June 5, 2018
Meet Preview | Meet Schedule | Live Results | Heat Sheets | WatchESPN
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State will have eight athletes competing in five events at the NCAA Championships this week in Eugene, Ore. beginning Thursday, June 7. The Aztecs qualified for Nationals in all five sprinting events: the 100, 200, 400 and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Ashley Henderson will be competing in the 100 and 200 meter dashes for the third straight year. Her highest finish came in 2016 when she earned a silver medal in the 100 meter dash. Henderson also earned a silver in the 200 at the 2018 Indoor Championships.
Lisa-Anne Barrow will be competing in the 400 meter dash after running a personal best time of 51.86 at the NCAA West Prelims. Barrow will also be in the relay pool for both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. For the 4x100 relay, she is joined by Rochene Smith, Simone Glenn, Callista Fletcher and Ashley Henderson. The 4x400 relay team features Barrow, Tyra Lea, Lakin Hatcher and Jalyn Harris.
The Aztecs will compete in the semi-finals for all five of their events on Thursday, beginning with the 4x100m relay at 4:02 p.m. and ending with the 4x400m relay at 7:18 p.m. There will be three heats in each event with the top two from each heat, plus the next two fastest times advancing to Saturday's finals.
Thursday's semi-finals will be aired live on ESPN2 beginning at 4:00 p.m. Saturday's finals will be shown on ESPN starting at 3:00 p.m. Fans can also tune in on WatchESPN.com or on the ESPN app. A link to live results will also be available on the Track & Field schedule page on GoAztecs.com.
Need to Know
-Lisa-Anne Barrow has set a new PR in the 400 meter dash in four consecutive meets. In her first 400 of the year, she ran a 53.44 for a second place finish at the Triton Invitational on April 14. Barrow then improved to 52.71 (Apr. 28), then 52.11 (May 13) before running a 51.86 at the NCAA West Prelims on May 25th, the third best mark in school history.
-This is the third consecutive year the Aztecs have qualified for Nationals in the 4x100m relay. Micha Auzenne, Simone Glenn, Rochene Smith and Ashley Henderson finished in fourth place last year and the Aztecs finished in sixth in 2016 with Glenn & Henderson on the team.
-Six of the top ten times all-time in the 4x100 relay have occurred in the last two years with three of those marks happening in 2018.
-The Aztecs qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 4x400m relay for the first time since 2006.
-In Ashley Henderson's NCAA outdoor career, she has finished in second (2016) and sixth (2017) in the 100 and 11th (2016) and 10th (2017) in the 200 meter dash.
-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.
-Three current Aztecs (Ashley Henderson (10.98), Simone Glenn (11.51) and Rochene Smith (11.50) all are in the top ten all-time at SDSU for the 100 meter dash. That trio along with freshman Jalyn Harris ran the second fastest 4x100 relay (43.46) in school history last month.
-The Aztecs' 2018 Mountain West Outdoor Championship was their fourth in the past six years. SDSU dominated the sprinting events to jump from 11th to first place in the meet's final day. The Aztecs swept the podium in the 200, took first, third and fourth in the 100 and first and third in the 400. The Aztecs also won both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
-Ashley Henderson was named the Meet's Most Outstanding Performer, the fifth straight conference championship where she has won this award, a conference record. Shelia Burrell was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year, her fourth time taking home this award.
-For the third straight year, Ashley Henderson won the gold medal in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relays at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. She now has nine outdoor conference championships and 14 total, both of which are school records.
-Ashley Henderson's time of 10.98 in the 100 meter dash on April 28 set a school and facility record (Roy P. Drachman Track & Field Stadium). Henderson now has the school record in the 100 meter dash for freshmen (11.64), sophomores (11.21), juniors (11.01) and seniors (10.98).
Further Reading...
Henderson takes the long way around to track stardom- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Former Olympic heptathlete Shelia Burrell 'creating success as SDSU track coach - San Diego Union-Tribune
Ashley Henderson Nears Finish Line in Race Against Time - GoAztecs.com
Ashley Henderson takes aim at NCAA titles in the 100 and 200 meters - San Diego Union-Tribune