Final Results (pdf)

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The University of Hawai'i women's track and field team placed fourth in its first Big West Conference Championships which concluded Saturday at Cal State Northridge's Matador Complex.
 
On the final day of competition, the Rainbow Wahine picked up one medal – a gold by Amanda Alvarez in the triple jump – to finish with six during the four-day meet, which also includes golds by Samantha Balentine in the heptathlon and high jump.
 
Hawai'i finished with 76.5 team points for a fourth place finish among the nine competing teams. UC Davis captured its second consecutive Big West title with 172.5 points followed by UC Santa Barbara (128.5), Cal State Northridge (127), UH, Long Beach State (75), Cal Poly (71.5), UC Riverside (65.5), UC Irvine (57), and Cal State Fullerton (45.5).
 
Alvarez added a gold to her collection after winning bronze in the long jump on Friday. Entering the meet as the top-ranked triple jumper and among the nation's best, the Vancouver, Wash., native leaped 42-3.25 (12.88m) to easily win the competition.
 
Among the other notables included freshman Charlinda Ioane, who placed fifth in the discus with a personal-best throw of 157-9 (48.08m). The mark ranks fifth all-time in the UH record books. Junior Cecilia Durocher just missed a medal, placing fourth in the pole vault with clearance of 12-5-5 (3.80m), losing out on a tiebreaker for the fewest misses.
 
Junior Shayna Dockery placed fifth in the javelin with a PR throw of 127-3 (38.78m). Three UH athletes qualified for the 100-meter finals with junior Samantha Esperanza taking seventh (14.18), sophomore Zhane Santiago placing eighth (14.26), and Alvarez finishing ninth (14.80). Freshman Morgan Struble was seventh in the 400-meter hurdles (1:02.01).
 
Several Rainbow Wahine will next compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Round, including Balentine (high jump), Alvarez (triple jump), and Joanna Franke-Kuhn (hammer). The meet runs May 23-25 in Austin, Texas.