April 17, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State Track and Field Weekly Release in PDF Format
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Aztec Track and Field Set to Compete at Triton Invitational
For the first time in over a month, San Diego State's track and field team will stay within county lines to compete at the Triton Invitational, April 20-21, at UC San Diego's Triton Stadium. Competition on both Friday and Saturday is set to begin at 10 a.m. PDT.
The Aztecs are coming off a successful week where they competed at both the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., and the Vs Athletics Invitational in Long Beach, Calif. For the week, SDSU posted nine NCAA regional qualifying performances and won two events at Mt. SAC.
Next week, San Diego State will travel to Northern California to participate in the two-day California Collegiate Challenge at California's Edwards Stadium/Goldman Field in Berkeley, Calif.
Solomon Tastes Victory Twice
On the final day of the Mt. SAC Relays, sophomore Shana Solomon made her presence felt as she wound up in the winners circle twice. In her first event of the day, the Long Beach, Calif., native ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay and helped the quartet establish their second NCAA regional qualifying time with a clocking of 45.70 seconds. Then two events later, Solomon got in the blocks and ran an 11.80 in the 100 to beat out the second-place finisher by 0:00.04 for her second victory of the day. For the season, Solomon has won eight total events, including five individual titles, with three coming in the 100.
Sharp Pencil
Junior Sherraine Pencil enjoyed one of her best weekends as an Aztec after setting two lifetime bests and three NCAA regional qualifying marks at Mt. SAC. In her first action of the meet, Pencil finished first in the 400-meter dash with a lifetime-best clocking of 54.20, breaking her own personal record of 55.61 established last season. Two days later, the Toronto, Canada, native ran the opening leg of the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and helped the quartet to a pair of NCAA regional qualifying performances. The 4x100 won the race with a time of 45.70, while the 4x400 came in sixth place at 3:41.42. Pencil also turned in her final NCAA regional qualifying time of the meet in the 200 with a lifetime-best 23.81 and won her 100-meter heat, while finishing third overall with a time of 11.90.
1-for-1 After Seven
Sophomore Kristin Olafsdottir competed in her first heptathlon of the outdoor campaign and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with 5,178 points. After the first day in which four events were contested, Olafsdottir found herself in ninth place with 3,080 points. That day, she set season bests in the 100 hurdles, the high jump and 200-meter dash. The next day she competed in the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run and moved up two spots to finish in seventh place.
Freshmen Enjoy Their Time at "The Beach"
San Diego State freshmen Amber Waddell, Makenzie Mabry, Darien Buc and Robyn Guzman all put forth impressive performances at the Vs Athletics Invitational in Long Beach, Calif. Waddell, a native of San Diego, recorded a pair of personal bests in the 100 and 200. In the 100, Waddell crossed the finish line in 12.60 seconds, 0:00.20 seconds faster than her previous low time of 12.80 set at the Aztec Invitational. Later in the 200, she posted a time of 25.81, eclipsing her previous-best effort of 26.13. In the 5,000-meter run, Mabry and Buc followed Waddell's lead and ran season-low times of 19:42.38 and 19:553.00, respectively. Buc's time was over 18 seconds faster than her previous-best mark of 20:11.08. Lastly, Robyn Guzman established a season-long throw of 116-8 in the discus to cap the freshmen effort.
Last Year at the Triton Invitational
San Diego State continued its impressive 2006 campaign on as Celeste Tyson and Monica Pacas each surpassed NCAA regional qualifying standards at last year's edition of the Triton Invitational. The day was also highlighted by six top-three finishes for the Aztecs, including a first-place effort from freshman Decontee Kaye in the triple jump.
Tyson punched her ticket to the regional meet after placing third in the steeplechase with a qualifying time of 10:48.32. Pacas also added her name to SDSU's growing list of regional qualifiers when she cleared a season-best 12-5.50 in the pole vault.
Kaye, meanwhile, claimed her second victory of the season in the triple jump with a leap of 40-7, followed by classmate Shana Watson, who placed second with a distance of 39-10.50.
Senior Erin Asay also logged a runner-up finish with a clearance of 13-9.25 in the pole vault, which tied a lifetime best. With her performance, Asay bettered her NCAA qualifying mark from the previous week by seven inches.
Rounding out the highlights was a third-place finish from Shana Solomon in the 100 with a time of 11.97.