SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Behind a dominant opening day from senior Bryce Pearson, the Cal Poly Humboldt men's track & field team positioned itself in contention at the 2026 CCAA Championships, sitting third overall with 12 team points after Thursday's competition at Cal State San Marcos.
Pearson delivered one of the top performances of the day, leading the men's decathlon with 3,518 points through five events. The senior standout claimed the fastest time in the 400 meters (50.03) and added strong finishes in the shot put and high jump to take control of the competition heading into day two.
Teammate Collin Friedman also competed in the decathlon and sits 10th overall (3,240 points), highlighted by a third-place effort in the long jump within the event.
Humboldt saw success on the track as multiple athletes advanced to finals. In the men's 1500 meters, James Woolery posted a strong qualifying effort, placing second overall (3:56.04) to automatically advance, while Nicholas Woolery also moved on with a qualifying time of 3:59.37.
In the sprint events, Jamie Saunders advanced to the finals of the 400 meters after running 48.64. The Jacks also placed two into the 400-meter hurdles final, with Walker Dorris (54.60) and Bennett Feldenkirchen (55.34) both securing qualifying spots.
The throws group delivered a major boost in the team standings in the men's discus, where three Lumberjacks scored. Joseph Gonzalez led the way with a fourth-place finish (43.34m), followed by Ruari Mulrey (5th, 43.20m) and Benjamin Feldstein (6th, 42.85m). Derek Ray added depth to the event with a ninth-place finish (41.82m).
Coach Teigan Eilers stated, "Day one was a strong start for us. We saw some big performances and a lot of consistency across the board, which is exactly what you want at this stage of the meet. More importantly, it puts us in a great position moving forward. There's still a lot of competition ahead, but the group showed they're ready to compete, adjust, and keep building momentum into the finals."
With Pearson leading the decathlon and several athletes advancing to event finals, Humboldt is well-positioned to make a push up the standings as the championships continue Friday.
