Some Bruins are beginning to shift gears as they transition from the indoor to the outdoor season.

But others are just getting started.

On Friday and Saturday, UCLA track and field competed in the Long Beach Opener, marking the official start to its 2025 outdoor season. The team battled fellow Southern California schools, including Long Beach State, UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State LA and CSU Bakersfield.

“We had a small amount of teams there, and it’s very early, so it was a nice way for them to start outdoors,” said coach Joanna Hayes.

The Bruins racked up more than 20 top-10 finishes across the weekend. Senior Lyvante Su’emai placed first in both the women’s discus throw and shot put, junior Michael Pinckney reigned supreme in men’s discus throw, and graduate student Jana van Schalkwyk won the women’s javelin throw.

Van Schalkwyk, who transferred from Stellenbosch University in South Africa this past year, threw 53.17 meters in her UCLA debut, a mark that put her second all-time in program history.

“She’s been waiting to open up because she doesn’t do indoor, so she had a really, really good start and first meet,” Hayes said.

Since javelin throw is not an event during the indoor season, van Schalkwyk had a longer off-season than most, but Hayes added that her patience paid off.

Pinckney, who also competed in the hammer throw and shot put, said the meet provided a good baseline for where he stood in his events.

“(The meet) didn’t go as well as I wanted, but I was able to get a good mark in discus this early in the season,” Pinckney said. “Me and coach, we’re working on some technique so we’ll be in a great spot by championship season.”

Pinckney garnered Second Team All-American honors at the NCAA outdoor championships last year and could build on that success this spring.

His 63.15-meter mark in the hammer throw was a new personal best, which he attributed to his work during the off and indoor seasons.

“The biggest thing I’ve been doing is keeping everything consistent with my weight technique. … I can for sure add a couple more meters,” Pinckney said. “Ultimately, I’m looking to add on two All-American titles this year and also Big Ten discus champ.”

On the distance side, 12 Bruins competed in the 800- and 3000-meter races. Freshman Georgia Jeanneret and senior Patrick Curulla notched second-place finishes in the women’s 800-meter run and men’s 3000-meter run, respectively.

Olivia Foody was another freshman to earn a top-three finish, placing second in the women’s 3000-meter run with junior Annika Salz trailing behind her in third.

“I was proud of the team and the effort, how they came together and did well,” Hayes said. “We still have a lot more to go, but I thought it was a really good start.”

The Bruins’ indoor season will culminate March 14 at the NCAA indoor national championships.