April 7, 2006
SAN DIEGO - 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 on Friday at the 19th Annual Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. Kaye and Asay were among a group of seven Aztecs who recorded either a season or lifetime-best performance on the first day of competition at Wallace Wade Stadium on the campus of Duke University.
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, meanwhile, cleared 13-1.50 in the pole vault, posting 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.
Rounding out Friday's highlights for SDSU was a pair of lifetime bests by junior Celeste Tyson in the 1,500 (4:36.93) and freshman Kristin Olafsdottir in the 400 hurdles (1:00.10), while freshman Brittany Lowe chipped in with a season-best toss of 133-9 in the hammer throw.
The final day of the Duke Invitational resumes Saturday at 9 a.m. EDT with the discus throw. The women's portion of the meet concludes with the running of the 4x400 relay, set for 5 p.m. EDT.