Cal played host Jan. 29 for its first of two All Comers Meets this season. These meets offer high schoolers, elderly folk and every age group in between opportunities to compete in the blue and gold’s Edwards Stadium and allow college athletes to shake off early season rust in a low-stakes environment.

Several Bears could be seen setting up hurdles and starting blocks in between their events, demonstrating just how low-key their approach was this weekend.

This year’s first All Comers Meet was also notable in that it marked the distance team’s 2022 season debut. Cal fielded athletes in the 1,000-meter run, an event that is rarely run at high school and college meets. It was a member of the Bears who came out on top in both the men’s and women’s installment of the 1,000-meter, with Garrett MacQuiddy and Mina Anglero earning their wins in times of 2:27.92 and 2:57.08, respectively.

Several more members of the distance corps took on the 3,000-meter run. The women’s race saw Cal take the first six spots in the standings, with Meredith Corda winning in 10:10.72 and teammates Jessica Nye and Margie Cullen finishing close behind with times under 10:20. Gabriel Abbes and Ethan Bersley, meanwhile, each recorded sub-8:50 times in the men’s race, with Abbes finishing in 8:40.44 and Bersley going 8:48.36.

Cal also took wins in the men’s and women’s respective 60-meter hurdles events. Di’Niko Bates and Jazlynn Shearer — who each ran top-six times in school history in that event a week prior at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational — continued their strong start to the season by notching first-place finishes on their home turf.

The Bears showed out in the sprint events as a whole. George Monroe tore up the track with a winning time of 21.91 in the 200-meter dash. Aly Conyers and Henry Larkin broke the tape in the women’s and men’s 400-meter races in times of 55.84 and 49.03, respectively.

Make no mistake: This was not a competitive meet. While Cal athletes tended to toe the line against other collegians in their heats, many of those who competed in this meet are high schoolers. Meanwhile, several others who competed as “masters” are of average grandparent age.

With that being said, the Bears showed out by putting up impressive times. While the place an athlete finishes in is almost entirely dependent on the level of competition that they face on any given day, times are indisputable evidence of fitness and progress. Especially considering that this was an early season meet, Cal’s times suggest that it has much to look forward to as this season progresses.