By Jeff Raymond
March 7, 2026
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – A dual meet against cross-town rival UC Santa Barbara featured some rarely-run events and strong performances by several Westmont athletes.
 
"The classic dual meet was an opportunity for individuals to shine," said Coach Russell Smelley. "The relaxed atmosphere encouraged PR performances and team excitement."
 
The Warriors picked up four first-place results, all on the men's side. Crusoe Buzzard won the 400 hurdles in 56.42, John Sakaguchi won the long jump with a mark of 6.77 meters (22-2 1/2), David Oyebade captured the hammer throw at 53.06 meters (174-1), and Lucas DeDora took top honors in the javelin with a toss of 53.53 meters (175-7).
 
Sakaguchi also ran 10.91 to place sixth in the 100 meters, Buzzard was fourth in the 110 hurdles in 16.33, and Oyebade ended fourth in the discus with a mark of 39.51 meters (129-7).
 
Other notable performances for the men included Justin Hess coming in third in the 600 meters in 1:21.07, Hunter Skoglund placing third (5.27.96) and Kaedon Anderson fifth (5:33.94) in the 2000 meters, Samuel Nealon ending third (8:44.28) and Timothy Johnson fourth (8:46.22) in the 3000 meters, Joel Nakazawa placing second in the hammer (52.52m / 172-4), and Isaac Jones finishing second in the 400 hurdles in 59.85.
 
The men's 4 x 400 relay ended the meet with some drama. After falling behind by twenty meters, Gabe LaBorin ran Westmont's anchor leg and made up most of the distance with a strong finish. UCSB edged out the Warriors by slightly more than one second. The relay squad ended with a time of 3:21.48.
 
"Gabe gave the Warriors the biggest charge of the day as he gave chase on the 4 x 400 to make it a race," said Smelley.
 
For women, Claire Van Horn ran 1:38.14 to place second in the 600 meters, and Janelle Wanliss took second in the 400 hurdles in 1:03.72, and third in the 100 hurdles in 15.75. Ava Shaffer ran a quality time of 12.55 to place sixth in the 100 meters. The 4 x 400 relay of Wanless, Van Horn, Izabella Guerrero, and Charlotte William placed second in a season-best time of 3:56.78.
 
In the field events, Macy Billinger finished as the runner-up in the pole vault with a height of 3.70 meters (12-1 1/2), Ava Hsieh went 5.08 meters (16-8) to place fifth in the long jump, and Sophia Rollman ended up third in the triple jump with a mark of 10.10 meters (33-1 3/4).
 
UCSB won the men's competition 119-81, and outpaced Westmont 143-62 on the women's side. "This was a good kickoff to spring break and the Virginia trip," stated Smelley.
 
Over 50 members of the Westmont team will travel to Virginia in the coming week. After several days of history and training, the Warriors will compete in the Fred Hardy Invitational at the Richmond (Va.) on Saturday, March 21.