March 16, 2008
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State received solid performances from a host of athletes on the final day of the 30th annual Aztec Track and Field Classic at SDSU Sports Deck. Senior pole vaulters Monica Pacas and Christin Shibley qualified for the NCAA West Regionals, as did junior Decontee Kaye in the triple jump and San Diego State's 4x100 relay squad.
Pacas qualified for regionals in her first outdoor meet of the season with a third place overall, but first-place effort among Division I athletes with a clearance of 13 feet, 0.25 inches in the pole vault. Fellow classmate Shibley will join Pacas at the regional meet for a second straight year after she cleared 12-7.50 to come in third place overall.
Kaye will be making her way to regionals in May after she won the triple jump with a qualifying mark of 41-1.50. A day after winning the open of the 100-meter dash, Kaye added a third Aztec Track and Field Classic title with her first-place performance of 19-0.50 in the long jump. Finishing right behind Kaye in the long jump was classmate Shana Watson, who recorded a distance of 18-9.75.
The last of the regional-qualifying athletes came in the form of the 4x100 relay team. The quartet that features veterans junior Shana Solomon and senior Alicia Lowery also includes a pair of freshmen in Alicia King and Jessika Hornsby, which makes the feat all the more impressive. The squad finished in second place and first among collegiate teams after crossing the finish line in 45.60.
Speaking of Solomon, King, Hornsby and Lowery, the four finished in that order in the 100-meter dash. Solomon finished in fifth place, but first among all Division I athletes, with a time of 11.89. King followed at 11.98, with Hornsby and Lowery logging marks of 12.18 and 12.32, respectively.
King and Hornsby also shined in the 200 with King posting the best effort among the collegiate athletes at 24.37, while Hornsby clocked in at 24.56.
Darien Buc put a lid on a successful two days by being the top DI runner and second-fastest athlete in the 1,500-meter run. The sophomore completed the race in 4:50.45 with classmate Lindsay Barajas crossing the finish line right behind her at 4:55.95. On day one of the meet, Buc won the open of the 800.
In the shot put, Tamara McMillan was the field's best Division I athlete after she tossed 41-7.00, placing third overall. Michele Dannhausen, meanwhile, was runner-up in the javelin throw after she finished with a distance of 136-00.
The Aztecs return to action next Saturday, March 22, when they travel to Los Angeles for the Trojan Invitational.