March 25, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State track and field squad completed a successful weekend as two athletes and one relay team posted NCAA regional qualifying standards on Saturday at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Ariz. The Aztecs also won three event titles and set several personal bests on the final day of competition at the University of Arizona's Roy P. Drachman Stadium.
"Overall, I was pleased with our performance," said SDSU assistant coach Jennifer Nanista. "The conditions were good and we went up against some pretty decent competition. Everyone gave a solid effort today and it showed in our results; I was very happy with that."
Among the highlights for the Aztecs was a pair of regional qualifying performances by freshmen Decontee Kaye and Shana Watson. Kaye earned a trip to the regionals by placing second in the triple jump with a leap of 41-1.75, which ranks third all-time in school history. The Hayward, Calif., native also churned out a runner-up finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best effort of 14.41. Watson, meanwhile, qualified for the regionals in the long jump with a second-place distance of 19-7, which puts her fourth on SDSU's all-time list. The Oakland, Calif., product also logged an outdoor personal best in the triple jump with a mark of 39-0.25
Joining Kaye and Watson at the NCAA West Regional meet in May will be the Aztecs' 4x400 relay team, consisting of freshman Nicole Stone, senior Larnie Boyd, freshman Kristin Olafsdottir and sophomore Mandy Upuu, who recorded a second-place finish with a time of 3:41.22. Boyd and Olafsdottir also teamed with sophomore Sherraine Pencil and freshman Shana Solomon on SDSU's runner-up 4x100 relay team, which posted a season-best clocking of 46.08.
Other bright spots for the scarlet and black included a first-place finish in the 1,500 by junior Lisa Naucler, who ran to a winning time of 4:37.25. Freshman Corri Campbell-Fell also emerged triumphant for the Aztecs in the 400 hurdles (1:02.26), edging Wyoming's Ingvild Carstens (1:02.30) in an extremely tight race. Meanwhile, junior Lisa Crampton recorded a lifetime best in the steeplechase (10:58.45) for the second consecutive week, cruising to an easy victory over her nearest competitor, Jennifer Ford of Arizona (11:52.98).
SDSU returns to action next weekend, traveling to the Bay Area to compete at the Stanford Invitational, March 31-April 1, in Palo Alto, Calif.