June 3, 2003
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State track and field will send five individuals and one relay to this month's NCAA championships, slated for June 11-14, in Sacramento, Calif. The event will be hosted by Cal State Sacramento at Hornet Stadium.
Nicole Ireland (Las Vegas, Nev.), Tonette Dyer (Shreveport, La.) and the team's 4x400-meter relay received automatic invitations to the national meet at last weekend's first ever NCAA West Regional. Heptathlete Leslie Miller (Humble, Texas) also automatically qualified with her first-place point total of 5,602 at the Mountain West Conference championships. Senior Melinda Smedley (Stockton, Calif.), who will compete in the 100 and 200 meters, and freshman heptathlete Shanon Meyer (Hesperia, Calif.) both earned at-large bids to the NCAAs.
Ireland, a transfer from the University of Alabama, is making her third consecutive trip to the outdoor NCAA meet, having garnered All-America honors for the Crimson Tide in 2001 (4x100 relay, 400 hurdles) and 2002 (400 hurdles). Ireland finished 10th in the 400 hurdles a year ago after placing 11th her freshman campaign.
Dyer and Miller both head to the NCAA championships for the second consecutive year. Dyer earned All-America honors with her ninth-place finish in the 400-meter race in 2002, while Miller was 13th in the heptathlon. Smedley and Meyer will be making their first career trips to the national meet.
Smedley, Ireland, Dyer will make up part of the team's 4x400 relay, as will first-time NCAA participants senior Jini Hogg (San Francisco, Calif.), junior Hollann Givens (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman Bianca McNair (Portland, Ore.). The Aztecs are allowed to bring the four relays runners plus two alternates to the meet in Sacramento.
Aztec sophomore pole vaulter Shayla Balentine (Los Osos, Calif.) and the team's 4x100-meter relay barely missed making the cut for the NCAAs by one spot. Last weekend, Balentine vaulted a career best and school-record tying 13-02.25, however, Georgia's Fanni Juhasz grabbed the last at-large spot by clearing 13-04.25. The 4x100 relay, meanwhile, is the first alternate for the event and will be allowed to compete if any of the other teams decide to drop out.
SDSU Participants - 2003 NCAA Championships (June 11-14 - Sacramento, Calif.)
Name Event Ranking Among NCAA Qualifiers Tonette Dyer200 meters 25th 400 meters 16th Nicole Ireland 400 hurdles 5th Shanon Meyer Heptathlon 3rd Leslie Miller Heptathlon 10th Melinda Smedley 100 meters 21st 200 meters 13th 4x400-meter relay 9th (Dyer, Hollann Givens, Jini Hogg, Ireland, Bianca McNair, Smedley)