classic. Brown's first sub-minute outdoors was 58.80 last April at the Pomona-Pitzer Invite.
 
Brown also was fifth in the 200 dash in 26.10, slightly off her 25.92 best from PLU.
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- In less than 24 hours, freshman Jonathan Lieb knocked four seconds off his 1500 meters time. He went 4:17.36 at the Mangrum Invite on Friday, then came back with a 4:13.17 on Saturday.
-- Freshman Paige Kessler was fourth in the high jump at 5-1. She went a career-best 5-1¾ at the Mangrum.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons are off next weekend – except for Annika Esvelt, who will race in the 5000 meters at the Stanford Invitational on Friday afternoon. Everyone will be back in action on Friday, April 5, in the eighth annual Doris Heritage Invitational at Renton Memorial Stadium. Field events begin at 3:00 p.m., and track events start at 4:00.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
PLNU Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2024
PLNU Track & Field / San Diego, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
200 – 1, Madelyn Worle (Point Loma) 25.13.  SPU – 5, Johanna Brown 26.10; 12, Aniya Green 26.89; 16, Charisma Smith 27.20.
400 – 1, Lauryn James (Acad. Art) 55.71.  SPU – 4, Johanna Brown 57.86; 8, Aniya Green 1:00.06; 10, Charisma Smith 1:00.55.
1500 – 1, Lina Hanich (Acad. Art) 4:39.20.  SPU – 10, Maya Ewing 4:58.22; 17, Matise Mulch 5:07.11; 25, Katelyn Flolo 5:20.47.
100 hurdles – 1, Hannah Chang (SPU) 14.37.  No other SPU.
High jump – 1, Macaria Moore-Bestide (SF State) 5-7 / 1.70m.  SPU – 4, Paige Kessler 5-1 / 1.55m; T6, Hannah Chang 4-9 / 1.45.
Long jump –  1, Mackenzie Daggitt (Middlebury) 17-0 / 5.18m.  SPU – 9, Maliyah Hicks 15-6 ¼ / 4.73m; 12, Paige Kessler 15-0 ¾ / 4.59m
 
 
Aztec Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2024
San Diego State Sports Deck / San Diego, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
Pole vault – 1, Hayley Rayburn (Unattached0 13-8¼ / 4.17m.  SPU – T7, Lizzy Daugherty 12-2½ / 3.72m; 14, Emily Thomason 11-8½ / 3.57m.


NCAA MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
PLNU Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2024
PLNU Track & Field / San Diego, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
200 –  1, Emmanuel Ajiroba (Acad. Art) 21.96.  SPU – 9, Evan Carpenter 23.60.
400 – 1, Onodiaogbe Oboh (Acad. Art) 47.73.  SPU – 7, Evan Carpenter 52.72.
800 – 1, Owen Johnson (Middlebury) 1:58.94.  SPU – 6, Ben Sheirbon 2:10.60; 7, Kade Franco 2:44.52.
1500 – 1, John Peckham (UAA) 4:00.70.  SPU – 11, Jonathan Lieb 4:13.17; 13, Silas Demmert 4:16.47; 16, Isaac Venable 4:18.42; 18, Nathaniel Gale 4:20.75; 20, Gabe Endresen 4:23.35.
Pole vault – 1, Stefan Jungmichel (Biola)14-5¼ / 4.40m.  SPU – 4, Kainoa Lee 13-5¼ / 4.10m; T7, Mikel Saxon 11-5¾ / 3.50m.
 
 
Aztec Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2024
San Diego State Sports Deck / San Diego, Calif.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
Triple jump – 1, Jalyn Jackson (Belize) 49-5 ½ / 15.07m.  SPU – David Njeri, foul.


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