April 19, 2003
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's track and field squad, led by juniors Nicole Ireland (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Tonette Dyer (Shreveport, La.), completed competition at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays Saturday with an event title and five other top-five finishes at the meet held in Walnut, Calif.
Ireland grabbed the team's only event title of the week, winning the 400-meter hurdles in 57.30, the second-fastest time in school history. Ireland's time was a season-best by almost two seconds (previous - 59.24) and trails only NCAA champion LaTanya Sheffield, who owns the school record of 54.64.
After finishing second in the Olympic Development Division of the 400 meters (52.91), Ireland, along with teammates Bianca McNair (Portland, Ore.), Dyer and Melinda Smedley (Stockton, Calif.), ran the second-fastest 4x400-meter relay in Aztec history, finishing in 3:34.77.
Dyer and Smedley combined to tally the team's three other top-five finishes. Dyer logged NCAA regional qualifying times in both the 200 (3rd - 23.52) and the 400 (5th - 52.60), while Smedley finished just two spots below her teammate in the 200 with a time of 23.78.
Other outstanding performances for the Aztecs on the final day of the meet went to Smedley in the 100 meters (t7th - 11.67), senior Leslie Miller (Humble, Texas) in the 100 hurdles (8th - 14.01) and freshman Jamillah Titus (American Canyon, Calif.) in the high jump (7th - 5-07.00).
Overall, SDSU tallied 10 NCAA regional qualifying times/marks and recorded team season bests in the high jump, 100 hurdles, 400 meters, 400 hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay in meet's final day.
San Diego State will split its squad next weekend for the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., and the UCSD Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. Both meets will take place April 25-26.
Mt. SAC Relays (SDSU Results) - April 19, 2003
Mt. San Antonio College - Walnut, Calif.
100 Meters (University/Open Div.) t6. Tonette Dyer11.88 23. Bianca McNair 12.32 26. Jillita Griffin 12.40
100 Meters (Olympic Development Div.) t7. Melinda Smedley 11.67^
100 Hurdles (University/Open Div.) 8. Leslie Miller 14.01^ 18. Ryan Peters 14.61
200 Meters (University/Open Div.) 3. Tonette Dyer 23.52^ 5. Melinda Smedley 23.78^ 18. Bianca McNair 24.42 25. Hollann Givens 24.94 32. Jillita Griffin 25.60
400 Meters (Invitational Div.) 5. Tonette Dyer 52.60^
400 Meters (Olympic Development Div.) 2. Nicole Ireland 52.91^
400 Hurdles (University/Open Div.) 1. Nicole Ireland 57.30^ (second-fastest in school history) 15. Leslie Miller 1:00.15^ 30. Ryan Peters 1:02.08 32. Shanon Meyer 1:02.26
4x400-Meter Relay (Invitational Div.) 4. McNair, Ireland, Dyer, Smedley 3:34.77^ (second-fastest in school history)
High Jump (University/Open Div.) 7. Jamillah Titus 5-07.00^
^ = 2003 NCAA Regional qualifying time/mark