April 20, 2008
WALNUT, Calif. - The San Diego State track and field squad put a lid on the 50th annual Mt. SAC Relays by winning the Tartan Team Award given to the meet's top women's team, recording five additional NCAA regional qualifying marks and posting six seasonal bests on Sunday. SDSU also had the winning 4x100-meter relay team and the top 200 sprinter.
Shana Solomon was a member of the aforementioned relay team (Sherraine Pencil, Solomon, Alicia Lowery, Decontee Kaye) that won the race in a season-best and regional-qualifying time of 45.38 seconds. The junior from Long Beach, Calif., also qualified for regionals after she won the 200 with a 2008-best time of 23.81. Additionally, Solomon ran in the Olympic Development section of the 100 and finished with a regional-qualifying time of 11.59 while finishing second. Solomon is the first Aztec this season to secure a spot at regionals in the 200 and has already qualified for the regional meet in the 100 and 4x100.
Kristin Olafsdottir, who earlier this year qualified for regionals in the 400-meter hurdles, surpassed the qualifying mark for a third time after she finished the race in 1:00.81 to finish in third place. The junior also ran in the 100 hurdles and posted a time of 14.50.
Decontee Kaye finished ninth overall, but was the top Division I athlete in the triple jump with season-best and regional-qualifying leap of 42 feet, 9.50 inches. She also jumped 19-0.00 in the long jump, while Shana Watson finished with a third-place distance of 19-4.75.
Seniors Sherraine Pencil and Mandy Upuu enjoyed a solid day after they both recorded season bests in their respective events. Pencil ran the 400 in 54.87 to finish in fourth, while Upuu logged a time of 2:11.45 in the 800. Pencil also competed in the Olympic Development section of the 200 and came in seventh with a time of 24.46.
Jessika Hornsby, meanwhile, ran in the 100 and completed the race in 11.99 to establish a new season best.
The Aztecs return to action next week when they split their squad with one going to Berkeley, Calif., for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational and the other traveling to UC San Diego for the Triton Invite.