Fresno State Outdoor Track & Field - Event #10
Event: Fresno State Invitational
Host: Fresno State
Date: April 28-29
Location: Fresno, Calif. (Warmerdam Field) / Clovis, Calif. (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
Live Results | Schedule | Meet Program | Tickets (Saturday)
OLYMPIANS HEAD TO CLOVIS
Returning to her hometown and competing at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the first time since high school, Olympian Jenna Prandini will race in the 400 meters on Saturday at 2 p.m. Training partners and fellow Olympians Kendra Harrison and Morolake Akinosun will feature in the 100 meters at 2:30 p.m. Joining the Olympic trio will be Chloe Abbott (200m) and Brandon Miller (800m/1500m) who are also part of their training team.
USTFCCCA Rankings
For the third straight week, Fresno State remains third in the Mountain West according to the USTFCCCA's conference rankings.
The Bulldogs are also the top team from the MW in the West Region, coming in at No. 9 behind eight teams from the Pac-12.
DEEP AND DIVERSE
Throughout the outdoor season, Fresno State's throws group has proved to be one of the deepest, most diverse groups in the country. Currently, the Bulldogs are the only women's program in the nation to feature in the Top 15 of each of the four throwing events in the weekly event squad rankings.
Fresno State is No. 14 in the shot put, No. 4 in the discus, No. 15 in the hammer and No. 4 in the javelin.
CRACKING 60
At the Aztec Invitational, Cierra Jackson won the discus with a mark of 60.77m/199-4, the second-best throw in Mountain West history. It is currently No. 3 in the NCAA and one of four marks over 60 meters this season.
Jackson was the 16th athlete in the last decade to surpass 60 meters.
Her mark currently ranks No. 26 on the USTFCCCA's all-time best marks list and is second on Fresno State's list.
Jackson subsequently earned her second MW Track & Field Athlete of the Week honor, and fourth overall conference weekly award.
ANOTHER SECOND
While Cierra Jackson landed the No. 2 mark at Fresno State in the discus in March, she registered the No. 2 mark in the shot put last time out at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate. On her second attempt of the competition, the sophomore landed a toss that registered 16.19m/53-1.5.
Jackson twice surpassed 16 meters on the day, the first two of her career. She moved up two spots on the Bulldogs' all-time list, passing Meagan McKee and Rosario Sanchez.
COMPANY FOR JACKSON
Cierra Jackson isn't the only Bulldog doing damage on the Fresno State record book in the throws this season. Transfer Jordyn Bryant sits fourth in the discus (55.42m/181-10) and fifth in the shot put (15.37m/50-5.25).
BREAKING INTO THE TOP 10
When the outdoor season began two weeks ago at the Kim Duyst Invite, 2022 Mountain West javelin gold medalist Rhiannon Genilla wasted little time moving into the program's Top 10. On her first attempt, the senior landed a mark of 50.47m/165-7 to move to sixth all-time at Fresno State in the event.
Genilla became just the second Bulldog woman in the last 15 years to surpass the 50-meter mark.
MAKING AN EARLY STATEMENT
At Kim Duyst, the Fresno State javelin group put their depth on display with all four throwing beyond 45 meters. Comparing to the last two Mountain West Championships, only former Bulldog Vanja Spaic had thrown farther than each of the four 'Dogs did two weeks ago.
Rhiannon Genilla is the lone returner who competed in 2022. Harriette Mortlock is a freshman while Cerah Moren is a graduate transfer from Arizona State. Chloe Wood redshirted the 2022 season after knee surgery.
After the Bulldog Classic, all four have thrown over 46 meters. Three currently rank in the Top 35.
MAKING STRIDES
With a pair of career bests at the West Coast Relays, Ceonna Pipion finished third in the 400 meters before picking up the win in the 200 meters.
The junior moved closer to the Bulldogs' Top 10 in the 400, clocking in at 54.25.
Already in the Top 10 in the 200, Pipion dropped under 24 seconds for the first time in her career, crossing the line in 23.96 to move from No. 8 to No. 6.
BUILDING DEPTH IN THE SHOT
While throws coach Joe Riccio has quickly increased his depth in the javelin, he has managed to do the same thing in the shot put. That was shown at the Mountain West Indoor Championships when Fresno State became the third program in Mountain West history, and third since 2002, to have four athletes score in the shot put at an indoor championship.
The scorers included returners Amelia DiPaola and Cierra Jackson, along with transfers Jordyn Bryant (San Diego State) and Jocelynn Budwig (Auburn).
The group finished the indoor season ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings with an average of 15.28m/50-1.5.
AMONG FRESNO STATE'S ELITE THROWERS
While only halfway through her sophomore season, Cierra Jacksonhas already shown to be one of top throwers in Fresno State's history. In one outdoor season, Jackson already ranks No. 3 in the discus (58.57m/192-2) and No. 4 in the shot put (15.81m/51-10.5). In her second indoor season, Jackson made big strides, moving to No. 3 in the weight throw (19.82m/65-0.5) while breaking the program's shot put record with a mark of 16.74m/54-11.25.
The indoor shot put record was the longest-standing indoor record at Fresno State which was held by Dot Jones since 1986.