By Jeff Raymond
April 25, 2026
 
(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) The culmination of the 2026 season proved to be memorable for the Westmont track and field teams. Competing at the PacWest Championships hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Warrior athletes posted six All-PacWest performances and several other impressive results.
 
"The team responded well to PacWest competition," said head coach Russell Smelley. "There was an array of season-best performances, some of which did not appear in the scoring."
 
The Westmont men scored 65 points to finish fifth overall, while the women ended in seventh place with 22 points.
 
Gabe LaBorin completed 10 events to collect his All-PacWest award. LaBorin produced a huge personal best of 6,416 points to place third in the decathlon. He ended both days of the competition with event wins, taking the 400 meters in 49.34 and closing out the decathlon with an impressive 1500-meter time of 4:14.58. For comparison, that 1500 time would have been the top performance in the decathlon at the 2024 Olympic Games.
 
"First off, I want to give glory to God. My work on the track is only a reflection of how He has worked in my life," said LaBorin. "It was a great couple of days of competition and what I've been working for all year. I tried to focus one event at a time and not worry about how things would end, which led to some big PRs and a great overall score."
 
Teammate Roary Erskine also had a strong performance in the decathlon, placing sixth in a substantial personal record of 6,067 points.
 
The open 1500-meter race was another highlight for Westmont. Freshmen Hunter Skoglund (3:51.87) and Kaeden Anderson (3:54.45) cut three seconds off their previous best times to finish third and fifth, respectively. Skoglund's effort earned All-PacWest honors. Tyler Allan (3:56.87) added a seventh-place finish.
 
Coach Smelley credited Thomas Reed with helping the 1500 get out to an honest pace. "Thomas did a gallant frontrunner to set a competitive pace for the field. The Warriors responded with 12 points, three PR's, and a season best. It was the highlight race of the day."
 
"I went into the race really confident," said Skoglund. "I was patient and made a big move with 800 to go. I'm really happy with my performance and excited to see what the future holds."
 
Joshua Lin joined the list of all-conference honorees by placing third in the 400 meters. He ran a time of 48.09 in the finals after setting a personal record of 48.01 in the prelims. He also anchored the 4 x 400 relay to a fourth-place finish in 3:18.59. Other members of the relay were Justin Hess, Luke Hein, and Danny Allan.
 
John Sakaguchi earned the final All-PacWest award for the men. He finished third in the long jump with a mark of 6.99 meters (22-11.75). He also ran a season best in the 100 meters, just missing the finals with a time of 10.78.
 
"This meet definitely added fuel to the fire and was a glimpse of what's to come," said Sakaguchi. "A huge thanks to my teammates and coaches, and all the glory goes back to Christ."
 
Janelle Wanliss headlined the efforts for the women's team. The freshman ran 1:01.61 in the 400 hurdles to end in third and take home all-conference honors. Her time ranks third in Westmont history and meets the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
 
"Janelle ran a clean race to earn her podium finish and set her sights on a national qualifier," said Coach Smelley.
 
"I trained all season with the goal to represent Westmont at the PacWest and be on the podium," said Wanliss. "I was seeded fifth, but when I was in the blocks I knew what I wanted and just ran for it."
 
Wanliss also ran a leg on the sixth-place 4 x 100 relay (47.81) and the seventh-place 4 x 400 relay (3:59.03).
 
Macy Billinger, another freshman, claimed All-PacWest recognition by finishing third in the pole vault. She cleared 3.50 meters (11-5.75).
 
"I was blessed with success in this competition after two hard meets," said Billinger. "I never gave up, trusted God, and held a confident mindset."
 
Coach Smelley also pointed out the contributions of senior Charlotte Williams. In her individual event, the 400 meters, Williams produced her career-best performance of 58.02 to finish ninth. She also ran the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
 
"Charlotte continued her calm and reassuring leadership that I think influenced her teammates to stretch toward their best performances," commented Smelley.
 
Other individuals who scored points for the men include Luke Hein, eighth in the 800 (1:56.37 finals / 1:54.37 prelims); Crusoe Buzzard, sixth in the 400 hurdles (54.55); Lucas Satterlee, seventh in the 3000 steeplechase (10:04.63); William Covington, seventh in the 5,000 meters (15:20.42); Lucas Dedora, fifth in the javelin (55.60m / 182-5); David Oyebade, fifth in the discus (48.35m / 158-7), and eighth in the hammer (48.28m / 158-4); Joel Nakazawa, seventh in the hammer (48.74m / 159-11); Davian Kennedy, eighth in the high jump (1.80m / 5-10.75); Easton Rose, eighth in the pole vault (4.05m / 13-3.5); and Makai Bruce, eighth in the triple jump (12.29m / 40-4).
 
Smelley complemented Bruce's performance. "Makai, a team captain, represented the team's endeavor as he grabbed a team point in the triple jump to cap his four-year tenure."
 
The men's 4x100 relay, made up of Rose, Che Siordia, Joshua Denu, and Evan O'Brien, added a fourth-place finish.
 
For the women, Claire Van Horn improved her all-time best, finishing fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:15.78. She also ran on the 4x400 relay. Several other athletes produced notable performances that just missed scoring points. Ava Shaffer (12.41) and Grace Soberanis (12.58) ran personal bests in the 100 meters, and were members of the 4x100 relay. Anna Hoke finished the prelims of the 400 hurdles in 1:05.48, which ranks her among Westmont's top 10 in the record books. She added a leg on the 4x400 relay. Noella Breytenbach scored 3,760 points in the heptathlon, which set a career-best mark.
 
"I'm proud of the team camaraderie and how they compete well together," concluded Coach Smelley.