June 7, 2018
Complete Results | Saturday Heat Sheets
EUGENE, Ore. -- Ashley Henderson ran a personal best time of 22.49 in the 200 meter dash to advance to Saturday's finals at the NCAA Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Henderson, who missed the cut in the 100 meter dash earlier in the evening, set a new PR despite facing a headwind of 0.3 meters per second. She finished second in her heat to Georgia's Lynna Irby (22.37) and third overall with Gabrielle Thomas of Harvard taking first with a time of 22.36 with a tailwind. Henderson took second in the 200 at this year's NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing just 0.03 seconds behind Thomas. She had previously never made the finals in the 200 at the Outdoor Championships.
"It's a good day. It started kind of rocky but ended on a good note," Henderson said. "In the 100, it wasn't physical at all. It was more mental. I had the best warm-up I've ever had. I just put too much into the 100 mentally, so I kind of messed myself up there. But I just channeled that into the 200. That's all I could do."
In the 100, Henderson had a slow start out of the blocks and couldn't make up the deficit in time. She finished in 11.23, good for sixth in her heat and 12th overall. This will be the first time since her freshman season that Henderson has not advanced to the final round of the 100 meter dash.
"I don't know what to say about Ashley in the 100, but I know she came back in the 200," Head Coach Shelia Burrell said after the meet. "That's track and field. It's the best person on that day and that moment, and the 100 wasn't her moment. There's nothing wrong with her, she wasn't hurt. She simply didn't get the job done. But Ashley has grown quite a bit. She understands. She knows what happened in that 100 and she wasn't going to let it happen in the 200."
The Aztecs' 4x100 meter relay team of Rochene Smith, Simone Glenn, Callista Fletcher and Lisa-Anne Barrow finished in 44.49 to finish sixth in their heat. Their time was the ninth best in school history and marked the fourth time this year an Aztec 4x100 relay team has cracked the top ten.
"The 4x1 gave it their best effort," Burrell explained. "We didn't run Henderson in the qualifiers or here, but we still thought we had a team that could compete well enough to make the finals."
Barrow ran the 400 meter dash about 90 minutes after running the anchor leg of the 4x100 meter relay. After posting personal best times in her last four meets, she finished in 54.06. Barrow was the first Aztec to compete in the 400 meter dash at the NCAA Championships since 1985 (Renee Ross).
Barrow also competed in the 4x400 meter relay, the last event of the day. She, along with Jalyn Harris, Lakin Hatcher and Tyra Lea finished in 18th overall with a time of 3:38.04. This was the first time an Aztec 4x400 relay team qualified for Nationals since 2006.
"We were excited to have the 4x4 here and those girls worked really hard to make it to Nationals," Burrell praised. "They came out and did the best they could but we were just expecting them to enjoy the experience that helps get them prepared for the next time we are here."
UP NEXT
Ashley Henderson will compete in the finals of 200 meter dash on Saturday at 5:07 p.m. All of Saturday's races will be broadcast live on ESPN and are also available on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
THE NOTE I
By advancing to the finals in the 200 meter dash, Ashley Henderson is assured on earning First-Team All-American honors. When combining indoor and outdoor seasons, this makes her a nine-time First-team All-American in addition to being a three-time second-team All-American.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs time of 44.49 in the 4x100 meter relay was the ninth best mark in school history. SDSU has now recorded seven top ten times in the 4x100 in the last two years with four coming this year. All four of the top ten times set in 2018 were with a different set of four sprinters.
QUOTE OF THE MEET
"We've got a team that keeps getting better. I'm very pleased with how we represented the San Diego State community. We are doing something positive out here and these kids are running their butts off for the red and black." - Head Coach Shelia Burrell
NCAA Championships
Eugene, Ore. -- Hayward Field
June 7, 2018 -- Semi-Finals
Top two from each heat advance to Saturday's finals, plus the next two fastest times
100 Meter Dash Semi-Finals
1. Aleia Hobbs (LSU) -- 10.91 (0.0)
12. Ashley Henderson (SDSU) -- 11.23 (0.0)
200 Meter Dash Semi-Finals
1. Gabrielle Thomas (Harvard) -- 22.36w (+2.2)
3. Ashley Henderson (SDSU) -- 22.49 (-0.3) *No. 2 in SDSU history, PR*
400 Meter Dash Semi-Finals
1. Lynna Irby (Georgia) -- 50.11
24. Lisa-Anne Barrow -- 54.06
4x100 Meter Relay Semi-Finals
1. LSU -- 42.09 *Meet & Facility Record*
17. San Diego State (Smith, Glenn, Fletcher & Barrow) -- 44.49 *No. 9 in SDSU history*
4x400 Meter Relay Semi-Finals
1. Oregon -- 3:28.01
18. San Diego State (Harris, Barrow, Hatcher & Lea) - 3:38.04