April 12, 2006
SAN DIEGO -
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AZTEC TRACK AND FIELD HEADS NORTH TO PRESTIGIOUS MT. SAC RELAYS
* The San Diego State track and field team looks to add to its growing list of regional qualifiers when it travels north this weekend for the 48th running of the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, scheduled for April 13-15, in Walnut, Calif.
SDSU is expected to send 20 athletes to the three-day gathering, which annually features a vast array of community college, university and renowned international competitors. In addition, some the nation's top prep talent will also be on display at the meet, which takes place at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College.
Thursday's activities are slated to begin for the Aztecs at 1 p.m. with the women's 400-meter dash, while Friday's events get underway at 2 p.m. with women's high jump. Saturday's competition commences with the women's pole vault at noon and concludes with the running of the 4x400 relay at 9:05 p.m.
REWIND: DUKE INVITATIONAL
* Freshman Decontee Kaye tied an 18-year-old school record in the triple jump, while senior Erin Asay captured first place in the pole vault to lead the San Diego State track and field squad last weekend at the 19th Annual Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. Kaye and Asay were among a group of eight Aztecs who recorded either a season or lifetime-best performance at the two-day meet, which was held at Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium.
Kaye placed fourth out of 40 competitors with a season-best leap of 41-9.75, tying Gaylen Ames' school record set back in 1988. With her effort, the Hayward, Calif., native also topped her NCAA regional qualifying mark by eight inches. Fellow classmate Shana Watson also competed in the event, setting a lifetime best for the third week in a row with a jump of 39-11.25 to finish in 10th place.
Asay cleared 13-1.50 in the pole vault, setting a season-best mark en route to a first-place finish. Teammate Monica Pacas followed in fourth behind Asay with a vault of 12-1.50, which tied her season high.
Other bright spots on the weekend included Lisa Crampton's NCAA regional qualifying time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and a first-place finish by freshman Leanne Taylor in the discus.
Crampton finished third in a field of 41 athletes in the steeplechase with a lifetime-best clocking of 10:42.11, which ranks second on the school's all-time list and shatters her previous best by over 16 seconds. With her effort, the Livermore, Calif., native became the ninth Aztec, including one relay team, to qualify for the NCAA regional meet this season.
Taylor claimed the discus title out of 44 competitors with a toss of 152-9 and also logged a second-place finish in the shot put with a distance of 45-2.25. SDSU's vastly-improved throwing corps also received a pair of season-best marks from freshman Brittany Lowe in the discus (139-4) and hammer throw (133-9).
Rounding out the Aztec highlights were lifetime-best performances from junior Celeste Tyson in the 1,500 (4:36.93) and freshman Kristin Olafsdottir in the 400 hurdles (1:00.10).
FLASHBACK: 2005 MT. SAC RELAYS
* Nicole Carmier captured first place in the university/open division of the high jump to pace the San Diego State track and field squad at the 47th edition of the Mt. SAC Relays in 2005. Carmier claimed the event title over 14 competitors with a leap of 5-7.25.
Other top-five performances on the weekend included Heather Heron's third-place effort in the olympic development section of the 400 hurdles (13.92) and Shayla Balentine's fifth-place showing the pole vault invitational (13-11.25). Teammate Monica Pacas also contributed a fifth-place finish, clearing 12-5.25 in the university/open division of the pole vault.
The Aztecs also received a pair of season-best times from Brittani Dudley in the university/open sections the 200 (24.85) and 400 (55.98), while in the same division of the 800, Jackie Duncan raced to a season-best clocking of 2:14.26.
AZTECS FEATURED IN EVENT RANKINGS
* After five meets this season, several Aztecs have made their way onto the national performance list, which displays the top marks and times thus far in 2006.
Leading the way for the scarlet and black is senior Erin Asay with her clearance of 13-1.50 in the pole vault. As of April 12, the mark ranks 10th in the nation according to Trackshark.com.
Joining Asay in the rankings are Kristin Olafsdottir (21st - hepathlon and 22nd - 400 hurdles), Lisa Crampton (29th - steeplechase), Decontee Kaye (30th - triple jump), Larnie Boyd (41st - 400 meters), Shana Watson (41st - long jump), and Leanne Taylor (57th - discus). Meanwhile, the 4x400 relay team of Nicole Stone, Boyd, Olafsdottir and Mandy Upuu is currently ranked 34th.