May 2, 2001
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What's On Tap
Coming off its monumental team victory at the Cal/Nevada State Championships, the San Diego State women's track and field team ventures outside the state of California for the final time during the regular season this weekend, when the Aztecs travel to Austin, Texas, for the Texas Invitational. The multi-team event, which will be held at UT's famed Mike A. Myers Stadium, gets underway at 8 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, May 4, with middle distance and distance running events. Saturday's action starts at 11 a.m. with the field events. Track events follow, beginning at 12 p.m.
Wrapping Up SDSU's Win At The Cal/Nevada State Championships
The San Diego State women's track and field team roared back from 10th place after Saturday's opening day of competition, combining for 102 points Sunday to win the 2001 Cal/Nevada State Championships with a final team score of 110 points. It was first win ever at the Cal/Nevada meet for the Aztecs, who outdistanced California (83.66), Nevada (59) and UCLA (58.67), for their second team-scored meet victory in a row.
Rahn Sheffield, now in his 10th year as the Aztecs' head coach, was voted Women's Coach of the Year by the Cal/Nevada Coaches Association, while SDSU senior Promise Mose was named Women's Athlete of the Meet.
The Aztecs, who had 14 athletes turn in season-best performances in the two days of competition, posted 10 top-3 finishes during Sunday's finals alone, including wins by Mose in the 400 meters, junior Daveetta Shepherd in the 100-meter hurdles and the SDSU 4x100-meter relay squad. San Diego State athletes also dominated the preliminaries, winning 11 heats Saturday.
Team-Scored Meets Agree With Aztecs
Though it will only compete in three team-scored meets this year, including the 2001 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships at San Diego State, May 16-19, the SDSU women's track and field team has really taken to the format. The Aztecs are undefeated as a team, winning both the All-Women Invitational as well as last week's Cal/Nevada State Championships.
Climbing The Mountain
As it heads down the stretch of the 2001 outdoor season, San Diego State continues to hold its own in the Mountain West Conference. Through eight meets, the Aztecs have posted the Mountain West Conference's best mark in 9-of-21 events (100 Meters - Melinda Smedley, 200 meters - Promise Mose, 400 meters - Promise Mose, 100 hurdles - Daveetta Shepherd, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay, pole vault - Aimee Crabtree, long jump - Aja Frary, heptathlon - Aja Frary).
Mose Named Mountain West Athlete Of The Week
San Diego State senior Promise Mose was named Mountain West Conference Women's Track Athlete of the Week, the league office announce Tuesday. The owner of the Mountain West's best times this season in both the 200 meters and 400 meters, Mose helped account for 38 of SDSU's 102 points on Sunday, winning the 400 meters and placing second in the 200 meters as an individual and also running on both the SDSU 4x100 and 4x400 relay squads, which placed first and second, respectively. Mose's winning time of 54.40 in the 400 meters stands as the fastest time in the conference at that distance this year, while SDSU's relay times of 45.57 and 3:40.38, respectively, were not only league-bests, but each time also ranks as the sixth-fastest in Aztec history.
She's The Nation's Best
San Diego State's Aja Frary had a monster weekend at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) , posting the top collegiate point total in the nation this year and finishing third overall in the heptathlon. Frary finished the seven-event competition with a career-best score of 5,657 points.
Frary's point total, which automatically qualified the senior for both the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as well as the USA Track and Field national meet later this year, was a new San Diego State record in the heptathlon, eclipsing Carrie McLaughlin's 18-year-old total of 5,620 (1983). The mark is also a new Mountain West Conference benchmark and stands as the fifth-best point total in the world in the heptathlon this year.
Last week at Cal/Nevada, Fray transferred her heptathlon prowess to the individual events, wracking up points in the 100-hurdles, 400-hurdles, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay and long jump. In fact, her time of 60.58 in the 400-hurdles (an event she rarely runs) was the ninth-best in SDSU history.
Shepherd Added To List Of NCAA Qualifying Aztecs
San Diego State junior Daveetta Shepherd added her name to those Aztecs hoping for an invitation to Eugene, Ore., for the 2001 NCAA Championships at Cal/Nevada last week, winning the 100-meter hurdles with a provisional qualifying time of 13.54. It is the fastest time run in the 100 hurdles in the MWC this season. Shepherd, who also scored in the 100 and 200 last week, has shaved over a second off her 100 hurdles time since the start of the season, including posting improved times in three-straight meets.
In addition to Frary and Shepherd, San Diego State pole vaulters Aimee Crabtree and Tricia Gutierrez have also posted NCAA qualifying marks. Crabtree, a 1999 all-American in the pole vault, has cleared the provisional mark of 12-05.25, four times, including an SDSU record vault of 13-02.25 on April 29 in Irvine, Calif. Gutierrez notched her provisional qualifying mark at home, clearing 12-07.50 during the Aztec Invitational, March 24.
Soaring To New Heights
Aimee Crabtree continues to solidify her spot in the SDSU record books. The senior upped her school and conference record once again last week at Cal/Nevada, clearing 13-02.25 to take second. The vault was second of the season over 13 feet. It was also her fifth NCAA provisional qualifying height of the year. In seven pole vault competitions thus far in 2001, Crabtree has come away the winner four times. She also owns a pair of second-place finishes and a sixth.
Middle Distance Magic
Though she is yet to set any new personal bests this season, Kylie Edwards appears to be well positioned for a strong run at both the Mountain West Conference 800 and 1500 meters as well as an NCAA berth in each event. Coming out of last week's Cal/Nevada Championships, the junior owned the conference's second-best time in the 800 meters (2:09.72) and the league's third-fastest time in the 1500 meters (4:27.00). Her 4:27.00 in the 1500 at the USC Invitational tied a personal best and ranks fourth on SDSU's outdoor records chart.
Smedley Continues to Shine
After missing the SDSU All-Women Invitational with a hamstring injury, sophomore Melinda Smedley has returned to the lineup the last two weeks and looks as strong as ever. The owner of the MWC's fastest 100-meter time this season, Smedley has run her two best times in the event the past two weeks, running 11.82 at Mt. SAC and 11.80 at Cal/Nevada. In fact, Smedley's time at Cal/Nevada improved her No. 7 mark in the SDSU history books in the 100 meters.
On The Horizon
Following the Texas Invitational, the San Diego State track and field team travels to Pasadena, Calif., for the Oxy Invitational, May 12th.