While students were on spring break, four track athletes were focused on their strides at the national meet, and the rest of the team took a break from in-state competition.

Senior Brent Randle competed in the triple jump and long jump, sophomore Richie Bryant competed in the 60-meter dash, sophomore Chelsey Ornburn competed in the pole vault, and freshman Ashlee Miller made her national debut in the pentathlon.

Randle fouled on his first two jumps in the long jump and decided to pass on his final jump. In the triple jump, he failed to meet his qualifying mark and ended up in 17th place.

Bryant placed sixth in the fifth heat of the 60-meter dash, which did not qualify him to advance. Ornburn did not finish, and Miller ended up in 12th place.

Miller said as a freshman, she had high expectations going into the meet.

“I didn’t do quite as well as I had hoped,” she said. “But I finished strong, and I felt like I needed to. I wasn’t exactly expecting to do the best I could do because I’m really inexperienced to the whole national thing.”

Head coach Rob Mallinder said his expectations were also set higher than the performances he witnessed.

“We did underachieve, I thought. For one reason or another, the athletes just didn’t perform to their pre-meet expectations,” he said. “It was disappointing to see Brent Randle compete at a sub-par level knowing that he was one of the better athletes in the triple jump competition.”

Three of the four athletes that competed are underclassman.

“Ashlee definitely learned a lot from the meet. She gained valuable lessons,” Mallinder said. “Richie was running well. Unfortunately, he was carrying an injury that didn’t allow him to really open up.”

Mallinder, his assistant coaches and a few athletes caught a flight March 14 to California to discover new scenery and different competition.

For a large majority of the athletes, Saturday was the only day of competition. With practice sessions usually in the morning, they were given the afternoon to do as they liked. Mallinder said he wanted the athletes to have a good time.

“For us it was a nice setting and a low-key meet,” he said. “I wanted to make sure they had free time, but I needed to put some restrictions on that.”

He made the athletes who went on the trip sign a contract saying they would not consume alcohol, smoke marijuana or leave the country to Mexico.

“I was looking out for everyone’s best interest. … If trouble follows you (out of the country), you are screwed,” he said. “It’s better to be preventative than reactive.”

The team competed at Point Loma Nazarene University over spring break.

This was the first meet of the outdoor season and was used as a transition from the indoor season.

Mallinder said the team will host about 10 teams Saturday for the Baker Relays. Field events begin at 11 a.m., and track events begin at noon.