June 6, 2005
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State track and field team will send seniors Shayla Balentine (Los Osos, Calif.) and Heather Heron (Yakima, Wash.) to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, slated for Wednesday, June 8-Saturday, June 11, in Sacramento, Calif. The meet will be hosted by Sacramento State University at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Balentine finished second in the pole vault at the regional meet on May 27, sealing a NCAA trip for the third time in four years after missing out by one spot in 2003. Balentine, the SDSU and Mountain West Conference record-holder in the event, heads into the NCAA meet with the second-best collegiate mark in the nation. The 14 feet, 1/2 inch clear is also the eighth-best outdoor mark posted in the United States and the 25th-best vault in the world this season.
Balentine, the 2002 and 2005 indoor and outdoor MWC pole vault champion, finished 10th in an elite field of 17 athletes at the NCAA indoor meet in March.
The pole vault qualifying round will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday and the finals will be on Saturday at 6 p.m.
A former transfer from Cal State Northridge, Heron will compete in the 100-meter hurdles, boasting the 17th-fastest time in the nation of 13.35, which she logged at the MWC championships in mid-May. Heron also competed in the 100 hurdles at NCAAs in 2004 (20th place) and in 2002 (15th). Heron won the 100 hurdles at the 2005 MWC outdoor meet.
The preliminary and semifinal rounds of the 100 hurdles will be contested on Wednesday at 5:20 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, with the finals set for Friday at 8:05 p.m.
SDSU Participants -- 2005 NCAA Championships
June 8-11, 2005
Sacramento, Calif. -- Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex
Name--Event--Ranking Among NCAA Qualifiers
Shayla Balentine--Pole Vault--2nd
Heather Heron--100 Hurdles--17th