The Long Beach State track and field program hosted the 25th Annual Beach Invitational on campus at Jack Rose Track last weekend with more than 3,000 elite competitors of all ages and skills participating.
On the men’s side, LBSU’s 4×100 relay team of Femi Ajose, Faris Babineaux, Kemonie Briggs, and Koty Burton won the event with a season best time of 40.60. Burton was also a top finisher in the men’s 110m hurdles and was just off his PR with a time of 14.06.
On the women’s side, senior Bria Palmer won the high jump while tying her PR with a clearance of 5’ 10.75”. On the track, LBSU assistant coach Jaide Stepter was the one to beat in the 400m and 200m, winning both events with times of 52.35 and 22.97.
On Saturday, Omar Craddock’s triple jump of 17.68m (58-00.25) is the best this year and his lifetime best. It is also a IAAF World qualifying mark for the Florida Gator.
LBSU will be at the Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine this weekend.
Men’s Volleyball
Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Falls To Hawaii, Seeded No. 2 For NCAA Tourney
Women’s Golf
LBSU won its second consecutive Big West Championship at Moorpark Country Club last week. The Beach finished eight shots better than second place and host CSUN. LBSU senior Haley Tygret was the only golfer to finish under par in the tournament, finishing at 4-under to win the tournament by five shots.
Softball
LBSU (19-22, 6-6) bounced back to win the second and third games of its Big West series at LBSU Softball Complex last weekend. The Beach lost the first game 6-2 on Friday, but split the doubleheader with a 6-1 win. LBSU took the rubber match 6-5 thanks to a walkoff RBI single from freshman Maddy Ruffin. She hit .500 for the weekend, and had three hits in the series finale.
LBSU is stuck in fourth place in the Big West, two games back of third place. This weekend the Beach is at seventh place Cal Poly where they can try to cut down the four-game gap between them and first place Cal State Fullerton.
Baseball
The Dirtbags (7-30, 2-7) were swept by Cal Poly last weekend at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. Junior Jacob Hughey extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games, and freshman Kaden Hogan had three hits and his first career home run in the 5-4 series finale loss on Saturday.
The Dirtbags are still looking for their first road series win of the year, and have a good chance to it this weekend against fellow basement dwellers UC Davis. The series opens at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, continues at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and concludes at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Women’s Water Polo
No. 13 LBSU (15-14, 1-4) dropped both of its final Big West regular season matches last week to No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 111 UC Santa Barbara. Freshman Orsi Hertzka is now fourth all-time at LBSU for most goals in a single season with 67.
The Beach is hosting the Big West Conference Tournament at Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center this weekend, and opens against UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. on Friday. All of the teams are guaranteed three matches, and the final is scheduled for Sunday. LBSU lost to UCSB last week to finish the regular season.
Women’s Tennis
The Beach (14-5, 6-2) bounced back from a narrow loss at Loyola Marymount last week with a 4-2 Big West win at UC Irvine.
The Beach is in the desert this weekend for the Big West Conference Tournament at Indian Wells. LBSU will be the No. 3 seed and start the single elimination bracket against No. 6 Cal Poly on Friday. The final is scheduled for Sunday morning.
Beach Volleyball
LBSU (18-9) lost two of its three matches last week, including a 5-0 defeat against No. 1 UCLA, but the Beach was able to take down Saint Mary’s 4-1 on Senior Day. Seniors in Zoi Konstantopoulou, Megan Kruidhof, Kendra Koelsch, and Alexis Patterson all celebrated their last home match with victories.
The Big West Conference Tournament is in Malibu this weekend where the Beach is looking to make an underdog run to the title. LBSU finished second in the tourney last year.
