Comets Return from Break with Strong Outing at Cuyamaca Invitational

EL CAJON, CA (3/1/2025) -- After a few weeks away from competition, the Palomar College women's track and field team returned to action with a strong showing at the Cuyamaca Invitational, highlighted by standout performances across sprints, distance, and field events.

Roxana Contreras, continuing to prove herself as a true all-around athlete, competed in three events. She clocked a time of 1:12.01 in the 400 meters to finish 10th, jumped 4.50 meters in the long jump for another 10th-place finish, and added a 14th-place mark in the shot put with a throw of 5.77 meters.

In the middle-distance races, Lauren Gonzalez led the Comets, placing 5th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:49.33 and 8th in the 1500 meters with a time of 5:55.80. Hannah Strate finished just behind her in the 1500, clocking 6:08.17 for 9th, and also ran 3:09.71 in the 800 meters (9th place). Newcomer Brianna Figueroa made her debut in the 800 with a 10th-place finish (3:19.80), while Jazmyn Brinkman followed in 11th with a time of 3:26.20.

Palomar's throwers had a busy and productive day. Morgan Fornof delivered a personal-best in the shot put with a 6th-place throw of 9.43 meters. She also placed 10th in the discus (24.30m), 6th in the hammer (25.70m), and a strong 4th in the javelin (22.54m). Fialupe Vaivai was close behind, taking 5th in the discus (30.05m), 12th in shot put (8.18m), 7th in hammer (20.88m), and 5th in javelin (21.06m). Sophia Wicks rounded out the field event crew with 13th place in shot put (7.36m), 11th in discus (22.43m), and 9th in hammer (11.42m).

The Comets are set to continue their spring campaign with more competition in the coming weeks as they gear up for the championship season.