Feb. 7, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The San Diego State track and field team continued its indoor season at the inaugural New Mexico Classic inside the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday and finished with two event titles and 31 top-10 performances.
Karoline Koehler turned in three top-5 efforts highlighted by her triple jump championship. The senior won the event with an NCAA provisional-qualifying and facility-record leap of 43 feet, 5.00 inches to lead an Aztec group that had six finish among the top 10. Her effort was also good enough to propel her to No. 4 in the nation. Koehler, meanwhile, came in third place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.48 seconds, which was a personal record and matched the second-best time in school history. The 2008 All-American also finished in fifth place with a clocking of 24.66 in the 200.
Junior Rachel Williams was the other Aztec to walk away with a title as she won the 3,000-meter run. The junior newcomer finished the race in 10:26.70 and etched her name in the Aztec record book in the process by turning in the fourth-best effort in program history.
The weight throw also produced quality results as senior Tamara McMillan took third place with a toss of 56-7.50. Her personal-record effort broke the school standard of excellence previously held by classmate Andrea Martinez, who recorded a distance of 54-8.25 last season.
In the shot put, SDSU went 3-4-5-6-7 in the competition as Laura Boggeln notched the Aztecs' top performance with a personal-best toss of 42-8.00. Maria Rodriguez followed in fourth (42-4.00) with McMillan (41-3.25), Jeanette McConnell (41-3.00) and Leanne Taylor (38-7.50) coming in behind.
One week after setting a lifetime best in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Briana Johnson bested her previous personal record by placing second in the race with a time of 8.54. An NCAA Championship qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles in 2008, Johnson entered the SDSU record book on this day with the sixth-best performance in school history.
Joining Johnson, Koehler, Williams and McMillan on the all-time San Diego State performance list was freshman Sheehan Mitchell. The Marin County, Calif., native finished third in the high jump with a leap of 5-3.00, which matched the 10th-best effort in the history of the program.
In addition to Koeehler, senior Decontee Kaye provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with her triple jump of 42-3.50 as she finished in second place overall.
Next weekend, SDSU will travel to Azusa, Calif., for the APU Indoor Qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 14.