Cal State Northridge Wins 2009 Big West Track and Field Championships

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2009 Big West Track & Field Championships Results

Cal State Northridge's Derek Cooper, the 2009 Big West discus champion

Cal State Northridge women's track team won their fourth straight Big West championship.

Cal State Northridge men's track team reclaimed the Big West championship.

Cal State Northridge completed a sweep of the Big West Track & Field crowns as the Matador men and women bested the competition at the 2009 edition of the league meet. The Championships were held at Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine.

The CSUN men scored 176.5 points over the four days, topping UC Davis who finished second with 136.5 points and Cal Poly who finished third with 121.5 tallies. Long Beach State came in fourth with 109 points, while fifth place belonged to UC Santa Barbara with 89 points. UC Riverside (63.5), UC Irvine (62.5) and Cal State Fullerton (58.5) wrapped up the men’s scoring.

The Matador women won the title with 198 points, with Cal Poly in second with 114.5 points and UC Riverside in third with 100.5 tallies. Fourth place was Cal State Fullerton with 98 points, while UC Davis (94) and UC Irvine (80.5) finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively. UC Santa Barbara came in seventh with 69 points, while Long Beach State wrapped up the women’s standings with 61.5 points.

The field events kicked off the day with the women's hammer throw and UC Davis added to its point total with a first and third place finisher. Chid Onywuenyi was in the top spot with a mark of 55.99 meters (183-08), while teammate Ashley Hearn came in third with an effort of 50.25 meters (164-10).

Next up was the triple jump and Rolando Felizola added his second title of the 2009 Championships thanks to an effort of 15.73 meters (51-7.25). Next up was the hammer and the Matadors had another first place finisher as Lance Gonzales recorded an effort of 63.76 meters (209-02), besting the Long Beach State duo of Pat Smith (60.65m/199-00) and Gabe Rodriguez (58.36m/191-06).

Up next in the field section of things was the women's shot put, won by Julie Dufresne of Cal Poly with an impressive effort of 16.07 meters (52-8.75). Speaking of impressive performances, Lauren Collins of UC Irvine put forth a sterling effort in the high jump as she thrilled the crowd with a lifetime-best mark of 1.86 meters (6-1.25).

The men's pole vault saw five athletes finish up at 5.05 meters (16-6.75), but Connor Landry of Cal Poly had the most clears to come away with the championship.

The final two field events to finish up were the women's triple jump and the men’s discus. The UCR women picked up the 10 points in the triple jump as Allison Wilder put up an effort of 12.96 meters (42-6.25), while Derek Cooper won the men's discus with an impressive showing of 52.31 meters (171-09).

The field events began with a bang (literally) as Cal State Northridge swept the 4x100 finals. The men bested the field in 40.55, while the women came away with an effort of 44.88, just .22 off the meet record.

The 1500 race was next on the docket, with Derek Thomas of Cal Poly winning the men's race and Brenda Martinez of UC Riverside claiming the women's competition. Thomas completed the event in 3:46.19, finishing just ahead of UCR's Chad Hall who finished in 3:46.83. Martinez had little problem with the field as she finished in 4:17.88, nearly six seconds ahead of the second place finisher.

The men's 110-meter hurdles saw UC Davis finish 1-2 as Jazz Trice was the top finisher in 13.85, while teammate Polly Gnepa was right behind him in 14.03. Lauren Williams took the crown in the 100 hurdles with an effort of 13.37, a new lifetime mark.

The 400 meter dash had the crowd riled up on both ends as UC Davis' Thomas Phillips and Cal State Northridge's Shelese Ruffin won thrilling races. Phillips crossed the finish line in 47.05, just ahead of CSUN's Kevin Nious who finished up in 47.66. Ruffin used a big late kick to finish in 53.53, rallying to overtake Ciara Short of Cal State Fullerton who wrapped up the event in 53.74.

The Cal State Northridge teams dominated the 100 meter dash as the men finished 1-3 and the women finished 1-4, CSUN's DeShawn Waters won the men’s race in 10.53, while Sherrina Lofton took home her crown in 11.58.

The excitement continued on the track with the 800 meter run ready to run next. The men's race had a near photo finish as Ryan Martin’s time of 1:49.85 just outlasted UC Irvine's Charles Jock who finished in 1:49.87. In the women's race, UC Riverside finished 1-4 with Brenda Martinez leading the Highlander pack with a time of 2:07.01 for her second title of the day.

One of the more grueling sprints was next on the agenda as the hurdles were set up for the 400 meter hurdles. UC Davis picked up another 10 points thanks to Alex Wilwright who finished the event in 50.82. Jhana Samuels of Cal Poly won the women's version of the race as she crossed the finish line in 60.18.

The 200 meter dash was the next event on the docket and it resulted in another CSUN sweep. The men’s race had DeShawn Waters win his second race of the day as he narrowly edged Jason Newland of UC Santa Barbara. Waters finished in 21.449, while Newland’s lean at the end resulted in a 21.450. Sherrina Lofton won in slightly more comfortable fashion as she crossed the finish line in 23.90, ahead of Ciara Short of Cal State Fullerton who wrapped up the race in 24.06.

The endurance runners were next as the 5000-meter athletes moved to the start line. The finish was an exciting affair as UC Riverside's Chad Hall crossed the finish in 14:26.59, just ahead of UC Santa Barbara's Scott Smith who finished in 14:26.97. The women’s race also had an exciting finish as Cal State Fullerton’s Julianne Masicana finished in 16:47.00, just .78 seconds ahead of second-place Carly Harris of Long Beach State.

The final event of the day was the exciting 4x400 relay and the crowd was pumped up for the penultimate race. The men's race gave the host Anteaters something to celebrate about as the quartet of Oliver Plattner, George Hernandez, Tim Murphy and Charles Jock won a thrilling race with a time of 3:10.22. The women's race had Cal State Northridge put a cap on its championship performance with a first place finish in 3:40.43.

2009 Big West Track & Field Championships
Men's Final Standings
1. Cal State Northridge - 176.5
2. UC Davis - 136.5
3. Cal Poly - 121.5
4. Long Beach State - 109
5. UC Santa Barbara - 89
6. UC Riverside - 63.5
7. UC Irvine - 62.5
8. Cal State Fullerton - 58.5

Women's Final Standings
1. Cal State Northridge - 198
2. Cal Poly - 114.5
3. UC Riverside - 100.5
4. Cal State Fullerton - 98
5. UC Davis - 94
6. UC Irvine - 80.5
7. UC Santa Barbara - 69
8. Long Beach State - 61.5