AZUSA, Calif. –- It was day of records and notable performances during the 18th Annual Meet of Champions on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.

Five school or stadium records fell during the 38-event competition, and none may have been bigger than the mark that Azusa Pacific’s Vivian Chukuweumeka produced in the women’s shot put. The sophomore out of Nigeria became the first Cougar ever to eclipse 60 feet when she heaved the shot a personal-best 60’ 5” to shatter her former school record. However, because of track & field’s hair-splitting rules (and perhaps harebrain in this case) the effort will not be recognized as an African record even though it surpasses Chukuweumeka’s previous continental record (the shot put vector was measured for collegiate competition and was inches too wide for international record purposes). Her performance in the shot capped a fine meet in which the NAIA champion Chukuweumeka set a personal record in the hammer (179’ 0”) and a season-best in the discus (177’ 0”).

On the men’s side Cougar senior Dominique DeGrammont, who was facing his strongest competition of the outdoor season, clocked a school-record 13.74 in the 110-meter high hurdles to break Herbie Akpom’s 16-year-old school record of 13.85. With the speedy clip, DeGrammont qualified for this summer’s U.S. Track & Field Championships.

Inspired by the presence of high school great Alan Webb, Azusa Pacific sophomore Tim Ramirez set a goal to finish ahead of Webb in the 800 meters. He not only met his goal but in the process he broke one of the oldest school records in Azusa Pacific track history, clocking a 1:50.68 to finish second (Webb was fifth with a 1:52.55) and best Paul Dennis’ former school standard of 1:50.97 set in 1987. In that same race, junior Micah Strom finished fourth with a 1:52.03, the sixth fastest 800 in Azusa Pacific history.

USC’s Julian Kapek set a Cougar Stadium record in the triple with a winning leap of 55’ 4¾” to surpass Robert Cannon’s 1991 stadium mark of 54’ 10¾“. In winning the 400-meter hurdles, Kemel Thompson out of Loughsborough set a stadium record with a 49.18, breaking the former record by more than a full second.