Meet Week Preview
42nd Annual Aztec Track & Field Invitational
March 25 & 26 (Multi's), March 26 (Hammer Throw in Chula Vista), March 27 (Invite)
San Diego, Calif. (Aztrack Sports Deck)
Live Stream: RunnerSpace (subscription required)
The San Diego State track and field team hosts the 42nd annual Aztec Invitational this weekend (March 25-27). SDSU will have 40 student-athletes competing and will be going against 10 teams: Air Force, Arizona, BYU, Cal, Grand Canyon, LMU, New Mexico State, Oregon, UC San Diego and USC. Unlike past years, the meet is not open, meaning there won't be high school athletes or unattached competitors.
Due to health and safety protocols, no spectators will be allowed. The meet will be streamed on RunnerSpace and requires a +Plus subscription. The cheapest option is a monthly pass worth $12.99. The first two days (multi's) will be recorded for on demand viewing while the final day Saturday will be live beginning at noon and focus on the running events.
On Thursday and Friday, both the heptathlon and decathlon will take place. The first of Thursday's four events will be the 100-meter hurdles, beginning at noon. The remaining three events (long jump, javelin and 800m) will be on Friday, starting at 10 a.m. The Aztecs will have Sara Absten, Ruthie Grant-Williams, Asia Smith and Thaila Wilson competing in the heptathlon. It will be the first collegiate heptathlon for Grant-Williams and Wilson.
The hammer throw will also be on Friday, taking place at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center at 4 p.m. SDSU's Felicia Crenshaw and Cari Acosta will be representing the Aztecs in the hammer throw.
The remainder of the events will take place Saturday beginning with the javelin at 9 a.m. The first track event will be the 3,000m steeplechase at noon.
Aztec Tidbits
- This will be SDSU's second meet of 2021. They kicked off their outdoor season Feb. 25 when they hosted Utah for a dual meet. The Aztecs edged the Utes 109-60 taking first place in all but three of the events.
- SDSU athletes who took first in individual events against Utah: Jalyn Harris (200m, 24.42), Nyjari McNeil (400m, 55.88), Jessica Kain (1,500m, 4:35.09), Danae Dyer (100m hurdles, 13.87), Maya Brosch (400m hurdles, 1:02.05), Kaitlin Heri (pole vault, 13-04.25), Ruthie Grant-Williams (high jump, 5-07.25), Lauryn Moore (long jump, 17-02.00), Simone Johnson (triple jump, 38-09.75), Jordyn Bryant (shot put, 45-07.75), Erica Grotegeer (discus throw, 165-08) and Thaila Wilson (javelin throw, 132-06). SDSU also won both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
- The Aztecs, joined by the majority of the Mountain West, did not compete in the indoor season.
- The Aztecs have 33 upperclassmen (12 seniors and 21 juniors).
- 39 of SDSU's 52 student-athletes hail from California.
Looking Back on the 2020 Indoor Season
- The Aztec track and field team finished second at the Mountain West Indoor Championships with 126.5 points, their most points at the MW Indoor Championships since 2004.
- SDSU won gold in the pole vault (Kaitlin Heri), pentathlon (Asia Smith) and the 4x400m relay.
- Smith and the 4x400m team (Danae Dyer, Jalyn Harris, Nyjari McNeil and Sakura Roberson) qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. However, a day before the NCAAs were set to begin, the event was called off due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Aztecs finished first (Kaitlin Heri), second (Molly Scharmann), third (Elizabeth Funk) and fourth (Alysia Allen) in the pole vault at the Mountain West Indoor Championships.
- SDSU indoor school records set last year: Sakura Roberson (600m, 1:29.84), Nyjari McNeil (800m, 2:08.30), 4x400m Relay (3:33.81, Harris, Dyer, Roberson, McNeil) and Distance Medley Relay (11:53.85, Lauren Harper, Nyjari McNeil, Sakura Roberson and Emily Burd).
- SDSU had competed in just one outdoor meet before the season was canceled.
SDSU Hosting Annual Aztec Invitational
