May 28, 2016
LAWRENCE, Kan. -
Six San Diego State athletes qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships across four events on the final day of the NCAA West Prelims Saturday in Lawrence, Kan. The NCAA Championships will take place from June 8-11 in Eugene, Ore.
Ashley Henderson, who yesterday qualified for the championship in the 100 meters, moved on in the 200 and anchored the qualifying 4x100 relay team as well. The rest of the 4x100 who will join Henderson in Eugene include Starlynn Singleton, Simone Glenn and Micha Auzenne with Auzenne also advancing in the 100 hurdles. Alexa Evans and Rachel Alesi also will be competing at the NCAA Championships after both setting PR's (personal records) with a pair of top-8 finishes in the discus throw.
Henderson first anchored the 4x100 team to a time of 44.43 seconds, the fourth-fastest time out of 24 teams in windy conditions. She then ran a blistering time of 22.82 in the 200 into a 2.5-mph headwind to win her heat by almost a second (0.96) over runner-up and former Aztec LaQuisha Jackson of Missouri (23.78), good enough for the seventh-fastest time of the day. Only one of the six times faster than Henderson was into a headwind (sixth-place Morolake Akinosun of Texas, 22.81 into a 0.6-mph headwind).
After running the third leg of the qualifying 4x100 relay, Auzenne finished 10th in the 100 hurdles in 13.27, the sixth-fastest time in school history.
Evans and Alesi each shined in the discus, taking fourth and eighth, respectively. Evans' best mark was her first throw, a toss of 185 feet, 3 inches (56.46m), the fourth-best mark in program history. Alesi was eighth with a throw of 180-04 (54.98m), the sixth-best mark ever at SDSU, which came on her third and final attempt. Alesi also competed in the shot put, taking 46th with a heave of 44-04.00 (13.51m), not good enough to move on in the event.
Two other San Diego State athletes competed at the prelims, but failed to advance in Sierra Brabham-Lawrence (22nd, 13.51) in the 100 hurdles and Je'Neal Ainsworth (37th, 40-01.25 (12.22m)) in the triple jump.
Altogether, six Aztecs will be represented at the NCAA Championships across five events, led by Henderson in the 100, 200 and 4x100, Auzenne in the 100 hurdles and 4x100, Glenn and Singleton in the 4x100, and Alesi and Evans in the discus throw. The six qualifiers are SDSU's most since 2004 (also six).
NCAA Track & Field West Prelims
Rock Chalk Park - Lawrence, Kan.
May 26-28, 2016
Team Results
No team scores
Individual Results (SDSU and winner of each event only)
(q = qualified for finals in Eugene, Ore., from June 8-11)
200 Meters (out of 48 entrants)
1. Deajah Stevens (Oregon) - 22.48
7. Ashley Henderson (SDSU) - 22.82
100-Meter Hurdles (out of 48 entrants)
1. Pedrya Seymour (Illinois) - 12.95q
10. Micha Auzenne (SDSU) - 13.27q (No. 6 all-time at SDSU)
22. Sierra Brabham-Lawrence (SDSU) - 13.51
4x100-Meter Relay (out of 24 teams)
1. Texas A&M - 43.74q
4. SDSU (Starlynn Singleton, Simone Glenn, Micha Auzenne, Ashley Henderson) - 44.43q
Triple Jump (out of 48 entrants)
1. Jannel Hadnot (New Mexico) - 43-10 (13.36m)
37. Je'Neal Ainsworth (SDSU) - 40-01.25 (12.22m)
Shot Put (out of 48 entrants)
1. Kelsey Card (Wisconsin) - 57-00.00 (17.37m)
46. Rachel Alesi (SDSU) - 44-04.00 (13.51m)
Discus Throw (out of 48 entrants)
1. Hannah Carson (Texas Tech) - 191-06q (58.38m)
4. Alexa Evans (SDSU) - 185-03q (56.46m) (No. 4 all-time at SDSU)
8. Rachel Alesi (SDSU) - 180-04q (54.98m) (No. 6 all-time at SDSU)