SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's and women's track & field teams will begin outdoor competition this weekend at the Kamaka Multi and Open at Mt. San Antonio College's Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut.
 
The women's team will be taking part in the multi and open while the men's team will only compete in the open.
 
LAST SEASON

• The men's and women's teams each finished third at the CCAA Championships last season.
• On the men's side, Nick Melanese won the CCAA Championship in the 800- and 1500-meter runs while Kalathan Laiwa-McKay was the conference champion in the shot put.
• Melanese became the first-ever CSUSM men's track & field student-athlete to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• On the women's side, Morgann Wilson won the CCAA Championship in the heptathlon while Devin Yarbrough earned her second consecutive CCAA Championship in the long jump.
• Luz Mercado along with returners Mia Salinas and Rasha Badrani competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• The women's team ended the season with 24 top-10 program marks while the men had 22.

KAMAKA MULTI & OPEN

• This is the first time Mt. SAC has hosted the Kamaka Multi & Open.
• In the Kamaka Multi, CSUSM will have nine entrants, including Isabella Sanchez, Dymon Preyor, Kayla James, Morgann Wilson, Dana Hasan, Rayna Bush, Cam Ellis, Lauren Meredith and Shaylee Mutka. They'll compete against four student-athletes from Mt. SAC and one from Sonoma State.
• The men's team will see its first action of the season in Saturday's Kamaka Open as Ripley Brant, Kalathan Laiwa-McKay, Juan Leyva, Will Prouty, Jonh Saracay, Shaun Katje and Jayden Davis only compete in field events.
• The women's team will see the likes of Charlotte Allison, Jordyn Brooks, Mia Chavarin, Kailey Frye, Dana Hasan, Lilly McGraw and Trinity Barr compete in the Kamaka Open on Saturday.

THE OLSON FILE

• Head coach Torrey Olson begins his sixth season at the helm of the men's and women's track & field programs after taking over in the summer of 2018.
• In 2019, Olson's men's and women's squads tallied three individual CCAA Championships for outdoor competition while the men's team earned five USTFCCCA All-West Region selections.
• In 2022, Olson guided both teams to a combined three individual CCAA Championships, 13 All-CCAA selections and five outdoor and three indoor USTFCCCA All-West Region honors.
• In 2023, the Cougars earned a combined five individual CCAA Championships, 19 All-CCAA selections, six outdoor and three indoor USTFCCCA All-West Region honorees under Olson's leadership.
• Olson came to CSUSM after spending three seasons as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the Academy of Art University where his teams earned 50-plus All-American honors.
• Olson served as the head cross country coach the previous three years at Academy of Art.
• In addition to the Academy of Art, Olson has also worked with the University of San Francisco and Pomona-Pitzer College.
• A graduate of Pomona College in 2009, Olson also holds an MFA from St. Mary's College (2012).