TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida track and field team turned its home stadium into a victory lap on Saturday, April 11, 2026, putting up a massive performance at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa.
In front of a local crowd, the Bulls didn’t just compete—they dominated, racking up a long list of event titles, podium sweeps, and personal bests that signaled they are hitting their peak at the perfect time.
The action started strong in the field, where the throwers set a physical tone for the day. Esteisy “Fabiana” Salas Lozano proved untouchable in the shot put, launching a 15.35m mark to claim the top spot. Teammate Annalee Harbison kept that momentum going in the hammer throw, securing a third-place finish with a distance of 56.92m.
On the track, Nathan Metelus was the story of the afternoon in the sprints. He outpaced the field in the 400m, crossing the line in 45.80 to take first place. The women’s sprinters also saw a wave of personal records.
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Lynette Scutari clocked a career-best 23.75 in the 200m to take fourth, while Sasha Salwonchuk followed suit in the 400m, hitting a personal-best 53.91 for a fourth-place finish of her own.
The relay teams showed off the Bulls’ depth and chemistry. The women’s 4x100m squad—composed of Doris Quainoo, Tristen Evatt, Lynette Scutari, and Terren Peterson—powered through their exchanges to take first place with a time of 44.60. Later in the meet, the 4x400m team of Salwonchuk, Malaysia Johnson, Peterson, and Jada Wilson battled for a second-place finish, stopping the clock at 3:37.49.
Distance and middle-distance runners added more hardware to the trophy case. Karim Belmahdi headlined the 800m with a win, posting a blistering personal best of 1:48.05.
Tanner Andrade-Brinsko also found his stride in the same event, recording a personal record of 1:51.01. In the 1,500m, Nicolas Dovalovsky fought his way onto the podium in third with a 3:54.89, while Delaney Stephens ran away with the 3,000m steeplechase title, finishing in 11:00.48.
The vertical jumps were a sea of Green and Gold. Payton Pitts owned the pole vault runway, clearing 5.26m for the victory. He was joined on the podium by Nikodem Pochopien, who cleared 5.16m for third. In the high jump, Lilah Versluis matched her career high by clearing 1.75m to finish third.
The horizontal jumps rounded out the high-scoring day. Elisha Williams grabbed third in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.28m, while Kenniyah Guichard-Yearwood set a new personal best in the women’s long jump, hitting 5.83m.
With the home meet in the rearview mirror, South Florida now prepares to take their show on the road. The Bulls will split their squad next weekend, April 17-18, competing at both the Mt. SAC Relays in California and the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville.
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