Jan. 28, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Track and Field Weekly Release in PDF Format
SDSU Track and Field Travels to Flagstaff for Mountain T's Invitational
The San Diego State track and field team will make its debut as a team on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Mountain T's Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz. The meet is set to begin at approximately 8 a.m. MT at Northern Arizona's JL Walkup Skydome.
The Aztecs will be competing on a 300-meter Mondo Track that has six lanes on the oval and eight lanes on the straightaway. The facility also offers separate weight and shot put areas with cement rings, one 150-foot long jump/triple jump runway, one 115-foot long jump runway, one pole vault runway and one high jump area. This is the same venue in which several Aztecs experienced success one year ago as Mandy Upuu won the 800-meter run and a total of nine SDSU athletes finished in the top 5 of their respective events.
Next week, San Diego State hits the road again, this time traveling to the Nampa, Idaho, as it is set to compete in the Bronco Invitational. The two-day meet that runs Feb. 8-9 is set to begin at 10 a.m. MT each day.
Walking Away with Titles in Walkup Skydome
If history repeats itself, expect San Diego State to walk away with a few first-place finishes at the end of the competition Saturday afternoon. Over the course of the last three years, 11 Aztec athletes have come out on top in 10 events. Last year, Mandy Upuu won the 800-meter run to log San Diego State's only event crown. In 2006, SDSU took home three titles and in 2005, the Aztecs won the 200-meter dash and had two tie for first in the high jump. The 2004 edition of the Mountain T's featured four first-place efforts for the Scarlet and Black, its highest total during the four-year period.
Vaulters Open 2008 at National Pole Vault Summit
The SDSU pole vaulters opened the 2008 indoor season on Jan. 5 at the 18th Annual National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev. SDSU had four current athletes and one former Aztec indoor All-American compete at the yearly event.
Senior Monica Pacas recorded the top vault among all SDSU athletes as she cleared 12 feet, 1.50 inches, in the Women's Open competition.
Classmate Christin Shibley vaulted 11-5.75 to post her best indoor effort since the 2006 season when she leaped 11-7.75. Shibley's performance was four inches better than her effort a season ago when she posted a clearance of 11-1.75 at the Summit.
Rounding out the SDSU contingency were junior Dana Jensen (10-10.00) and freshman Katie Vo (10-2.00), who saw her first action as an Aztec.
In the Elite Women's Competition, former SDSU letterwinner Erin Asay recorded the best height along with Jillian Schwartz at 14-1.25, but finished in second place due to attempts. In 2006, Asay became the first Aztec athlete to earn indoor track and field All-America honors when she finished in seventh place at the NCAA indoor meet.
Last Year at the Mountain T's Invitational
San Diego State wrapped up its first full-squad meet of 2007 at the Mountain T's Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz. Junior Mandy Upuu was SDSU's lone winner, but as a team, the Aztecs recorded nine top-5 finishes on the day.
Upuu had an impressive showing in the first meet of the season with her victory in the 800-meter run invitational after she crossed the finish line in 2 minutes, 16.99 seconds. In addition to her first-place effort, Upuu came in second in the 400-meter open with a time of 58.32.
A group of Aztec newcomers completed their first meet with impressive showings as they combined for four of the team's top-5 finishes. Freshman Makenzie Mabry was the runner-up in the one mile run open with a clocking of 5:51.28, while cross country teammate and fellow classmate Lindsay Barajas finished the 800-meter run open in third place with a time of 2:28.79. Kai Wheeler, another first-year Aztec, competed in the triple jump and came in second with a leap of 34-4.00. Meanwhile, Stephanie Bagan had the fourth-best effort in the pole vault and the top showing among all SDSU pole vaulters after she cleared 12-5.50.
Others who finished among top five competitors in their respective events were sophomore Kristin Olafsdottir (4th, high jump - 5-3.75), junior Monica Pacas (5th, pole vault - 11-11.75) and senior Lisa Naucler (5th, 800-meter - 2:19.99).