History
Hilmer Lodge was only with the Mt. SAC Relays a relatively short time but the impact he had on it and track & field in the U.S. was profound. In preparation for his first Mt. SAC Relays event, Hilmer convinced the Mt. San Antonio College Board of Trustees to construct a state-of-the-art track & field facility inside an already beautiful stadium complex. When completed, it was considered one of the fastest all-weather tracks in the world. The composition was of volcanic ash, clay and diatomaceous earth. It was on a cold afternoon of April 24 and 25, 1959 that Lodge’s bold plan to put on a major Relay carnival on the west coast to match those of the well-established Penn and Drake Relays turned into reality. He wanted his event to coincide with the dates of America’s traditional early season meets, but not to limit the competition to prep and collegiate level athletes.
He also wanted America’s post-graduate, club and Open athletes to compete as well. Moreover, he wanted women to have opportunities equal to the men. Thus, in 1959 a major track & field meet was born on the West Coast, unique from any others in the U.S. and at the conclusion of the 1959 affair, Track & Field News reported, “The first annual Mt. SAC Relays got off to a good start with first class performances in every event and excellent standards of achievement in all areas. The West Coast’s only two day affair outclassed the old established meets by a wide margin in a comparison of winning performances.”
Hilmer retired in 1963 and moved with his wife Dorothy to Pala, California to devote full time to his citrus ranch, which had previously been just a hobby. From his first Relays in 1959 through his retirement in 1962, the event had grown from 850 high school, community college, college and club athletes competing in 56 different events over a 14 hour period to one of two days consisting of 139 events, 19 hours and almost 3,000 athletes. The facility (combined with Lodge’s involvement in national and Olympic track & field) attracted our U.S. Olympic Team to Mt. SAC for its 1960 & 1964 training site, and in 1968, the facility hosted the U.S. Women’s Track & Field Olympic Trials.
While Hilmer continued his involvement in the relays after his retirement, the school’s second track coach, Don Ruh, assumed the day-to-day duties of the meet as its manager and director for the next 24 years. During that period, the event continued to grow in size and popularity while maintaining its claim of being the USA’s number one performance meet. By 1985, the Mt. SAC Relays had become the largest meet in the world. By that time the competition portion of the meet extended over 50 hours, 6 days, 350 events and more than 9,000 competitors.
The Relays became an international affair as athletes started coming from around the world looking for quality competition in near ideal conditions. A usual Relays had teams from 18-20 nations present with Mexico, Canada and Australia traditionally sending the largest contingents. In 1980 a diplomatic coup took place at the Relays when a team from the People’s Republic of China agreed to meet Taiwan for the first time since their countries’ separation over 40 years earlier. This historical event opened the door of cultural and sports exchanges from that time on. In this same era, traditional Southern California track & field events, such as The Coliseum Relays and the Compton Relays, fell by the wayside because of severe financial problems.
The Mt. SAC Relays continue as a nonprofit event because of its strong network of volunteers. This group of dedicated officials and the lay Games Committee work tirelessly to ensure the success of the Relays. In 1986, a former Mt. SAC athlete, world record holder and Olympic pole vault gold and silver medalist, Bob Seagren, returned to Mt. SAC as a Vice-President of Puma USA to give the Relays its first major sponsorship. The new Puma Mt. SAC Relays was given a much needed boost while the original philosophy of the event was maintained. The “Tradition of Excellence” of the Mt. SAC Relays continues to the present day.
In 1984, the success of the Los Angeles Olympic Games led to the formation of the The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles to promote sport among the youth of Southern California. In 1986, the AAF selected the Mt. SAC Relays as its first ever grant recipient. This honor allowed the Relays to expand its program to include boys and girls to participate in two special AAF-Mt. SAC Relays Youth Days. This would never have been financially possible without the support of the AAF. This program, along with the instructional clinic program, has grown each year; more than 250,000 youth athletes have actively participated since the program’s inception.
With the ever increasing need for AAF-Mt. SAC Relays coordination and Olympic development programs, Ruh passed the directorship of the Relays on to a long time track & field enthusiast, Dan Shrum in 1988. Also at this time, Dr. Ernie Gregoire, the long time Women’s Division Chairman, assumed the role of Executive Director. Mazda served as the major sponsor from 1989 through 1992. The 1992 event, which was seen nationwide on television, showcased 15 eventual gold medalists from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, along with 10 silver and 7 bronze medalists. No other U.S. meet came close to matching this level of quality.
In 1997 the directorship of the Relays was passed on to Scott Davis who previously served as the Assistant Director and long-time announcer of the event since 1982. Dr. Gregoire retired from the college, but remained on assuming the position of Relays Marketing Director. Deborah Blackmore, the colleges Dean / Athletic Director, took over the role as Relays Executive Director.
In 2006 Doug Todd, Mt. SAC’s Director of Cross Country / Track & Field took over as Relays Director. Scott Davis remained on as the Elite and University Divisions Entry Coordinator until 2008. Restructuring the event in 2009, Todd continued as the Relays Director and brought in the following to serve as Divisional Coordinators: Youth Days – Don Ruh, High School – Tim O’Rourke, Community College – Mike Goff, Collegiate – Ron Kamaka and Elite – Brian Yokoyama. Upon Mike Goff’s retirement in 2014 and during our construction period the Community College and Youth Days divisions had to be put on hold. When they return, Gio Lanaro will assume coordination of the Community College division and Don Ruh will continue to coordinate the Youth Days.
In 2022, Doug Todd retired, and Brian Yokoyama became Relays director and Director of Mt. SAC Athletic Special Events.
The Mt. SAC Relays exist because of the dedication and hard work of hundreds of volunteers & supporters and the talents of the many athletes who have graced Hilmer Lodge Stadium with their performances. Moving into our second 50 years of excellence, we look forward to new chapters being written.
Mt. SAC Relays Top Performances by Year
The below represent our best effort at condensing thousands of outstanding performances from past meets into a few lines. We apologize for any injustice done to so many other great athletes who participated in this marvelous event over the past 60-plus years.
April 24-25, 1959 – At the inaugural Mt. SAC Relays, Bill Dellinger runs the 2 mile in 8:48.2, Ray Norton runs 100 yards in 9.5, Dallas Long puts 61-10 1/2, Rink Babka tosses the discus 189- 4, Hal Connolly throws the hammer 215- 4 and Charles Dumas high jumps 6- 9 1/2.
April 22-23, 1960 – UCLA frosh, C. K. Yang, scores 7,892 points in the decathlon, Jim Beatty runs 14:13.9 for 5000 meters, Ron Morris vaults 15- 4, Hal Connolly tosses the hammer 225- 0 1/2 and Lew Stieglitz sets an AR 30:19.2 for 10,000 meters.
April 28-29, 1961 – Bobby Avant high jumps 7- 0, Rink Babka tosses the discus 194- 7 1/2, Dennis Johnson runs a windy 9.2 for 100 yards, Bob Schul runs a 9:14.7 steeplechase and USC’s mile relay team sets a CR 3:07.6.
April 27-28, 1962 – Dave Tork sets a WR in pole vault at 16- 2, Arizona State’s mile relay team sets a CR 3:07.5, Al Oerter tosses the discus 198- 6 and Jim Grelle becomes the 4th American, and first ever at Mt. SAC, to break 4 minutes in the mile, clocking 3:59.9.
April 26-27, 1963 – Arizona State’s Barrick, Carr, Freeman and Ulis Williams set yet another great mark with a WR 3:04.5 in the mile relay, Al Oerter sets a discus WR at 205- 5 1/2, C.K. Yang sets a WR in the decathlon with 9,121 points, Bob Hayes runs a windy 9.9 100 meters and Rex Cawley runs 50.9 for the 400 meter hurdles.
April 25-26, 1964 – Al Oerter sets another discus WR with 206- 6, Grambling College equals the WR in the 440 yard relay with 40.0, Frank Covelli tosses the javelin 260- 7, Bob Schul runs 13:59.4 for 5000 meters and Darel Newman runs a 10.1 100 meters.
April 23-24, 1965 – Ed Burke tosses the hammer 221- 2, Bob Seagren sets a national JC vault record at 16- 0, Ralph Boston long jumps a windy 26- 5 and Don Shy from Mt. SAC runs the hurdles in a windy 13.7.
April 29-30, 1966 – Art Walker triple jumps 53- 10 1/4, Ed Burke tosses the hammer 223-11, John Pennel vaults 17- 0, Tom Farrell runs 880 in 1:47.9, Parry O’Brien puts 62- 4 and Tommie Smith anchors San Jose State’s 880 relay team to victory in 1:23.8.
April 28-29, 1967 – San Jose State wins the 4 x 220 and 4 x 440 relays with Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, Ron Whitney hurdles 50.7, Chris Papanicolaou vaults 16- 8 and then lost a 17- 0 effort when officials ruled the wobbly bar due to wind would have fallen off had it not been held in place.
April 26-28, 1968 – At the 10th edition, Fort MacArthur clocks a 9:33.4 WR in the distance medley relay, Randy Matson puts 69- 10 1/2, Bob Beamon long jumps a windy 27- 4, Martin McGrady covers the 880 in 1:49.4, George Young steeples 8:40.0 and Kenny Moore runs the 10,000m in 29:32.4.
April 25-27, 1969 – John Carlos runs 100 yards in 9.2, then anchors San Jose State’s 440 relay in 39.6 and anchors 4 x 220 to 1:22.7, Lee Evans anchors the Spartan mile relay with a 44.5 and Frank Covelli tosses the javelin 272- 2. Chi Cheng sets a 220 yard hurdle WR with 26.2.
April 24-26, 1970 – Lee Evans runs the 440 hurdles in 50.5 and then runs 46.7 for 440, 52 minutes later; Randy Matson puts 68- 11 1/2, Willie Davenport runs the 120 yard hurdles in 13.7 and Frank Covelli tosses the javelin 262- 11.
April 23-25, 1971 – Jay Silvester wins the discus with 220- 4, the second longest ever by an American, as 6 men throw over 200 feet, Don Quarrie and Chuck Smith both run 9.3 for 100 yards and Randy Matson puts 67- 4.
April 28-30, 1972 – Kjell Isaksson and Bob Seagren both vault 17- 7 1/2 for a new stadium record with Isaksson winning on misses, Bill Schmidt tosses the javelin 265- 3 while Lee Evans wins his second 400 title in a row with 46.0.
April 27-29, 1973 – Al Feuerbach wins the shot with 70- 9 over George Woods, the first ever 70 footer at Mt. SAC, Stan Whitley captures the long jump with 26- 5 1/2 beating Randy Williams and Arnie Robinson while Kate Schmidt sets a new javelin AR with 184- 5.
April 26-28, 1974 – Milan Tiff triples a windy 55- 2 1/4, Doug Brown wins the steeplechase in 8:39.8, Al Feuerbach puts 69- 11 3/4, Peter Farmer captures the hammer with 230- 1, Mary Decker sets a stadium record with 2:04.8 for 880 and Francie Larrieu sets stadium records in the mile at 4:40.8 and en route at 1500 meters.
April 25-27, 1975 – Steve Williams runs a windy 9.1 for 100 yards, which would have been a world record, Ron Mooers and Don Baird set a stadium record in the vault at 17- 8 1/2 with Mooers winning on misses, John Powell captures the discus with 216- 5, Robin Campbell wins both the 400 and 800 in 53.5 and 2:11.6 and Kate Schmidt wins the javelin with 191- 9.
April 23-25, 1976 – Mac Wilkins sets a WR in the discus with 226-11, with the deepest field ever behind him, with 15 throwers over 185 feet, Jane Fredrick sets Heptathlon WR with 6,104 points (6,166 pts old tables), Reynaldo Brown wins his 6th straight high jump title at 7- 3, Dedy Cooper runs the 110 hurdles in a windy 13.6 and Rosalyn Bryant wins the 100, 200 and 400 meter events in 11.7, 23.8 and 52.9.
April 23-25, 1977 – John Powell wins the discus over Mac Wilkins with a 219- 2 toss, Mike Boit wins the 800 in 1:47.2 and Debbie Brill sets a new Canadian high jump record with 6- 3 1/4. This was the last Relays run on the famous Mt. SAC volcanic ash track.
April 1978 – More than 22 inches of spring rain delay construction of the new track, causing the cancellation of all events except the community college decathlon and marathon events. The 1978 event was intended to be in memoriam to the founder of the Relays, Hilmer Lodge, who died during the fall of 1977.
April 20-22, 1979 – The all new urethane track proves to be super fast as Clancy Edwards runs 10.15 and 20.33, Milan Tiff triples a windy 56- 1 3/4, Mark Anderson of Mt. SAC wins the decathlon with 7,555 points, Mike Tully vaults 17-10 1/2, Edwin Moses wins the 400 hurdle event in 48.50, Debbie LaPlante runs 13.10 for a new AR in the 100 hurdles and Francie Larrieu runs 1500 meters in 4:09.15.
April 18-20, 1980 – Mt. SAC becomes the site of the first ever meeting between athletes from Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, which opens the door to future meetings and produces many new friendships. Harvey Glance wins the 100 meters in a windy 10.07, Mike Tully and Earl Bell set a new stadium record in the vault at 18- 4 1/4 with Tully winning on misses, Larry Myricks captures the long jump at 26- 10 1/4 and Meg Ritchie tosses the discus 201- 4.
April 24-26, 1981 – Edwin Moses captures his 60th consecutive race in a MR 48.61, USC sets the WR in the shuttle hurdles at 55.25, Karin Smith sets a CR in the javelin at 210- 11, Meg Ritchie sets a CR in the discus at 221- 5 and Jane Frederick scores 6,166 in the heptathlon, which would have been a WR except for a hand timed 800 meters. John Muir High School wins the high school division 4 x 400 relay in 3:13.7.
April 23-25, 1982 – The event features 12 world leading performances, including a 10.09 100 meters by Carl Lewis, a 44.72 400 meters by Bert Cameron, a 13.31 110 hurdle effort by Sam Turner and a 218- 5 discus toss by Ria Stalman. Larry Myricks long jumps 27- 6, Gabriel Kamau runs 10,000 in a meet and stadium record 27:36.2 and Jackie Joyner scores 5,933 points in the heptathlon.
April 21-23, 1983 – At the 25th edition, Carl Lewis wins the 100 meters in a windy 9.93, Mt. SAC grad Mark Anderson scores 8,251 points in the decathlon, Ben Plucknett tosses the discus 227- 7, Mike Barnett sets a meet record of 296- 5 in the javelin, Carol Lewis captures her second in a series of 4 straight long jump titles at Mt. SAC with 21- 8 1/4 and Ria Stalman establishes a national record for Holland in the discus at 220- 6.
April 27-29, 1984 – The year of the LA Olympics and former Mt. SAC athlete Bob Seagren secures the Mt. SAC Relays the Puma-Energizer sponsorship and 15,000 attend the meet. Athletes from 23 countries compete at the Relays. Carl Lewis wins the 100 meters once again in 10.06 while sister Carol long jumps 22- 10 1/2 to equal the CR, Claudia Losch of Germany puts 66- 1/2, Jackie Joyner scores 6,329 points in the heptathlon, Ria Stalman tosses the discus 219- 2 and the Santa Monica TC wins the sprint medley in 3:12.2. Thirty-five (35) Olympic medals were earned by athletes who competed at Mt. SAC three months later.
April 26-28, 1985 – Jud Logan sets the hammer AR with 252- 3, Carl Lewis runs a windy 9.90 100 meters, Ed Eyestone sets an American CR in 10,000m at 27:41.05, Kirk Baptiste runs a windy 200 meters in 20.04, Mauricio Gonzales establishes new national record for Mexico at 5000 meters in 13:22.4, Tom Petranoff wins the javelin with 295- 9, Merlene Ottey sets a Jamaican NR in 100 meters in 10.92 and Carol Lewis wins the long jump again at 22- 8 1/2.
April 25-27, 1986 – A record 3-day attendance of 25,000 watches the Puma-Mt. SAC Relays and the first ever AAF-Mt. SAC Youth Days attracts 1,700 participants. Jud Logan sets an AR in the hammer at 265- 4, Jackie Joyner scores 6,910 in the heptathlon, Carl Lewis sprints 10.14 in the 100 meters and then long jumps a windy 27- 4, John Brenner puts 71- 5 1/2, the Santa Monica TC sets an AR in 4 x 800 with 7:06.5 and Doug Fraley vaults 18- 11.
April 24-26, 1987 – More than 8,200 athletes take part in the Puma-Mt. SAC Relays. John Brenner sets an AR with a put of 73- 10 3/4, UCLA runs the 4 x 400 in 3:01.09, Carl Lewis has the greatest long jump series in history with all 6 jumps over 28 feet, Jake Jacoby high jumps 7- 7, Patrick Sang runs the steeplechase in 8:28.9, Gail Devers wins the 200 meters in a windy 22.55 and Ramona Pagel captures the shot put with 61- 2 3/4.
April 22-24, 1988 – Randy Barnes puts 72- 6 1/2, Mac Wilkins wins the discus with 222- 11, Mike Powell long jumps 26- 11 3/4, UCLA sets stadium and meet records in the 4 x 400 relay by clocking 3:00.81, Grace Jackson sets a Jamaican NR in the 400 meters with 50.72 and Ramona Pagel sets a new AR in the shot with a toss of 63- 6 1/4.
April 21-23, 1989 – Larry Myricks long jumps a windy 28- 5, the Santa Monica TC clocks 38.63 in the 4 x 100 and 1:20.54 in the 4 x 200, Wolfgang Schmidt of Germany tosses the discus 219- 0, Ireland’s Monica Joyce sets a new NR in the 10,000 meters with 32:21.16 clocking, Ramona Pagel captures another shot title with a toss of 61- 9 and Schowonda Williams runs the 400 hurdles in 56.18.
April 20-22, 1990 – Randy Barnes puts 73- 1 1/4, Wolfgang Schmidt wins the discus once again with a 216- 2 toss, Seppo Räty of Finland wins the javelin with a toss of 261- 6, Noureddine Morceli sets a national JC record in the 5000 with a clocking of 13:25.20, Joaquim Cruz wins the 1500 in 3:41.32, Connie Price wins the women’s shot with 61- 4 1/4 and later captures the discus with a toss of 193- 7.
April 19-21, 1991 – Mike Marsh captures in the 100 meters in a windy 10.00, Kevin Young wins the 400 hurdles in 48.71, the Santa Monica TC relays 38.33 in the 4 x 100 and later captures in 4 x 400 in 3:02.33, Mike Powell wins the long jump with a windy 27- 5 1/2, while on the women’s side, PattiSue Plumer wins the 5000 meters in 15:24.4 and a Nike International team sets a MR in the 4 x 400 relay with a time of 3:30.86.
April 16-18, 1992 – Thirty-two (32) of America’s eventual medalists from Barcelona compete at the relays. With 8,727 points in the Decathlon, Dave Johnson sets meet record. Mike Marsh wins the 100 in 9.93, Santa Monica relays 37.97 with Carl Lewis on the anchor, Romas Ubartas of Lithuania captures the discus with a toss of 223- 8, Gail Devers wins the women’s 100 with a 10.95 clocking, Maria Mutola sets a Mozambique NR for 1500 with 4:13.42, Yolanda Henry wins the high jump at 6- 3 1/2 while Ramona Pagel wins the shot once again at 60- 2 1/2.
April 15-17, 1993 – Carl Lewis anchors the Santa Monica TC in the 4 x 100 to a 38.00 clocking, Daniel Effiong wins the 100 in 10.13, Somalia’s Abdi Bile wins the 1500 in 3:39.52, Nigeria’s Ade Olukoju wins the discus with a toss of 213- 5, USC’s Balázs Kiss wins the hammer with 249- 4, while on the women’s side, young USC sprinter Inger Miller wins both the 100 and 200 in 11.11 and 22.33 respectively and Trina Painter wins the 10,000 in 32:19.79.
April 15-17, 1994 – The Santa Monica quartet of Marsh, Burrell, Heard and Lewis starts off by winning the 4 x 100 in 37.79 and then comes back to set a WR in the 4 x 200 in 1:18.68. The second place World All Star team in the 4 x 200 was also under the old WR, with anchor John Regis burning a 19.1. Mike Marsh wins the 100 once again in 10.00 while on the women’s side, Olga Appell runs the 10,000 meters in a meet and stadium record of 32:03.42 and Tisha Waller sets a stadium record in the high jump at 6- 5.
April 13-15, 1995 – Mike Marsh wins the 100 yet again in a windy 9.89, Ray Doakes high jumps 7- 6 1/2, Carl Lewis wins the long jump with a windy 26- 8 1/4, USC’s Balázs Kiss again wins the hammer with a toss of 257- 8, Jearl Miles captures the women’s 800 with a 2:02.79 clocking, UCLA’s Amy Acuff wins the high jump at 6- 3 1/2, Ramona Pagel garners another shot tile with 61- 4, Dawn Dumble wins the discus with a 189 – 0 effort and Ashley Selman wins the javelin at 190- 3.
April 19-21, 1996 – A great 100 meter race is won by Ato Boldon with a Trinidadian NR 9.93 with Mike Marsh second in 9.95. LaMont Smith wins the 400 meters in 44.63, Kamiel Maase of Holland runs 28:01.4 to win the 10,000m, Mike Powell captures the long jump with 27- 3 3/4, Anthony Washington tosses the discus 216- 9, while Lynn Jennings wins the women’s 5000 in 15:32.72, Tisha Waller captures the high jump with a leap of 6- 4 and Ramona Pagel captures yet another shot tile with a throw of 59-11 3/4.
April 18-20, 1997 – Another great 100 meter race is won by Santa Monica’s Michael Marsh in a windy 9.87. Antonio Pettigrew wins an open 400 with a spectacular mark of 44.86. In Carl Lewis’ final Mt. SAC appearance, the great Santa Monica TC sprinter anchors his club to world leading efforts in the 400 relay in 38.50 and the sprint medley in 3:12.75. Joe Greene leaps 27- 9 1/4 in the long jump and John Godina has a great double, winning the shot with 69- 1 1/2 and the discus at 213- 1. In the women’s high jump, Kajsa Bergqvist jumps 6- 4 1/4, while Stacy Dragila sets an American record in the pole vault with 13- 11 and South Carolina’s Dawn Ellerbe establishes yet another American record in the hammer with a toss of 210- 8.
April 17-19, 1998 – The 100 highlights the meet once again, with Trinidad’s Ato Boldon winning the event in a spectacular meet and stadium record 9.86. Boldon’s HSI teammate, Maurice Greene, wins the 200 in a meet and stadium record 20.03. Richie Boulet wins the mile in 3:58.2 while 24 or 26 runners in the 5000 dip under 14:00, with Karl Keska getting the victory in 13:26.37. John Godina has the best ever one day double when he wins the shot put with 71- 5 1/2 and later the discus with 218- 1. Marion Jones winds the distaff 400 with a fine 50.36 lifetime best. Other great marks were recorded by Jenny Crain in the 10.000, 32:30.01, Kim Carson in the hurdles, 12.69w and Valeyta Althouse in the shot put with 60- 5 3/4. Vector Sports captures both women’s relay in spectacular fashion, clocking 42.55 and 3:30.65 respectively.
April 16-18, 1999 – Six meet records highlight the competition. On the men’s side, Hudson de Souza of Brazil takes the mile in 3:56.98 and Larry Wade captures the hurdles in 13.22. The women establish four new standards with Tisha Waller taking the high jump with a great 6- 6 3/4 effort, Stacy Dragila sets a new American record in the vault at 14- 7 1/2, Suzette Lee of Jamaica triple jumps 45- 3 1/2 and Lisa Misipeka sets a new standard in the hammer at 213- 7. Brian Baker wins an exciting 5000 in 13:35.84 and C.J. Hunter wins the shot at 70- 3. Once again, Marion Jones runs to victory in her only 400 race of the year clocking 50.79 while Deena Drossin runs to victory in the 10,000 meters, clocking a fine 32:17.88.
April 14-16, 2000 – Eight meet records are broken during a spectacular meet. Bernard Lagat establishes a new standard in the mile with his fine effort of 3:54.97. This after winning the 5000 meters two nights earlier in 13:23.46. Michael Marsh becomes a seven-time 100 champ, winning in a windy 9.90 and Chris Williams of Jamaica sets a new record in the 200 by clocking 20.02. Virgilijus Alekna opens his discus season with a fine mark of 222- 5. Anjanette Kirkland rushes over the 100 hurdles in 12.63. Stacy Dragila wins the pole vault for the 4th straight year. Nora Rocha and Annette Peters win very fast races in the 5000 and 10,000 respectively, with Rocha clocking 15:15.64 and Peters 32:03.06.
April 20-22, 2001 – Once again, eight athletes establish meet records during a truly outstanding competition. For the first time at Mt. SAC, the 19 foot barrier in the pole vault is eclipsed as Lawrence Johnson, Tim Mack and Russ Buller all clear 19- 3/4. Breaux Greer establishes a great record in the javelin by tossing 276- 4. Bernard Lagat of Kenya wins both the mile and 5000 meter races for the second straight year. Ida Nilsson establishes another meet and Swedish national record in the steeplechase by winning in 10:03.98. The throws also produce two outstanding meet records: Dawn Ellerbe’s 217- 6 in the hammer along with Kim Kreiner’s 184- 8 in the javelin.
April 19-21, 2002 – Great conditions prevailed once again as six meet records were established. Perhaps the most spectacular mark was Kenta Bell’s triple jump of 57- 10 1/4, which turned out to be the #1 jump in the world for 2002. Bernard Lagat won his 3rd straight 5000 title with a record 13:19.14 and Chris Rawlinson of Great Britain set a new standard in the 400 hurdles by clocking 48.49. On the women’s side, Korene Hinds of Jamaica set a new meet record in the steeplechase by running 9:58.9 and Canada’s Courtney Babcock ran a terrific 15:10.66 to set a new standard in the 5000 meter event. Kim Kreiner tossed the javelin 188- 4 to set a new record as well. And Marion Jones won her 5th straight title at 400 meters, defeating a strong field in 50.46.
April 17-19, 2003 – Exceptional performances were the order of the day once again under clear, warm skies. Maurice Greene won the 200 in 20.16; Daniel Lincoln captured the steeplechase in 8:29.57, while the great Allen Johnson won the hurdle event in 13.42. Kemel Thompson of Jamaica won the long hurdle event in a world leading 48.52 and Kenta Bell won his second triple jump title with a fine leap of 56- 9 1/2. On the distaff side, Kelli White won the 100 in 10.97 while high schooler Allyson Felix defeated a stellar 200 field with an American Junior record 22.51. An American Junior record was also established in the 5000 when Notre Dame’s Molly Huddle finished 5th in 15:36.95. Other U.S. leading marks were established in the discus by Aretha Hill at 207- 1 and in the hammer by Anna Norgren-Mahon at 234- 0.
April 16-18, 2004 – Another fabulous meet which produced seven world leading marks and many exceptional performances by collegians as well. Maurice Greene blasted to a 10.02 world leader in the 100 while in the distance carnival, Jonathon Riley did the same with a spectacular 13:21.11 5000 meter run, defeating a world class field. Jonathan Johnson of Texas Tech ran a fine 800 in defeating Kenya’s great Bernard Lagat in 1:46.32. Savante Stringfellow long jumped 27- 3 1/4 and Kenta Bell tripled 57- 1. On the women’s side, Carrie Messner ran a WL 9:50.16 steeplechase, while Shalane Flanagan ran the 5000 in a U.S. leading 15:09.67, winning a terrific race with Kim Smith of Providence. Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaupt won a great 10,000 with a world leading 31:23.35, while Angela Whyte of Canada captured the 100 hurdle event in 12.75, also a world leader. Tisha Waller captured the high jump with 6- 5 while UCLA’s Chelsea Johnson won the pole vault with a leap of 14- 8.
April 15-17, 2005 – Four meet records fell during the 47th edition. Wallace Spearmon of Arkansas ran a 19.97 200 meters to become only the 16th American to dip under 20 seconds. Bernard Lagat, who has run very well here for many years, established a new mark in the 5000 meters by clocking 13:14.71. Perhaps the mark of the meet came with a monster throw in the javelin by Breaux Greer as he threw 287- 6, just one inch off the American record. In the women’s javelin, Christina Scherwin of Denmark set a new Relays record by throwing 191- 7. Other fine marks included Dominique Arnold’s 13.35 in the 110 hurdles, Veronica Campbell’s windy 10.98 in the 100 meters, Jamaica’s Korene Hinds capturing the steeplechase in 9:51.12, Amy Acuff’s 6- 4 high jump and Canada’s Perdita Felicien blazing a 12.73 in the 100 hurdles.
April 13-15, 2006 – Khadevis Robinson established a new meet and stadium record by capturing the 800 in 1:44.98. USC’s Jesse Williams high jumped 7- 6 1/2 while A.G. Kruger tossed the hammer 257- 7. Aarik Wilson won the triple jump with a fine effort of 56- 1 1/4, becoming only the 26th American to surpass 56 feet. An Arkansas Alumni team captured the 4 x 100 relay in a swift 38.19, defeating the U.S. National teams. On the women’s side, Chauntae Howard’s 6- 6 3/4 in the high jump and Jenn Stuczynski’s 14- 7 in the vault equaled the meet records. And Christina Scherwin of Denmark set a new meet and stadium record in the javelin by capturing her second title in a row with a toss of 195- 11.
April 13-15, 2007 – The obvious highlight of the meet was the great American record by Shalane Flanagan in the women’s 5000. Running alone for most of the race, she clocked an amazing 14:44.80 to break Regina Jacob’s mark from 2000. Akiba McKinney jumped a world leading 22- 4 1/2 and the MVP Track Club sped to another world leading mark of 3:30.58 in the 4 x 400 Relay. On the men’s side, Arturo Barrios led a great field to the tape in a world leading 13:11.37 in the Men’s 5000, with Anthony Famiglietti second in an American leading 13:11.93. The Arkansas Alums rushed to a great 38.30 in the 4 x 100 relay while 2004 Olympic champion Dwight Phillips won the long jump with a fine 26- 9 effort. Mexico’s Gio Lanaro established a meet and stadium record in the pole vault with a superb effort of 19- 1 defeating a world class field. Libor Charfreitag won the hammer for a record seventh time with a fine toss of 263- 8. In all, 7 world leading marks were established along with 9 U.S. leaders.
April 17-20, 2008 – Just a few short months before the 2008 Olympic Games, the 50th Mt. SAC Relays was a season opener for numerous Olympians from the United States and the world. Tyson Gay ran anchor on the victorious Team adidas 4 x 100m Relay (38.51), Stephanie Brown Trafton won the discus competition with a toss of 202- 8, a prelude to her Olympic gold medal winning toss at Beijing. Anthony Famiglietti captured the steeplechase at 8:26.94 and then went on to win the Olympic Trials, securing a Team USA spot. Mt. SAC regulars Dwight Phillips and stadium record holder Giovanni Lanaro both won their respective events in 2008 and defended their Mt. SAC Relays titles from 2007. Phillips notched his second victory in a row with a 27- 1/2 long jump and Lanaro with an 18- 1/2 pole vault. 2008 also saw the an “old” sponsor return again in a very new way. PUMA returned as the events title sponsor and made a big splash in their first year back.
April 16-18, 2009 – Lee Emanuel of Great Britain ran for a new Mt. SAC Relays record in the men’s 1500 meter at 3:37.99, Carmelita Jeter ran the fastest ever legal Relays 100 meters in the time of 10.96, Xiao Guin Dong of China won the women’s 10,000 meters at 32:29.53, Chelsea Johnson tied the women’s Pole Vault record at 14- 11, and Canada’s Sultana Fritzell set the women’s Hammer record at 253 feet.
April 15-17, 2010 – USC ran an outstanding 3:03.70 men’s 4 x 400m Relay, Giovanni Lanaro won the Pole Vault at 18- 8 1/4, Katie Follett of Washington ran a 4:10.66 1500 meters, and Ann Campbell started her three year dominance in the women’s Discus with a throw of 233- 1.
April 14-16, 2011 – The second fastest 800 meters in Mt. SAC history was turned in by Charles Jock of UC Irvine (1:45.19), a new Relays record 1500m record was set by Russell Brown of Oregon at 3:35.70, Jesse Williams of Oregon high jumped 7- 7 3/4, Sean Furey won the Javelin (for the third straight year) at 267- 9. Among the women, Carmelita Jeter won the 100 meters at 10.99, Molly Huddle ran 15:10.63 5000 meters, and Kristina Woodward threw the Javelin 192- 5.
April 19-21, 2012 – A .01 mph wind reading over the allowable put the “w” after the 9.85 100 meter run by Walter Dix. Jason Richardson also had a “w” after his 13.20 110m High Hurdle race, Martyn Rooney ran outstanding 44.62 in the 400 meters, Evan Jager set a Relays steeple record at 8:26.14 and Lawrence Okoye of Great Britain threw the Discus 218- 1. Also, Jamale Aarrass of France dominated a top Mile field, clocking 3:52.21 to break Bernard Lagat’s stadium record of 3:54.97 set in 2000. Among the women, Molly Beckwith ran the second fastest-ever 800 meters in 2:00.34, J.C. Williams (NYAC) put the shot 64- 11 1/2, and with her 23- 04 1/2 leap, Brittney Reese broke Carol Lewis’ longstanding meet and stadium Long Jump record from 1984.
April 18-20, 2013 – It was another record breaking year at the 55th Mt. SAC Relays, as Ryan Williams won the 110m High Hurdles in 13.23, and Erik Kynard of Kansas State High Jumped 7- 8 for a Mt. SAC Relays record. Samyr Lane of Haiti jumped 56- 11 ½ in the Triple Jump, and Julian Wruck of UCLA threw the Discus 211- 9, the records were set by Blessing Okagbare in the 200 meters in 22.31, by Brenda Martinez in the 1500 meters in 4:09.86, and by Yvette Lewis (Brooks) with a 12.43 100 meter hurdles. Team Jett ran a record 41.79 in the 4 x 100 Relay, while Sultana Frizell of Canada had a second-best all-time Discus mark of 234- 10.
April 17-19, 2014 – The women had a field day with stadium and meet records turned in by pole vaulters Kylie Hutson and Katerina Stefanidi, tying at 4.55m (14- 11), Sultana Frizell (Canada) breaking her former hammer throw record of 2009 with throw of 74.98m (246 feet), and a near record triple jump by Ayanna Alexandra (Trinidad-Tobago) at 13.86m (45- 5). The Nigerian women’s 4 x 400 relay team ran a notable 3:28.78. To name just a few on the men’s side, Duane Solomon set a new stadium and meet record in the 800m in 1:43.88 (old mark 1:44.98), Mike Mason high jumped 2.28 (7- 5 ¾), Daichi Sawano of Japan vaulted 5.70 (18- 8), Western Kentucky ran a 3:05.52 in the 4 x 400 relay, as well as an impressive group of high school, community college and Paralympic performances.
April 16-18, 2015 – Andre De Grasse of USC’s windy 9.87 along with Oregon Duck Jenna Prandini’s wind legal and world leading 10.92 started off the 2015 edition with a bang. Both came back to win the 200 titles as well in 20.16 and 22.42, respectively. Not to be out done, the sprint hurdles turned in some strong times with another Trojan Dior Hall’s 12.89 100m Hurdle time grabbing the #2 U.S. Junior All Time spot and Alec Harris’ 13.23 for the fastest time of the year thus far in the 110 meter hurdles. Other notable marks at the 57th running included Sarah Brown’s national leading 4:08.15 1500 meter run, Brenda Martinez’s very fast early season 2:00.83 for 800 and Jeff Henderson’s 27- 10 ¾ long jump. The marks of the meet however belonged to China’s Guowei Zhang of China with his Meet and Stadium Record high jump of 7- 8 1/2 along with prep Vashti Cunningham’s National High School Record leap of 6- 4 ½. The latest edition of the Mt. SAC Relays was fitting send off to what will be the last meet held in the current, historic Hilmer Lodge Stadium. As we begin renovations we look forward to returning to a newly updated state-of-the-art Hilmer Lodge Stadium, one that will serve the Mt. SAC Relays well into the 21st century.
April 14-16, 2016 – For the first time in the history of the event, the Mt. SAC Relays were held offsite. The event was contested at Cerritos College due to our new stadium construction. It seemed only fitting that Amer Webb, a former athlete at Cerritos College, broke the Relays meet record with a clocking of 19.91 in the men’s 200. The old record was held by Wallace Spearmon time of 19.97. Current 800 meet record holder Duane Solomon ran the #4 time ever in the history of our event with his crowd pleasing 1:45.47. Former prep sensation Vashti Cunningham made her professional debut with a 6- 4 win in the women’s high jump and Amber Campbell became only the second women in Mt. SAC Relays history to throw over 240 feet in the hammer with her winning toss of 241- 6. And finally Jenna Prandini defended her 2015 women’s 100 title with a 10.95 clocking. Prandini’s 10.92 from the previous year found her tied for the #2 spot on our all-time list with legend Merlene Ottey-Page. This year’s victory at 10.95 put her in a tie for third on the all-time list with Gail Devers; great company for this gifted young sprinter.
April 13-15, 2017 – The 59th edition was highlighted by Oregon standout Raevyn Rogers running 1:59.10 for a Mt. SAC Relays and NCAA Record in the women’s 800m, with Laura Roesler a very close second at 1:59.54. This marked the first time in the history of the Mt. SAC Relays that the two-minute was broken in the women’s 800 meters. The future NCAA Division I Women’s Team Champion Ducks shined brightly at Murdock Stadium (El Camino College, Torrance, CA) where the 2017 event returned while construction continued on Hilmer Lodge Stadium. The Ducks also set a new NCAA Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Record (Mackenzie Dunmore, Deajah Stevens, Hannah Cunliffe, Ariana Washington) of 42.12, by holding off a strong charge from a talented LSU Team, who finished a split second behind at 42.14. The Duck women also took the invitational 4 x 400m title and Deajah Stevens ran 22.31 (Mt. SAC Relays #3 all-time) to take the 200 meter invitational title. On the men’s side, former Texas Christian University standout and 2017 USA 60 meter indoor champion Ronnie Baker, ran a wind legal 9.99 (0.1 wind), in the 100 meters, for his first ever sub-10 clocking. Clayton Murphy set a meet record in the 800 meters, running 1:43.60. A number of outstanding marks were achieved on the prep side, perhaps none more exciting than Cooper Teare’s meet record 4:00.16 for the Mile (3:58.75 for 1600 meters) and Armand “Mondo” Duplantis’ soaring 18- 3 Pole Vault meet record.
April 19-21, 2018 – As always the annual April extravaganza yielded top performances in all divisions. Three Elite Meet Records, three Prep Meet Records, one Masters World Record and two Paralympic American Records were set at the 60th running! In addition, the athletes produced four NCAA D1 leading marks, 69 NCAA D1 top 20 marks, five HS national leading marks as well as 41 top 10 national marks. Not to be outdone, the Californians established 12 State HS leading marks and 97 State HS top 10 marks. Ronnie Baker defended his 2017 win with another sub-10 clocking of 9.97 and the 9th fastest ‘win’ in event history. Michael Norman of USC won the 400 at 44.53 grabbing the #3 fastest winning mark in Relays history. Twanisha Terry, another USC Trojan won the women’s 100 in 10.99 placing her #10 on the all-time winning marks list. The Georgia Bulldogs also made their presence known as Keturah Orji set a meet record in the women’s Triple Jump, bounding out to 14.33m or 47- 1.
April 18-20, 2019 – Even in a year that can boast four world leading marks, 29 top 10 world marks, four NCAA leading marks, four prep National leading marks and seven California prep leaders nothing came close to rocking the track & field world or this year’s crowd as did Michael Norman’s stunning 43.45 400 meter performance! That mark earned him a spot as the #4 performer of all-time (tie) and the #6 performance of all-time (tie). His time was the fastest ever run in April and an amazing & surprising Meet Record. Women’s 100 hurdles World Record holder Keni Harrison showed up and got things rolling early with a very fast and world leading 12.63. Rio Olympic champion and 400m hurdle star Dalilah Muhammad lined up in the Open 400 against Kendall Ellis and won a nail biter over Ellis in 51.62. Sydney McLaughlin, another 400 hurdler and rising star opted to run a leg on a 4 x 4 relay and covered her opening leg in 50.1 seconds. Members of the Brazilian national team were in attendance and took home the men’s 4 x 100 relay victory in 38.76. USC’s women of Troy won the 4 x 100 relay in an American and Collegiate leading 42.93 and long-time Relays favorite, Vashti Cunningham won her 6th Mt. SAC Relays High Jump title in a row this year. Her 6- 5½ leap was the U.S. leader as well as the outdoor World leading mark. Finally Brooke Andersen threw the hammer 246- 2 to set a MSR meet record and place her #4 on the U.S. all-time list.
April 2020 – Due to COVID-19 state mandates, for the first time, the Mt. SAC Relays were not contested.
May 9, 2021 – The new Hilmer Lodge Stadium shined brightly on national television (NBC) as the host of the USATF Golden Games & Distance Open. The Elite Division-only competition, with no relay events, produced 15 stadium records, 4 world leading marks and numerous personal bests as well as top 5 world marks for 2021 in 20 of the 24 events contested! The traditional Mt. SAC Relays could not be held due to COVID-19 restrictions.
April 9 & April 13-16, 2022 – The return of the Mt. SAC Relays presented by NIKE to the new Hilmer Lodge Stadium, after a 7-year hiatus due to the stadium renovation and COVID-19 restrictions, was spectacular and worth the wait. Overall, the 62nd edition produced 9 world leading marks, 9 Mt. SAC Relays records, 8 stadium records, 5 Mt. SAC Relays high school records, 2 NCAA & national records and one U.S. high school record!
In an exciting duel as part of the USATF Golden Games, Fred Kerley beat Michael Norman in a 200m classic, 19.80 to 19.83 with Kerley setting stadium and meet records. Gabby Thomas won the 200m, clocking 22.02, also stadium and meet records. Michael Cherry powered to victory in the men’s 400m, posting a 44.28, also a stadium record. Micah Williams and Twanisha Terry recorded swift, wind-aided 100m victories at 9.83 and 10.77, respectively. Tonea Marshall (100m) and Andrenette Knight (400m) hurdled to records, breaking the beam in 12.46 (stadium) and 54.39 (meet), respectively. Olympic bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers won the 800m in 1:58.77 to break her meet record. In the Distance Carnival, BYU’s Courtney Wayment won the 3000m Steeplechase in stadium and meet records of 8:26.88. In the field events, Vashti Cunningham won her 7th straight Mt. SAC Relays High Jump title and Tokyo Olympic champion Valarie Allman, Brooke Andersen and Kara Winger set MSR records in the Discus (227- 11), Hammer Throw (251- 10) and Javelin (207- 7) respectively; the latter two also stadium records. Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens of Arkansas won the Decathlon, establishing meet, NCAA & national records with 8,528 points. In the girls 4 x 1600 Relay, the Newbury Park team set a national high school record of 19:48.81.
In her last race on the Mt. SAC oval, Allyson Felix, legend, ambassador & LA native, ran the second leg on the meet record-setting women’s 4 x 400 Relay (3:25.35).
April 12-15, 2023 – Like past editions, the 63rd Mt. SAC Relays presented by NIKE showcased the world’s best track & field athletes! Overall, the meet produced 7 world leading marks, 3 Mt. SAC Relays records, 3 Mt. SAC Relays high school records, 2 stadium records and one national record.
In the women’s Hammer, Camryn Rogers of Canada returned to set the trifecta MSR, stadium and national records with her 255- 4 world leading throw. The ever-consistent Vashti Cunningham again won the women’s High Jump (6- 6) for the Relays record 8th straight time.
The highlight of the meet was fan favorite Rai Benjamin’s effortless MSR record and world leading 47.74 in the 400m Hurdles.
In the final women’s elite track event, Team USA also set the 4 x 400 MSR record, breaking the beam in 3:25.31.
In the high school division, super soph Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura) won the Mile, clocking 4:38.53, MSR HS and stadium records. Also setting HS division records were the Buchanan girls 4 x 800 in 8:59.12 and Nickolas Miller (Clovis North) in the 200 meters (20.86), while Rodrick Pleasant (Serra) recorded a swift slightly wind-aided 10.23 in the 100 meters.
April 13 & 17-20, 2024 – Save the dates for the 64th Mt. SAC Relays presented by Nike!
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