Redshirt sophomore Aidan McCarthy’s historic season continued on Friday when he punched his ticket at the NCAA Championships for the men’s 800-meter race.
McCarthy came in first place with a time of 1:46.26 in the quarterfinals at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento, sending him to Austin, Texas to showcase his talents on the biggest stage.
This performance by McCarthy broke his own school record, was the fifth-fastest time in Division-I this season and slotted him 32nd in the world for this outdoor season.
Other Mustangs included in the NCAA prelims were sophomore Spencer Pickren and redshirt junior Xian Shively, who competed in the 1,500-meter race and finished in 15th and 22nd, respectively, and their seasons came to a close.
Meanwhile, junior Mathis Bresko finished 19th in the men’s pole vault and freshman Rory Devaney failed to record a mark but was the first West Prelims qualifier for the men’s hammer throw in Cal Poly program history.
In the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, junior Anthony Guerra logged a 45th-place finish with a time of 9:15.27.
Representing the women’s team, freshman Lexi Evans capped off her season with a pole vault mark of 13 feet, 0.25 inches to place 30th, and graduate Rachel Victor placed 38th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after recording a time of 10:28.01.
McCarthy will be the lone Mustang at the NCAA Championships in Texas from Wednesday, June 7 through Saturday, June 10.