The athletes of Sacramento State completed a dramatic comeback to take the 2011-2012 Causeway Cup Friday, when the men and women of Sac State track and field defeated UC Davis in the Causeway Classic dual meet.

The Hornets came back from a 30-point deficit in January and left it up to track and field to win the cup. Head coach Kathleen Raske said the team knew how important the meet was for the athletic department and they got the job done.

“It felt great to bring the (Causeway Cup) home,” Raske said. “There was a little bit of pressure, obviously, but we knew what was riding on this. Going into (the meet) it was really tight on paper, so we knew it was just going to be a great competition.”

The Causeway Classic was a dual meet, which is unusual for track and field competitions. Meets usually consist of multiple teams, but Raske said she enjoys these head to head competitions.

“I think a classic college dual meet is what’s right about our sport,” Raske said. “At the end of the day it’s not necessarily about the time and the distances, but it’s about who won. And we’re coming out with a great win, but if you also look at the results of the times, distances and performances (they are) are all (personal records).”

For first-time outdoor and Causeway Classic competitor freshman Anthony Williams, his performance showed no signs of inexperience or intimidation.

“The coaches did a really good job of hyping it up as well as the people around school,” Williams said. “We go through the routine at practice so it’s kind of like practice, but in competition the mindset is different. But I definitely was not nervous.”

Williams jumped 6’11” for first place in the men’s high jump, took second in the 110-meter hurdles with an unofficial hand time of 14.35 and third in the triple jump of 13.82 meters.

“I haven’t competed at all outdoor, so getting out there and putting out a mark that was going to qualify me for conference was good,” Williams said. “High jump we wanted seven feet so to get 6’11” was nice, but I’m never going to be satisfied until I get that extra inch.”

Unlike Williams, senior Renisha Robinson has been a part of the undefeated Causeway Classic meets the five seasons she has been at Sac State, minus the 2010 season when the Hornets and Aggies did not face each other.

“Since I’ve been a freshman, we haven’t lost at all (to Davis) so just keeping the streak and the tradition going is exciting,” Robinson said. “I’m a fifth-year senior so I’m kind of already acclimated to the environment and what to expect so I just wanted to come out here and have fun. And it’s my last Causeway Classic so I was just really excited more than anything.”

Robinson took first in both races she competed in, the 1500- (4:25.62) and 800-meter run (2:06.84).

“The 800 I was off a little bit from my (personal record) so I felt great about it, but the 1500 went out a little too slow so the last few laps I tried to pick it up and I was kind of disappointed about that,” Robinson said. “But overall I feel good about my performance and we won overall so it was exciting.”

Sac State also had first place victories in the categories of men and women’s javelin throw, men’s discus throw, men’s and women’s shot put, men and women’s hammer throw, women’s triple jump and long jump, men’s 3000- and 200-meter and women’s 400-meter.

The Hornets only have one meet left before conference championships and Raske said this meet was a good way to prepare for the upcoming meets.

“We wanted to win this (meet) and build momentum going into our conference championships,” Raske said. “It was vitally important for this team to come together and show that competitive effort as we go into our championship season.”

The Hornets will be back on the track on May 5 to host the Sac State Open and finish off the last meet of the regular season.

Jillian Kweller can be reached at [email protected].