UCLA
Spokane Sports Showcase
UCLA Opens the Season With Team Wins at Spokane Sports Showcase
January 16, 2026 | Track & Field
SPOKANE, Wash. – The UCLA track & field team got the 2026 campaign off to a strong start at the Spokane Sports Showcase on Friday, with both the men's and women's squads finishing atop their respective team standings and several Bruins putting together notable individual performances at the season-opening meet.
On the men's side, UCLA (144 points) outlasted California (134) to finish first in an eight-team field that also included USC, Gonzaga, and Idaho. The women (141) soundly topped a 12-squad field, besting second-place USC by 31 points.
The Bruins notched 10 individual event wins on Friday at The Podium, and also finished first in the lone relay of the meet – the women's 4x400. As a team, UCLA collected 25 top-three individual finishes on top of the relay win.
UCLA started off the meet – and the season – hot with strong performances on both sides of the 60m hurdles. Newcomer Otto Laing got it started in a big way on the men's side, winning the race and debuting at No. 2 on UCLA's all-time top-10 list with a time of 7.81. Then on the women's side, sophomore Celeste Polzonetti (8.14) came through with a big PR to lead all collegiate racers – she finished second overall – and move up to No. 5 in school history. To this point in the season, Polzonetti ranks No. 5 NCAA wide in the event while Laing is at No. 12.
The 60 meter dash saw notable performances from senior Naomi Johnson (7.40), who tied the No. 5 time in school history, freshman Steven Sabino (6.80), who finished runner-up in the men's prelim, and freshman Shaun McCoullum (6.83), who placed third in the men's final.
UCLA would then go on to sweep the men's and women's 1000m, with Kaho Cichon (2:53.86) and Arrin Sagiraju (2:26.65) each picking up their first-career event wins.
The Bruins picked up a pair of wins in the morning field events. Grad student Sydney Johnson led it off with a win in the women's long jump after she turned in the second-best indoor long jump of her career at 6.34m (20-9.75). Senior Michael Pinckney followed with a big win in the men's weight throw, as his mark of 21.61m (70-10.75) was two meters better than the second-place finisher and ranked No. 10 so far this year in the NCAA.
The afternoon track events started strong for UCLA via grad transfer Chris Paige (48.43), who picked up a win in the men's 400m, inching out teammate Zaire Waring (48.48).
UCLA had the second-place finisher in both 300m races. On the women's side, junior Taylor Snaer (37.50) led a 2-3-4-5 finish for the Bruins, while Gabriel Clement II (32.52) hit a PR on the men's side en route to second place.
Making her collegiate track debut, freshman Kaitlyn Arciaga (1:30.66) led a 1-2 finish alongside teammate Keilee Hall (1:31.15) for UCLA in the women's 600m.
The late sprints were highlighted for UCLA by a win in the men's 200m by McCoullum (21.46), who had a pair of top-three finishes on the day.
The Bruins had a pair of late field wins, highlighted by a 1-2-3 finish in the women's high jump. Sophomore Valentina Fakrogha (1.75m / 5-8.75) led the field in the HJ, and was followed by teammates Hannah Slover and Jordan Robinson, who had twin clearances of 1.70m (5-7). Sophia Hartwell capped the Bruins' individual wins with a gold medal in the women's triple jump. Her mark of 12.38m (40-7.5) earned her the first event win of her collegiate career. Frosh Nicolas Alexis paced the Bruins in the men's triple jump at 15.11m (49-7), giving him a pair of top-four finishes in his collegiate debut.
UCLA finished off the afternoon with a sizable win in the women's 4x400m relay. The Bruin As (Ava Simms, Kayla McBride, Arciaga, Hall) completed the race in 3:36.19, over five seconds ahead of second-place USC.
Next Up
UCLA returns to action next weekend at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, hosted by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24.
Players Mentioned
