Day 1 Recap

Notes from Head Coach Andy Ponce de Leon:

De Anza opened the 2026 Coast Conference championships with a strong showing on opening day, highlighted by a pair of conference titles from sophomore Genesis Mailangi and multiple scoring performances across distance and throws.

Overall, the DA women's team finishes Day 1 in third place, while the men are in fifth position.

On the track, sophomore Corinne Thelen led the way in the women's 10,000 meters, placing third overall in 42:07.41 to score valuable team points in a competitive field.

On the men's side, Brandon Phan added to the team total with a seventh place finish in 41:32.59.

The throws group delivered a major impact across multiple events.

Mailangi defended her conference title in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 45.18m, controlling the competition and setting the tone early in the day.

She returned later to win the javelin event as well, throwing 37.41m. 

Mailangi will enter Saturday as the top seed in the discus and shot put as well.

Sophomore Sapphire Fox-Araya contributed in two events, placing fifth in the hammer (30.80m) and eighth in the discus (21.23m) to add key points.

On the men's side, freshman Ryan McGlashan delivered a strong performance in the hammer throw, claiming a silver medal with a mark of 48.67m (159-8).

Sophomore Liam Brennan added depth with a seventh place finish at 40.54m.

Through the first day of competition, De Anza showed strength in the throws and consistency in the distance events, setting up the Mountain Lions for a strong push heading into Day 2 at Monterey Peninsula College.