2025 Cal State LA Men's and Women's Track & Field – Season Summary

LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's and women's track and field teams turned in some outstanding performances during a 2025 season that saw more California Collegiate Athletic Association championships and All-America performances by its top athletes.

The highlight for the Golden Eagles in 2025 came from the women's track and field program, which finished fifth in the CCAA Championships, an improvement from their sixth-place finish in 2024.

They were led by star jumper Jonon Young, who successfully defended her conference titles in both the long jump and triple jump and was named the Field Athlete of the Meet for a second straight season.

Young went on to earn All-America honors once again in both events, earning first-team honors after finishing sixth in the long jump and eighth in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colo.

Cal State LA also got top conference performances from Sinaiah Pointer, who placed second in the shot put and fifth in the discus, and Vanessa Portillo, who was third in the javelin. The Golden Eagles also got a third-place finish in the 400 hurdles from Dalia Romo and a fourth-place finish from the 4x400 relay team of Emmerson Wiggins, Destiny Moedano, Dalia Romo and Paula Romo.

Unfortunately, the 2025 season was marked by devastating injuries for the men's program. Leon Tafirenyika, who had won an amazing 11 conference titles in his first three seasons with the program, was unable to add to his total due to an injury sustained at the Mt. SAC Relays. He was clearly not 100 percent as he made a final effort to reach the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at the Cal State LA Last Chance Meet, falling short of his bid to add to an All-America tally that had reached six entering 2025.

Cal State LA was also without one of its top sprinters from 2024, Jesus Chavez, who was injured in the outdoor season opener at the Rossi Relays and missed the remainder of the season.

Even without their top two sprinters from 2024, the Golden Eagles battled to a seventh-place finish with 41 points, finishing just one point out of sixth and 3.5 points out of fifth.

Cal State LA was able to claim a pair of conference individual titles as Drew Hill won the 100 and Matthew Bender won the javelin. Hill had a tremendous conference championships performance and was named to the CCAA Newcomer of the Meet. In addition to winning the 100, he also finished second in the 200 and was a key part of a pair of Cal State LA relay teams that finished fourth.

He joined Jahbari Fraser, Dominic Boykins and Martin Zarzuela in the 4x100 and Gabriel Pearson, Taiten McKiver and Nicholas Aninze in the 4x400. 

Bender, a former baseball player at Cal State LA, had a tremendous first season for the track and field team and he captured conference gold when he won the javelin with a mark of 199-2.

Tafirenyika and Hill both claimed a pair of All-West Region awards in outdoor track. They both earned All-West Region awards in the 100 and were joined by Fraser and Boykins in the 4x100.

Cal State LA competed in both men's and women's indoor track and field and the Golden Eagles enjoyed success. Tafirenyika and Hill both earned All-West Region honors in the 60, while Chavez earned All-West Region honors in the 200.

Young earned All-America honors in the triple jump after finishing fifth in the nation and she earned All-West Region honors in the long jump and triple jump.

Tafirenyika finished his Cal State LA career No. 2 all-time in the 100 with a mark of 10.21, while Hill enters the top-10 with his time of 10.32 and Fraser is No. 10 at 10.44.

For the women, Dalia Romo moved up to No. 6 in the 400 hurdles with her time of 61.97 and Vanessa Portillo is now No. 7 in the hammer throw with a mark of 153-7.

In indoor track and field, Destiny Moedano is now No. 1 in the 400 with a time of 56.28. Emmerson Wiggins is No. 5 in the 200 meters with a time of 25.38, the 4x400 relay team of Wiggins, Moedano, Dalia Romo and Paula Romo is No. 3 after a best mark of 3:53.13 and Sinaiah Pointer is No. 9 in the shot put with a mark of 41-3.75.

Cal State LA Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Final CCAA Finish: 7th (41 points)
Final NCAA Finish: NA
All-West Region Awards: (6): Leon Tafirenyika 2 (100, 4x100), Drew Hill 2 (100, 4x100), Dominic Boykins (4x100), Jahbari Fraser (4x100)
CCAA Newcomer of the Meet: Drew Hill
All-CCAA First Team (2): Drew Hill (100), Matthew Bender (javelin)
All-CCAA Third Team (1): Drew Hill (200)
CCAA Spring Academic Honor Roll: Burrell Adams, Matthew Bender, Damian Bonds, David Bonds, Jesus Chavez, John Covarrubias, Joshua Lovato, Trent Osburn, Gabriel Pearson, Christian Perez, David Rush, Leon Tafirenyika, Martin Zarzuela
CCAA 2024-25 All-Academic Team: Burrell Adams, Damian Bonds, David Bonds, John Covarrubias, Nicholas Delgado, Joshua Lovato, Taiten McKiver, Trent Osburn
2024-25 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award: Damian Bonds, David Bonds, John Covarrubias, Trent Osburn, David Rush, Leon Tafirenyika, Martin Zarzuela

Cal State LA Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Final CCAA Finish: 5th (58 points)
Final NCAA Finish: T45 (4 points)
All-America Awards (2): Jonon Young, first-team, long jump, 6th place; Jonon Young, first-team, triple jump, 8th place 
All-West Region Awards: (2): Jonon Young 2 (long jump, triple jump)
CCAA Field Athlete of the Meet: Jonon Young
All-CCAA First Team: Jonon Young 2 (long jump, triple jump)
All-CCAA Second Team: Sinaiah Pointer (shot put)
All-CCAA Third Team: Dalia Romo (400 hurdles), Vanessa Portillo (javelin)
CCAA Field Athlete of the Week: Jonon Young 3 (Week of March 3-9, Week of March 31-April 6, Week of April 14-20)
CCAA Spring Academic Honor Roll: Alejandra Estrada, Sinaiah Pointer, Ski'lar Wallace
CCAA 2024-25 All-Academic Team: Ariana Ayala, Presli Dillon, Mikaela Holguin, Taylor Jones, Jenna Pagan, Sinaiah Pointer, Alyssa Polk, Ski'lar Wallace 
2024-25 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award: Alejandra Estrada, Sinaiah Pointer

Cal State LA Men's Indoor Track and Field
All-Region Awards: Leon Tafirenyika (60), Drew Hill (60), Jesus Chavez (200)
 
Cal State LA Women's Indoor Track and Field
Final NCAA Finish: T-36 (4 points)
All-America Awards: Jonon Young (first-team triple jump, 5th)
All-West Region Awards: Jonon Young (triple jump)