Feb. 7, 2002
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This Week
The San Diego State track and field program concludes its indoor season this weekend, traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., to compete in the Mountain T Invitational. The event will be held at the J.L. Walkup Skydome on the Northern Arizona campus and starts at 9 a.m. MST.
The Format
Saturday will be broken into two sessions. Session one will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and consists primarily of provisional heats. Finals will be held in session two, running from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday's Field
Ten collegiate teams are expected to compete on the women's side of Saturday's event. For the second straight week SDSU will see Mountain West Conference foe New Mexico. Other programs scheduled to appear are UCLA and Arizona State.
Bet The Over
There's something about Reno, Nev., and Aztec pole vaulters. On Jan. 12, two Aztecs, senior Tricia Gutierrez and freshman Shayla Balentine, set school record and NCAA provisional marks at the National Pole Vault Summit held at the Reno Hilton. Balentine and Gutierrez both vaulted 3.90 meters (12-09.50). At last weekend's Wolf Pack Invitational, held at the Reno Livestock Events Center, Gutierrez set another NCAA provisional mark with a 3.82-meter (12-06.25) second-place vault. Balentine came in third in the competition (3.72m/12-02.25). Gutierrez's school-record mark bested the record of 12-07.50 she set at last season's Bill Cosby Invitational, held in Reno.
Aztec Honors
Senior Tricia Gutierrez's school record and NCAA provisional vault at the National Pole Vault Summit earned her Mountain West Conference indoor track athlete of the week honors for the period ending Jan. 14. The occasion marked her first career athlete of the week award.
Coaching Staff
The Aztecs are led by head coach Rahn Sheffield, who is in his 11th season with the Aztec program. Sheffield is assisted by Jennifer Nanista, Richard Fox, Leslie Coons and Kristi McGihon. Nanista oversees the team's distance corps and Fox works with the pole vaulters.
League Leaders
Several Aztecs are listed among the top-10 best times and marks this season in the Mountain West Conference. Senior Tricia Gutierrez and freshman Shayla Balentine are tied for second in the pole vault with a 12-09.50 mark. Junior Jesika Englebretson mark of 11-05.75 ranks her ninth in the pole vault. Junior Melinda Smedley and sophomore Tonette Dyer are fifth and sixth respectively in the 60-meter dash with times of 7.75 and 7.77. Sophomore Lynnae Samuels is tenth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.98.
MWC Indoor Championships
The Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships will be held Feb. 21-23 in Colorado Springs, Colo on the Air Force Academy campus.