April 13, 2007
WALNUT, Calif. - San Diego State junior Sherraine Pencil won the 400-meter dash with a lifetime-best and NCAA regional qualifying time of 54.20 on the third day of the 49th annual Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., on Friday. In addition to Pencil, fellow classmate Mandy Upuu qualified for the West Region meet in the 800-meter run after completing the race in a lifetime-best 2:08.77.
With the first two days consisting of the heptathlon, the running events took center stage on Friday, and Pencil did not disappoint as she won the 400. Besides establishing a lifetime best and posting a regional qualifying time, she finished first out of 15 competitors and ran the fastest 400 among all SDSU athletes this season. Prior to Friday, Pencil's fastest 400 time of 2007 came at the Aztec Invitational when she turned in a first-place, 55.02 performance. Teammate Priscilla Chapu also competed in the race and recorded a 14th-place time of 57.30.
Upuu, like Pencil, clocked in with a lifetime-best 800 time of 2:08.77, while coming in fourth place. Prior to Mt. SAC, Upuu's fastest 800 time came at the Aztec Invitational where she ran 2:09.16, good for eighth on San Diego State's all-time performance list. After Friday's effort, the Aztec junior improved her standing, moving up to fifth all time. Senior Jackie Duncan also competed in the 800 and crossed the finish line in 2:15.29.
In the 1,500-meter run, senior Lisa Naucler clocked in with a time of 4:40.49, while fellow classmate Celeste Tyson registered an effort of 4:42.78.
The Aztecs continue competition at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, April 14, when they compete in the high jump and the long jump at 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. PDT, respectively.