By Matthew DeForest, Mar. 15, 2022
The NCAA Division II indoor track and field championships were held in Pittsburg, Kansas this past Friday and Saturday, where Ayana Fields and Jade De Souza represented the Broncos in the 400-meter and 200-meter sprints and the triple jump respectively.
Prior to the weekend competition, head coach Chris Bradford highlighted what an accomplishment it is to even qualify for the national championships.
“It’s really special for these two women to have the opportunity,” said Bradford. “To be in the top five or top 10 in their events in the country is special. There are some great athletes around the country who just didn’t quite make it, so we really want to celebrate the fact that they are here.”
Teams from across the country were represented at the championships including local schools like Azusa Pacific and the distant Minnesota State. Cal Poly Pomona faced stiff competition at every turn with results coming down to milliseconds and centimeters.
Fields began the weekend for CPP in the 200-meter and 400-meter preliminary races. Fields started off by placing second overall with a time of 54.62 in the 400-meter race, just 0.74 seconds behind first-place finisher Shereen Vallabouy of Winona State. She continued with a second-place finish in the 200-meter race, finishing just 0.03 seconds behind first place finisher Leah Belfield of West Texas A&M.
Fields was proud to hit the track again after the COVID-19 pandemic ended her championship hopes in 2020.
“It feels great; it definitely feels like redemption coming back after two years and competing where I deserve to compete,” said Fields. “It shows how much hard work I have put in throughout the years.”
Saturday’s finals were spearheaded for CPP by De Souza in the triple jump. She has dealt with injury to start the season and spent much of the lead up to the championship resting and healing.
Competing in a field of 18 jumpers, De Souza placed sixth on the back of a 12.35-meter jump. Of her six allotted attempts, De Souza only committed a foul on her first attempt.
De Souza originally hails from Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France and Saturday was her first time competing at a championship level for CPP. She explained that this was one of the most nerve-racking competitions of her career because it was her first in the United States. Overall, De Souza is happy with her performance as she looks forward to improving next season.
“I am a little bit frustrated because I know I could have done better if I had more time to prepare and not be injured,” said De Souza. “But overall, I am happy that I placed sixth. I want to win nationals, and I know I can with my best being over 13 meters.”
Fields ended the weekend racing the 400-meter and 200-meter finals. The top eight finishers from each preliminary race on Friday made it to the finals. The runners were separated into two heats of four.
In the 400-meter race, Fields and Vallabouy had a remarkable photo finish to decide the champion. Starting on the inside, Vallabouy initially caught up to and overtook Fields, who started on the outside. Down the final straight, Fields fought back, and the runners were shoulder-to-shoulder as they crossed the line.
In the end, a final lunge by Vallabouy earned her the victory over Fields by a margin of just .03 Fields’s efforts brought home a second-place national finish for the Broncos in the women’s 400-meter sprint.
The 200-meter final was the last of the weekend for the Broncos. Fields started the race on the outside, and her performance earned her third place in her respective heat. Overall, she earned CPP a fifth-place national finish in the women’s 200-meter sprint.
Bradford was happy with a strong performance this weekend and hopes to expand on the success the team has had so far.
“We’re really excited,” said Bradford. “The first indoor championship we had, we had one athlete, Ayana. The second championship, we’ve had the opportunity to go to, now we have two. We want to be one of those teams that is sending 12 athletes to the championships.”
As the indoor season ends, the outdoor season for both the women’s and men’s teams are now in full swing. Both teams will compete on March 19 at the Franson Classic at Azusa Pacific University. To view the roster and schedule for the team, visit CPP Athletics website. To view a video recap of the indoor championships, visit ncaa.com.
Featured image courtesy of Mike Gullett.
