ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On Saturday, the California track & field team entered Day Two of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational with big aspirations after setting an NCAA lead and a program freshman record the previous afternoon. The Golden Bears took things to an elite level once again at the Albuquerque Convention Center, notching three school records and five additional program top-10s to head back to Berkeley happy.
 
Transfer junior Johnny Goode, who started his Cal career with a school record in the 400m last week at the Spokane Sports Showcase, bettered that time by one-tenth of a second to take second place at 46.58; later, he contributed to the Bears' second school record of the day, racing the third leg of a 4x400m relay squad (that also included senior Isaiah Shaw, sophomore Arian Naim and redshirt senior Iyan Godwin) and posting a time of 3:12.69 that was the best in program history. Cal also acquitted itself well in the men's 60m invitational, with senior David Foster taking the win at 6.61 and redshirt junior Gavin Schurr finishing third at 6.72.
 
On the women's side of the track, the Bears had three hurdlers – senior Asjah Atkinson, sophomore Mari Testa and freshman Inara Ukawuba – set new program top 10s and qualify for the final. Atkinson's time of 8.39 in the preliminary heats improved her personal best by 0.05 seconds and improved her own program No. 6 entry, while Testa posted times of 8.56 and 8.52 in the prelims and final, respectively, to take sole possession of No. 8 all time at Cal. Ukawuba, who made her collegiate debut, crossed the finish line in 8.61 in the preliminary round to tie for ninth on the Bears' all-time list. In the 60m dash, senior Aysha Shaheed qualified for her own final and matched her PR of 7.38, which ranks fifth in program history, while freshman Paige Porter posted a collegiate PR of 7.78 to take second place in the unseeded race. Finally, junior Jayden Hill shaved over six seconds off her PR in the 800m, landing just outside the program's top-10 list at 2:11.71.
 
One week after rising to No. 2 in Cal history in the men's pole vault, redshirt junior Tyler Burns improved his PR to 5.52m (18-1.25), then 5.62m (18-5.25) – eclipsing the previous school record by 3.5 inches – to take third as the top collegiate finisher in the meet, the new ACC leader and the third-best performer nationwide. The women's field events were highlighted by the performances of redshirt sophomore Giavonna Meeks and true sophomore Myla Canty. Meeks, who took the collegiate lead Friday in the women's weight throw, competed in the shot put and posted a mark of 15.22m (49-11.25) for the fifth-best outing in Cal history, while Canty placed second in the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 12.69m (41-7.75) that moved her up to seventh on the all-time program list and third in the ACC this season.
 
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. INVITATIONAL – MEN'S RESULTS
60m Invitational Final – 1. David Foster 6.61; 3. Gavin Schurr 6.72
60m Invitational Prelims – 1. David Foster 6.63q; 7. Gavin Schurr 6.79q; 14. Christian Trapps 6.94
60m Unseeded B – 5. Javon Hampton Jr. 6.94 (=PR); 6. Chukwunonso Udeh 6.94 (PR); 9. Seth Johnson 7.04; 13. Jakobi Smith 7.07 (PR); 25. Luke Buddie 7.42
300m – 9. Seth Johnson 35.36 (PR); 13. Luke Buddie 36.97 (PR)
400m Invitational – 2. Johnny Goode 46.58 (PR, School Record); 8. Isaiah Shaw 47.33
60m Hurdles Prelims – 10. Seth Johnson 8.13 (PR); 12. Matt Gladney 8.27 (PR); 21. Luke Buddie 8.75
4x400m Relay – 6. California A 3:12.69 (Isaiah Shaw, Arian Naim, Johnny Goode, Iyan Godwin – School Record)
Pole Vault A – 3. Tyler Burns 5.62m/18-5.25 (PR, School Record)
Triple Jump – 4. Jeremiah Bolaños 14.86m/48-9; 11. Victor Ezike Jr. 13.51m/44-4 (PR)
 
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. INVITATIONAL – WOMEN'S RESULTS
60m Invitational Final – 4. Aysha Shaheed 7.38 (=PR)
60m Invitational Prelim – 7. Aysha Shaheed 7.48q; 18. Ryan Lacefield 7.77
60m Unseeded B – 2. Paige Porter 7.78 (collegiate PR)
400m Invitational – 9. Ryan Lacefield 56.25; 14. Zoe Lahanas 59.06 (collegiate PR)
800m – 8. Jayden Hill 2:11.71
60m Hurdles Final – 5. Asjah Atkinson 8.46; 7. Mari Testa 8.52 (PR, No. 8 Cal History); 8. Inara Ukawuba 8.82
60m Hurdles Prelim – 4. Asjah Atkinson 8.39q (PR, No. 6 Cal History); 6. Mari Testa 8.56q; 8. Inara Ukawuba 8.61q (PR, Tied-No. 9 Cal History); 15. Torre Anderson 8.99
4x400 Relay – 7. California 3:52.16 (Loreal Wilson, Nairobi Smith, Zoe Lahanas, Ryan Lacefield)
Triple Jump – 2. Myla Canty 12.69m/41-7.75 (PR, No. 7 Cal History); 4. Leah Anderson 12.01m/39-5 (Cal PR)
Shot Put – 4. Giavonna Meeks 15.22m/49-11.25 (Cal PR, No. 5 Cal History)
 
UP NEXT
The Bears split for two meets next week, sending squads to both the UW Invitational in Seattle and the New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque, N.M., on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
 
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