By Haddy Barghouti (@HaddyBarghouti) – Spear Reporter | (Photo via SJSU Athletics)
San Jose State track and field closed out the weekend with a strong showing at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Florida.
The Spartans capped off the event with a bang, as senior Emilia Sjostrand got first place in the women’s long jump.
Sophomore Katharina Graman was also a standout, running 12.69 meters and finishing in sixth place on day two.
“Katharina made that final and continues to jump consistently, which is going to pay off big at the end of the year,” track and field coach Charles Ryan said.
Graman also finished in sixth place on day one, recording 6.17 meters in the jump.
Junior Alyssa Bean stood out as she recorded a career high on day one in the 200-meter race.
Bean also finished second on day two in the 400-meter competition, where she ran 53.62 seconds.
SJSU’s men’s track and field players also had efficient performances on day one, as sophomore Ethan Fong finished in 10th place in the long jump and junior Christopher Coats finished in 11th place in the 200-meter dash.
“I thought Ethan Fong and the rest of the junk room carried themselves well out here,” Ryan said. “Overall, we definitely had some misses, but there’s a good learning experience across the board.”
Fong recorded 6.37 meters in the long jump, while Coats recorded a 20.74 time in the dash.
“Good progressing, good consistency-type performances in their 200-meter events,” Ryan said.
Coats’ teammate Cameron Tarver came just behind Coats, as he ran a time of 20.94 and finished in 16th place.
Day two also saw multiple top 10 finishes, including junior Christopher Malone, who wasn’t on the stat sheet on day one but got on it on day two after getting placed in eighth after running a 1:53.17 in the 800-meter dash.
“Overall, I hoped the team learned a lot and took advantage of the opportunities to be out on the East Coast,” Ryan said.
The Spartans will now look to build on this competition when they head to Clovis on May 2 for the Fresno State Invitational.
