UCLA
Long Beach Opener
Bruins Solid at 2025 Beach Opener
March 08, 2025 | Track & Field
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UCLA track & field team officially opened its outdoor season this weekend, sending a partial squad across town for the 2025 Beach Opener at Jack Rose Track on the campus of Long Beach State.
The Bruins totaled four event wins overall during the two-day meet, including a double from thrower Lyvante Su'emai.
UCLA notched 14 podium finishers overall.
The weekend was highlighted by a stellar debut from graduate student Jana van Schalkwyk, who won the women's javelin with the No. 2 mark in school history at 53.17m (174-5).
The Bruins return back to their indoor slate next weekend, heading to Virginia Beach, Va. For the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
TRACK EVENTS RECAP
UCLA's track entries were limited to a few middle distance and distance events.
Georgia Jeanneret was the first Bruin to race on the weekend, securing a second-place finish in the women's 800m with a time of 2:12.55.
The Bruins dominated the top-10 in the 3K on both the men's and women's sides.
Olivia Foody paced the Bruin women with a time of 9:42.10, good for second place. She was followed by third-place finisher Annika Salz (9:50.59). Ultimately, UCLA had three of the top-four finishers and six of the top-nine in the women's 3K race.
On the men's side, Patrick Curulla ran a 8:25.81 to finish second. He was one of four Bruins to finish inside the top-10.
FIELD EVENTS RECAP
Van Schalkwyk's outing in the javelin - in which she became just the fifth Bruin ever to clear 50 meters – opened the weekend for the Bruins. Her mark was over 10 meters better than the runner-up.
UCLA would get a top-three finisher in both of the other field events it entered on Friday, as Kris Emig was able to finish second in the men's hammer at 68.83m (225-2) while Su'emai was third in the women's hammer with a mark of 60.96m (200-0).
The throwers kept up the momentum on Saturday, with Derek Smith notching a third-place finish in the shot put in the morning with a mark of 16.51m (54-2). Su'emai followed with the first of her two wins, throwing 54.05m (177-4) to win the discus. April Fontenette also hit the podium with a third-place mark of 48.04m (157-7).
UCLA finished strong with the afternoon throws competitions, with Su'emai claiming first in the shot put at 15.32m (50-3.25) while Michael Pinckney grabbed the top spot in the men's discus at 57.65m (189-1). UCLA had three of the top-six finishers in the men's discus.
The Bruins had a top-three finisher in both pole vaults, highlighted by a runner-up result for Hunter O'Brien, who set a personal outdoor collegiate-best at 5.28m (17-3.75). Katerina Adamiec was third on the women's side with a clearance of 3.78m (12-4.75).
Ava Kellenberg was the Bruins' standout on jumps, leading the UCLA women in both the long jump (5.65m / 18-6.5) and triple jump (12.31m / 40-4.75).
Players Mentioned
