AZUSA, Calif. -- In ideal weather conditions, over 300 athletes competed in Azusa Pacific’s “Valentine’s All-Comers Meet” at Cougar Stadium.

Azusa Pacific posted 40 season-bests between its men’s and women’s programs, but there were very few additional qualifiers for the upcoming NAIA Indoor Championships.

On the women’s side, 2-time defending NAIA champ in the 1000 meters, junior Brianna Carstensen ran her first 1000 of the season and ran a 2:59.02 to qualify for the national meet. She finished third behind former NAIA champ Genevieve Graff-Ermeling (2:53.43) and Concordia’s Natalie Perkins (2:59.92). Carstensen also qualified in the 800 by winning the half-mile event with a 2:20.07.

Other Cougar winners included freshman Sarah Jackson in the 60-meter high hurdles (9.32), senior Mireya Beltran in the high jump (5’ 5”), sophomore Sarah Stafford in the pole vault (10’ 6”) and junior Vivian Chukwuemeka, who won both the shot (56’ 4½”) and the 35-pound weight (60’ 10¾”). Yet none of the aforementioned Cougars improved upon their season-bests.

Freshman Morgan Altizer won the pentathlon staged the day before on Friday with a score of 3,124 points, which may be enough to qualify her for the national championship meet.

The Cougar men were paced by sophomore Danny Reid, who won the 800 (1:54.91) and 1000 meters (2:28.82) with NAIA qualifying times. Junior Mike Mitchell took both the 200 and 400 (47.74) meters), and came back later to win the long jump (23’ 1¾”). Freshman Tony Ramirez won the 600 (1:20.86).

Former Cougar great and Olympic hopeful decathlete Bryan Clay led an array of unattached competitors by winning the pole vault with a career-best leap of 16’ 6¾.”

Among the collegians at the meet were athletes from GSAC rivals Concordia, Fresno Pacific, Point Loma Nazarene, Vanguard and Westmont, along with Occidental and La Verne of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.