TORRANCE, Calif. -- Washington State track and field's CJ Allen won the men's Invitational 400m hurdles Saturday at the 59th Annual Mt SAC Relays, held this year at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif.
 
Allen, a senior from Allyn, Wash., won the men's intermediate hurdles in a lifetime-best time of 49.99 seconds, a mark that is fifth-best in WSU all-time records. Allen, a two-time Pac-12 champion and second team All-American, was one of six collegiate racers in the 13-man elite field, and ran in the second heat. The leaders from the first heat were David Kendziera from Illinois and Jamaica's Isa Phillips who both crossed the line in 50.17 seconds with Kendziera's time carried out to 50.161 and Phillips' time was 50.163. Allen's closest competitor in the second heat was Puerto Rico's Eric Alejandro, a 2012 Olympian, who finished fourth overall Saturday in a time of 50.45. Allen's time is currently the best in the Pac-12, fourth-best in the NCAA West Region and seventh in the nation.
 
"The race was very clean and very easy," Allen said. "I was slow through 300 meters and had a huge kick to overpower the Puerto Rican Champion at hurdle 10. There's a lot of room for me to run very fast this year."
 
Earlier in the day, the Cougar men's 4x100m relay of Zach Smith, Ja'Maun Charles, Sam Brixey and Allen ran a season-best time of 40.70 for 11th place in the Invitational race. A little later in the afternoon, Brixey (freshman, Boise, Idaho) ran the 110m hurdles Invitational race in 14.57 for 16th.
 
Kiana Davis, winner of the women's Open high jump Friday, soared to a PR in the triple jump of 42-feet 3/4 inches (12.82m) for fourth place in the Invitational event Saturday. Davis, a senior from Longview, Wash., is now third in WSU all-time records, behind Blessing Ufodiama who ironically, took third place in the Mt. SAC Invitational triple jump with a mark of 42-1 1/2 (12.84m). Greer Alsop placed 10th in this Invitational event with a leap of 40-1 1/4 (12.22m).
 
The women's 4x400m relay squad of Grace Victor, Liz Harper, Alissa Brooks-Johnson, and Marlow Schulz finished eighth in the Invitational event with a time of 3 minutes, 45.10 seconds.
 
The next competition for the WSU Track & Field teams is Sunday, April 23, when the Cougars travel to Seattle for the Dual Meet with Washington which will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.