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St. Mary’s High 1998 graduate Jerriod Mack, who helped establish the Panthers as a boys track and field powerhouse before moving on to Cal, was recognized by the Pac-10 conference on Tuesday as the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. 

The accolades came three days after Mack led the Bears to a 84-79 victory over Stanford in the 106th Big Meet, held at Edwards Stadium. Despite having his entire season threatened by a burst appendix in early April, the Cal sophomore recovered in time to take first place in the triple jump, his primary event, and second in the long jump, with a season-best 23-7.5 mark. The stellar performance netted Mack eight key team points. 

As the close meet score indicated, the Bears would not have been able to top Stanford, had Mack and Nate DeSomber – an injured Cal thrower who took second in the shotput – not made lightning-fast recoveries and combined for 11 points.  

Mack next competes this Saturday, along with the bulk of the Cal track and field squad, at the 59th annual Modesto Relays in the Central Valley. The Bears will also send representatives to Friday’s Cardinal Qualifier, hosted by Stanford, and this weekend’s Pac-10 multi-event competition in Eugene, Ore.