May 7, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztecs Set to Play Host to MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships Beginning Wednesday
San Diego State will play host to the 2007 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 9-12, at SDSU Sports Deck. The championships are being held in San Diego for just the second time in league history and the first time since the 2001 season.
The four-day event will get underway on Wednesday beginning with the heptathlon and decathlon at noon and 12:30 p.m. PDT, respectively. The same schedule is to follow on Thursday before giving way to the meet's busiest days in Friday and Saturday. The final two days of action will start at noon with the field events and will precede the running events as each day progresses.
SDSU Sports Deck is located on the corner of 55th Street and Montezuma Road, on top of Parking Structure 5 (PS 5). Tickets to the event can be purchased at the SDSU Sports Deck ticket office or by calling (619) 283-SDSU or toll free at (877) SDSU-039. Single-session adult tickets are priced at $5 and children tickets at $4. All-session reserved tickets are set at $12, while adult and children tickets cost $9 and $7, respectively.
MWC Championship History Lesson
This is the second time in the history of the Mountain West Conference that the outdoor track and field championships are being held in "America's Finest City." The last time the league gathered at San Diego State was in 2001 when the Aztecs finished in third place with 148 points. Currently, SDSU has finished in fourth place two consecutive seasons and has only one conference title under its belt. It was in 2003 that San Diego State snapped Brigham Young's three-year title run after it earned 217 points in Albuquerque, N.M.
Looking for History to Repeat Itself
This week, the Aztecs will be looking to repeat history by trying to win its second MWC outdoor championship crown. In 2003, San Diego State emerged from the eight-team field to win the title with 217 points, 11 more than runner-up Brigham Young, snapping the Cougars' three-year title winning streak. Since SDSU's victory, BYU has put together another three-season outdoor conference winning streak with the Aztecs looking for history to repeat once again.
Super Sophomores
The San Diego State sophomore group has really made an impact this season and seems to be hitting its stride heading into the MWC Championships. Jumpers Decontee Kaye and Karoline Koehler are coming off impressive performances in their last meet at the California Collegiate Challenge. Kaye broke Koehler's school record in the triple jump with an effort of 42 feet, 3.50 inches, while Koehler posted a leap of 41-11.50 with a -2.2 tailwind. Meanwhile, sprinters Shana Solomon and Nicole Stone both have recorded impressive finishes most notably in the 4x100 relay. The pair most recently teamed with Sherraine Pencil and Koehler to put up SDSU's fastest time of the season at the meet in Berkeley. The quartet regionally qualified for the third time with their clocking of 45.55. Individually, Solomon has cut down her 100-meter dash time from the previous week five straight times, while Stone continues to shine in the 400. Shana Watson (jumps) and Kristin Olafsdottir (multi-events/hurdles) also have competed well down the stretch in each of their events as well.
Quick Hits from the 2006 MWC Outdoor Championships
* Kristin Olafsdottir became the Mountain West Conference's first female student-athlete to earn the league's High Point Award and be named Freshman of the Year in the same season at the meet.
* Senior Erin Asay became the fourth MWC pole vault champion in San Diego State history with a first-place clearance of 13-5.25. She joined two-time winner Shayla Balentine (2002, 2005) and Aimee Crabtree (2001).
* Freshman Shana Watson earned all-MWC honors in both the triple jump and long jump. Her second-place effort of 40-10.50 in the triple jump was a personal best as was her 19-7.50 performance in the long jump.
* Junior Lisa Crampton and freshmen Corri Campbell-Fell and Nicole Stone also garnered all-MWC accolades after finishing third in the steeplechase, 400 hurdles and 400 meters, respectively.