The American River College women's track and field team continued its strong start to the 2026 season with standout performances across the Aggie Open, the Pat Ryan Invitational, and the Beaver Invitational, producing multiple State A qualifiers and a wave of personal-best marks.

Leading the way, Madison Shirely-Boudreaux recorded a State A qualifying mark of 41.32 meters in the hammer throw at the Pat Ryan Invitational. Teammate Alejandra Magana-Ramirez also reached the State A standard, winning the 1500 meters in 4:53.84.

In the middle-distance events, Lily Harline secured a State A berth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:20.48 at the Aggie Open.

"Kudos to our women for competing with confidence early in the season," said head coach Melanie Cleland. "We're seeing a great combination of experience and growth across the board."

Sophomore Kira Comfort has emerged as one of the team's most versatile athletes, qualifying for State A in both the javelin (36.32 meters) and the 400-meter hurdles, where she ran 1:06.72 at the Beaver Invitational.

The Beavers also posted several State B marks and near-qualifying performances. Zoe Prince led the sprint group with a third-place finish in the 100 meters (12.57) at the Pat Ryan Invitational. Morgan McKenna impressed in her steeplechase debut, hitting the State B standard in 13:06.24.

The 400-meter group demonstrated depth and consistency. Lelah Felder narrowly missed the State A standard by just .09 seconds, clocking 58.89 at Pat Ryan, while Harline matched that time at the Beaver Invitational. Isabella Leach added a State B performance of 59.18.

"We're building depth in key areas, especially in the 400 and 800 groups," said Melanie Cleland. "That will be critical as we move into championship season."

Dasha Andryushkin highlighted the middle-distance progression with a personal-best 2:29.49 in the 800 meters, breaking the 2:30 barrier. In the field events, Kiyah Salers added a State B mark in the long jump at 17 feet, 4 inches.

Through the first stretch of competition, the Beavers have shown clear progression from meet to meet, positioning themselves well for the weeks ahead.

American River returns to action at the West Coast Relays in Fresno on March 27–28.