Caltech track & field’s young group of throwers continued its impressive season to highlight the second SCIAC Multi-Dual of the spring in Redlands, Calif. on Saturday. Freshmen Tim Krasnoperov (Pasadena, Calif. / Polytechnic) and Alexa Lauinger (Ortonville, Mich. / Brandon) had big days across the board, while junior Zane Murphy (Wilmington, Del. / Tampa Prep) […]
Caltech track & field’s young group of throwers continued its impressive season to highlight the second SCIAC Multi-Dual of the spring in Redlands, Calif. on Saturday.
Freshmen Tim Krasnoperov (Pasadena, Calif. / Polytechnic) and Alexa Lauinger (Ortonville, Mich. / Brandon) had big days across the board, while junior Zane Murphy (Wilmington, Del. / Tampa Prep) got back on track with a season-high-matching effort in the shot put. Krasnoperov was just off his best mark in the discus, yet still managed to place third overall, while adding over two meters in the hammer as he improved on every throw to put himself just outside of the Top-5 in program history. Lauinger posted personal-best marks in all three events to place sixth in the discus while adding nearly two meters in the hammer and ranking seventh in program history with a 1.5-foot improvement in the shot put.
“I’m pleased with our progress,” Head Coach Ben Raphelson said. “We’re getting closer to where we’ll need to be in one month at the SCIAC Championships.”
Several other Beavers placed well in the overall competition, including sophomore Michaelle Marasigan (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / James B. Conant) finishing fourth with a slight drop in the 800-meter run and freshman Tanner Moore (Roseville, Calif. / Oakmont) blazing through his last 200 meters in the 1500m to finish sixth.
Senior Lucy Chen (Boonton Township, N.J. / Mountain Lakes) continued her steady progression of season bests with a 14-foot long jump, with sophomore Ben Calvin (Shawnee, Kan. / Shawnee Mission Northwest) shaving .07 in the 110m hurdles after a promising showing the week prior.
The Beavers’ distance corps managed to drop time despite challenging conditions on a hot and windy day, particularly in the 5k where freshman Bhairav Chidambaram (San Diego, Calif. / Canyon Crest Acad.) and sophomore Michael Hashe (Plano, Texas / Texas Acad. of Math & Science) shaved nine and 20 seconds, respectively. Sophomore Joey Hong (Milpitas, Calif. / King’s Acad.) and junior Gene Vaughan (Mission, Texas / Sharyland) trimmed two and three seconds, respectively, in the 1500m, a race in which both freshmen Sam Blazes (Seattle, Wash. / Sidwell Friends) and Nicole Feng (Bethany, Conn. / Amity Regional) also lopped off seven seconds.
Freshmen Damien Berube (Montreal, Canada / John Abbott Coll.) and Alex Lettenberger (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Glenbard West) improved slightly in the pole vault, with Lettenberger also trimming .37 in the 200-meter dash and running a key leg alongside classmates Tommy Alford (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman), Jesse Cai (McLean, Va. / Thomas Jefferson Science & Tech) and Tiger Lu (Shanghai, China / Shanghai American School Puxi) on the 4x400m relay that posted a 10-second improvement at 3:39.13.
Raphelson and the Beavers will participate in the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday, Apr. 8 ahead of their final Multi-Dual the following weekend.
