March 23, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Track and Field Weekly Release in PDF Format
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AZTECS TRAVEL TO ARIZONA THIS WEEKEND TO COMPETE IN JIM CLICK SHOOTOUT
* Fresh off of its impressive showing at the Aztec Classic, the San Diego State track and field squad hits the road this weekend to the compete in the Jim Click Shootout, March 23-25, in Tucson, Ariz. The Aztecs will send 23 athletes to the three-day meet, which is being held at the University of Arizona's Roy P. Drachman Stadium.
Freshman Kristin Olafsdottir and junior transfer Kristin Karhio will represent the scarlet and black in the heptathlon, which will be contested on Thursday and Friday. The bulk of the competition gets underway on Saturday, commencing with the women's hammer throw at 10 a.m. MST. The jumping events are set to begin at 11:30 a.m. with the pole vault, while the track events are slated for a 12:30 p.m. start with the 3000-meter steeplechase.
Among the teams competing at this weekend's meet are Mountain West Conference rivals New Mexico and Wyoming along with Kansas State, Notre Dame and host school Arizona.
Roy P. Drachman Stadium features a nine-lane Rekortan surface, while the rings are brushed concrete.
ASAY, OLAFSDOTTIR QUALIFY FOR NCAA REGIONALS
* Senior Erin Asay and freshman Kristin Olafsdottir both recorded NCAA regional qualifying standards at the 28th Annual Aztec Track and Field Classic at the SDSU Sports Deck.
Asay earned a trip to the regional meet in the pole vault with a clearance of 13-0.25, capturing first place in her first outdoor meet of the season. Two weeks ago, Asay became the first Aztec to garner All-American honors in indoor track and field when she finished seventh at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Olafsdottir, meanwhile, continues to impress in her first season on The Mesa. The Reykjavik, Iceland, native qualified for the regional meet in the 400-meter hurdles with a 1:00.50 clocking. A versatile athlete, Olafsdottir finished third in the pentathlon at the MWC indoor meet with 3,843 points, which established a new national record in her native Iceland and ranks third on SDSU's all-time list.
MORE AZTEC CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS
* Asay and Olafsdottir were not the only Aztecs to taste success at last weekend's Track Classic. In fact, the scarlet and black captured 13 event titles over the two-day meet, tallying five first-place finishes on Friday and eight on Saturday.
In Friday's open competition, San Diego State received an exceptionally strong performance in the 400 meters as sophomore Sherraine Pencil led the way with a time of 56.06. The Toronto, Canada, native was followed in succession by senior Larnie Boyd (56.24) and sophomores Mandy Upuu (56.75) and Raquel Butler (58.76) as the Aztecs dominated the race.
SDSU collected a 1-2 finish in three other events as well. Juniors Lisa Naucler (4:51.86) and Sarah Belger (4:57.30) grabbed the top two spots in the 1,500, while in the 800, junior Celeste Tyson (2:17.25) edged sophomore Briana Powell (2:17.68) in an extremely tight race. Shana Solomon and Corri Campbell-Fell also battled it out in the 100-meter hurdles as the freshman duo tied for first with a time of 15.19. Another freshman, Nicole Stone, also recorded a first-place finish for the scarlet and black with a 1:01.72 clocking in the 400 hurdles.
Meanwhile, junior Lisa Crampton competed in her first steeplechase of the season, placing second with a personal-best time of 10:59.41.
San Diego State returned on Saturday battling periodic rain showers to post eight additional victories during the invitational portion of the meet.
"I was very pleased with everyone's effort today, said Aztec assistant coach Jennifer Nanista. "We were once again forced to compete in less-than-ideal conditions, but we fought through it and there were some pretty good performances out there despite the weather."
SDSU dominated the field events, capturing six of seven individual titles. Freshman Leanne Taylor continued her early-season success in the throwing category, posting victories in the shot put (45-9) and discus (156-7) - both personal bests. Taylor's distance in the discus is now fifth on the Aztecs' all-time list, while her mark in the shot put ranks seventh in school history.
Two other freshmen, Decontee Kaye (triple jump - 38-1) and Shana Watson (long jump - 17-1), were also winners for the scarlet and black. Along with Erin Asay's first-place finish in the pole vault, senior Nicole Carmier completed SDSU's supremacy in the field, capturing the high jump with a leap of 5-3.
Out on the track, Nicole Stone took the 400 meters with a winning time of 55.72, while Mandy Upuu emerged triumphant in the 800 with a 2:14.53 clocking. Stone and Upuu also teamed with Kristin Olafsdottir and sophomore Brittani Dudley on the Aztecs' second-place 4x400 relay team (3:46.70).
SDSU also received a trio of runner-up finishes from Shana Solomon in the 200 (24.63), Lisa Crampton in the 1,500 (4:37.54) and Celeste Tyson in the 3,000 (10:17.99).