March 5, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State track and field team returns to the track this Saturday, March 7, for the San Diego City Championships at UC San Diego. The meet will be the Aztecs' third outdoor meet of the season, and their first after placing sixth at the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships at the Air Force Academy.
With the exception of the NCAA Indoor Championships, a meet only Karoline Koehler and Decontee Kaye will be attending, the City Championships represents the first of a string of nine meets in nine consecutive weeks where the Aztecs will compete outdoors.
As mentioned earlier, San Diego State is coming off a sixth-place effort at the MWC Championships last weekend. Kaye won the triple jump with a personal-record leap of 43 feet, 8.50 inches, and was followed by Koehler in second place with a jump of 43-2.50. Kaye's performance was the second-best in school history, ranks fifth in NCAA Division I and automatically qualified her for nationals.
Koehler, meanwhile, had already secured a spot at the national indoor meet in the triple jump, but punched her ticket in the long jump a day earlier with her lifetime-best leap of 20-10.75. Her exhibition surpassed her personal record by 7.75 inches and was the second-best in the history of the conference indoor meet. She also became the first Aztec to win the MWC indoor long jump in program history.
Behind the senior duo's performance, San Diego State vaulted 25 spots to No. 36 in the nation in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Indoor Track and Field Team Rankings, released on Wednesday.
Last season without a full team competing, SDSU finished in second place with 204 points and still claiming eight event titles. Then junior Shana Solomon was a double winner on the day taking home the 100 championship, despite running in a headwind, and the 200 crown. Overall, the Aztecs took seven of the top places in the 100 and six of the first seven in the 200.
Other Aztecs to win last year, include Kyanna Thomas (400), Darien Buc (1,500), Kristin Olafsdottir (400H), Stephane Bagan (pole vault) and Tamara McMillan (shot put).
Competition in La Jolla is set to begin at noon PT with the women's hammer throw and long jump at the La Jolla school. The last event of the day will be the 4x400-meter relay at 4:20 p.m.