The West Coast Relays at Veterans Memorial Field located at Buchanan High School started off on Thursday, March 31 with the women’s and men’s hammer throw events.
The women’s hammer throw featured senior transfer Nadia Maffo who was coming off a win last week in the hammer at Cal Poly with the third-best throw of her career; she continued to dominate the field at the West Coast Relays on Thursday afternoon.
Maffo threw for a new personal record on her first throw at the West Coast Relays, throwing a mark of 65.32m/214-4 to win the event on Thursday. It was her third win in four meets this spring.
While Maffo’s first throw of the event was her best of the day, all three of her throws surpassed her previous PR of 64.53m/211-8 which she set in 2019. Maffo’s new personal record ranks second in program history behind Sharon Ayala’s 66.52m/218-3 which was set back in 2o09.
Finishing right behind her in second was fellow senior Tahj’nee Thurston who set a new personal best at 60.90m/199-10.
On the men’s side, junior Charles Remlinger dual sport-athlete earned a spot in the hammer throw finals and placed eighth with a mark of 53.65m/176-0, achieving a throw over 53 meters for the second time this spring. He also competed in the discus throw and placed 14th with a throw of 45.31m.
Remlinger learned how to throw the discus in his senior year of high school and threw well enough to realize he could compete in discus from then on.
“I did it really just the last year of senior year, just that three months here at Buchanan, that was the first time throwing my discus, so I was learning how to throw a discus that first day here at Buchanan and learning how to spin with the discus. Then threw well enough to be like, ‘Hey, you can do something with your talents and so I did that,’” Remlinger said.
Remlinger also never imagined he would play two sports in college.
“No, especially now that I know what it’s like to play two sports, I would’ve never seen myself doing this, but I’m glad I did for sure. It’s so much fun being able to still be with my track teammates and also be out there on the football field… It’s a dream I didn’t have but it’s a dream come true regardless,” Remlinger said.
Remlinger is actually not the only dual-sport athlete on the track and field team either, as Fresno State women’s basketball’s own Daylee Dunn is also on the team.
Dunn competed on Friday in the 100 meter hurdles and finished in third place in heat 3 with a time of 15.12. Dunn also competed in the 400 meter hurdles finishing sixth in heat 2 with a time of 1:04.84.
Other notable performances for the Bulldogs from Friday’s events include junior thrower Julian Sotelo, who grabbed the first win of the day for the Bulldogs in the javelin throw landing a throw of 59.69m/195-10. This was his top mark of the year and landed him just outside the program’s Top 10.
It was his first win as a Bulldog, and fourth top-three finish in his first year at Fresno State.
In the women’s javelin throw, junior Rhiannon Genilla placed fourth with a toss of 44.58m/146-3. Former Fresno State All-American Vanja Spaic, competing unattached, won the event setting a meet, stadium and Bosnian national record with a throw of 55.32m/181-6.
In the triple jump, freshman Rachela Pace set a PR with a jump of 12.36m/40-6.75 to grab the win. With that jump the Maltese athlete ranks No. 8 all-time in program history.
Fresno State also claimed two of the top four spots in the shot put event as well.
Sophomore Cierra Jackson launched a personal best of 15.24m/50-0 on her fifth attempt to place second overall. That mark now ranks fifth all-time at Fresno State. Two spots behind her was junior Amelia Dipaola at 14.47m/47-5.75.
The Bulldogs’ track and field team will be back in action on Wednesday, April 13 through Friday April 15 in Azusa for the Bryan Clay Invitational.
