May 30, 2009
EUGENE, Ore. - The San Diego State track and field team earned three additional berths to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the final day of the NCAA West Regional Championships held at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Behind the efforts of Karoline Koehler and Nicole Stone, SDSU finished with 36 team points to come in ninth place and secured its third consecutive top-10 regional performance.
Koehler, who punched her ticket to nationals in the long jump on Friday, qualified for the national meet in 100-meter dash and the triple jump. In the 100 meters, Koehler posted the fourth-fastest time and clocked in at 11.49. Minutes later, the senior moved over to the triple jump runway, recorded three jumps over 44 feet and won the event with a leap of 44-09.00. Koehler broke the San Diego State record previously held by teammate Decontee Kaye (44-04.25 in 2007) and surpassed Erica McLain of Stanford (44-08.00 in 2006) to take hold of the West Region record.
Stone, meanwhile, will join Koehler in Fayetteville, Ark., site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, after her runner-up effort in the 400-meter dash. The junior finished the race in 53.00, which is her fastest non-altitude time of her career. Stone will be making her second appearance at the national meet after qualifying for the same event in 2007.
Both Koehler and Stone joined forces with Alicia King and Jessika Hornsby in the finals of the 4x100 relay and fell just .50 seconds short of earning a spot at nationals. The quartet finished in fifth place with a time of 45.31.
Going back to the triple jump, Kai Wheeler continued her impressive late-season push as she scored in her first regional appearance. The junior logged the eighth-best leap in the field and earned SDSU a team point after jumping a personal-record 41-05.75. During the competition, which saw Wheeler post the school's sixth-best effort, the San Diego native recorded four jumps over 41 feet after never having a leap better than 40-11.50 in her Aztec career.
Another first-time regional qualifier, Michele Dannhausen, finished the javelin throw with a toss of 135-00 to come in 18th. Fellow thrower, Leanne Taylor, also competed on the final day posting a mark of 47-02.25 (10th) in the shot put.
San Diego State, which took only 11 athletes to Track Town, USA, finished among top 10 at the regional meet for the third straight year for the first time in school history.
The Aztecs will return to the track Wednesday, June 10, when their national qualifiers will compete at the NCAA Championships. Koehler (long jump, triple jump, 100m) and Stone (400m) will make the trip to Fayetteville, Ark., but may be joined by Taylor (discus), Wheeler (triple jump) and 4x100 teammates King and Hornsby, all of whom are eligible for at-large invitations, which will be announced on Tuesday.
NCAA West Regional Championships
Hayward Field (Eugene, Ore.)
Team Standings (top 5 of 27 scoring teams and SDSU only)
1. Arizona State - 95
2. Oregon - 80.50
3. Southern California - 68
4. UCLA - 64.50
5. Stanford - 54
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9. San Diego State - 36