June 7, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU NOTES | PREVIEW | MEET PAGE | RESULTS | HEAT SHEETS
No. 23 Aztecs Set for NCAA Championships in Eugene
The 23rd-ranked San Diego State track and field team is set for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend in Eugene, Ore., at historic Hayward Field. The six Aztecs who qualified for the meet are set to compete in the semifinals on Thursday (June 9) and the finals on Saturday (June 11).
SDSU's six qualifiers are the program's most since 2004 (also six athletes), led by sophomore Ashley Henderson (St. Louis) in the 100, 200 and 4x100. The qualifiers include junior Micha Auzenne (East Palo Alto, Calif.) in the 100 hurdles and 4x100, sophomore Simone Glenn (Atlanta) and junior Starlynn Singleton (Murrieta, Calif.) in the 4x100, and junior Rachel Alesi (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS) and senior Alexa Evans (San Diego/West Hills HS) in the discus throw.
Each of the aforementioned athletes qualified for the meet for the first time after finishing among the top 12 in their respective events at the NCAA West Prelims in Lawrence, Kan., from May 26-28.
San Diego State will be looking for its fourth top-25 team finish in five years.
The four semifinal events for the Aztecs kick off on Thursday at 4:32 p.m. PT with the 4x100, followed by the 100 hurdles (5:32 p.m. PT), 100 (5:46 p.m. PT) and the 200 (6:44 p.m. PT). Each event will consist of three heats with the top-two finishers in each heat plus the next two-fastest times advancing to Saturday's final. Should SDSU advance, the final events will take place at 3:32 p.m. PT with the 4x100, 4:12 p.m. PT with the 100 hurdles, 4:22 p.m. PT with the 100 and 5:07 p.m. PT with the 200. The discus throw, meanwhile, starts at 3:05 p.m. PT Saturday.
Both the semifinals on Thursday and the finals on Saturday will be broadcast live on ESPN, while live results will be available at GoAztecs.com. Both links (webcast and live results) are also posted on GoAztecs.com.
Below is a list of SDSU's qualifiers, seeds and heat assignments, and schedule for the weekend.
2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Hayward Field | Eugene, Ore. | Univ. of Oregon
June 8-11 (SDSU competes on June 9 and June 11)
(Top 8 in each event score)
100 Meters
4. Ashley Henderson - 11.30 (Heat 1)
(Semifinals - 5:46 p.m. PT Thursday: Three heats - Top 2 from each heat advance to finals, plus next 2 fastest times)
(Finals - 4:22 p.m. PT Saturday)
200 Meters
15. Ashley Henderson - 22.82 (Heat 2)
(Semifinals - 6:44 p.m. PT Thursday: Three heats - Top 2 from each heat advance to finals, plus next 2 fastest times)
(Finals - 5:07 p.m. PT Saturday)
100 Hurdles
22. Micha Auzenne - 13.27 (Heat 3)
(Semifinals - 5:32 p.m. PT Thursday: Three heats - Top 2 from each heat advance to finals, plus next 2 fastest times)
(Finals - 4:12 p.m. PT Saturday)
4x100-Meter Relay
12. San Diego State (Starlynn Singleton, Simone Glenn, Micha Auzenne, Ashley Henderson) - 44.43 (Heat 1)
(Semifinals - 4:32 p.m. PT Thursday: Three heats - Top 2 from each heat advance to finals, plus next 2 fastest times)
(Finals - 3:32 p.m. PT Saturday)
Discus Throw
6. Alexa Evans - 185-03 (56.46m) (Flight 2)
12. Rachel Alesi - 180-04 (54.98m) (Flight 1)
(Finals - 3:05 p.m. PT Saturday: Top 9 after 3 throws get 3 more attempts)
NCAA Championship Notes
San Diego State is ranked 23rd in the final USTFCCCA poll, the first time that the Aztecs have been ranked all season (SDSU was 92nd in the preseason poll) ... San Diego State tied for ninth in 2012 (21 points), tied for 23rd in 2013 (11) and tied for 12th in 2014 (18) ... The Aztecs' best ever finish at the championship meet is ninth (1985 and 2012) ... SDSU has won seven individual national titles in program history, including four (Shanieka Thomas - 2013-14 outdoor triple jump, 2014 indoor triple jump; Whitney Ashley - 2012 outdoor discus throw) under head coach Shelia Burrell since she took over in 2009 ... Henderson is the first San Diego State qualifier in the 100 since Karoline Koehler in 2009 and the first in the 200 since Sherraine Pencil in 2008 ... She's also the first to double in both events since Shana Solomon in 2007 ... Auzenne is the Aztecs' first 100-hurdle qualifier since Briana Johnson in 2008 ... SDSU qualified its first 4x100 team since 2009 ... San Diego State has multiple discus throw qualifiers under Burrell for the first time, but now five since 2011 (also Ashley in 2011-12 and Jasmine Burrell (no relation) in 2014).