With the 2008 Multi Championships in the books, the rest of the Big West Track & Field Championships take the spotlight as the eight conference clubs look to add team and individual titles to their 2008 outdoor campaign.
The Championships will take place in a familar venue as Cal State Northridge hosts the conference meet for the third straight season. The Matadors will face stiff competition to defend their men’s and women’s titles as not only will they need to fend of the other seven clubs, but also Mother Nature as forecasters have predicted the mercury to be near and over triple digits during the course of the weekend in Northridge.
2008 BIG WEST TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS HEAT SHEETS
2008 BIG WEST TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
MEN
Defending Champion – Cal State Northridge
Sprints - Defending 100 and 200-meter dash champion Brent Gray of Long Beach State returns to the fold to try to defend his crowns. He comes into the championships with the top mark in each event this season. In the 400, UC Irvine’s Dayne Comrie has the top time, with Gray and fellow LBSU sprinter Kelsey Caesar not too far behind him.
Distance - The 800 will have a new champion this year as the top two finishers graduated. Alex Freitas of Long Beach State holds the top time in the event with UC Irvine’s Tim Murphy and UC Riverside's Pedro Ramos rounding out the top three times. UC Santa Barbara's Chris Ashley has had a stellar outdoor season as he is fourth in the 1500 and tops in the 5000 and 10,000-meter runs. He will have to compete against a typically strong distance contingent from Cal Poly led by Joe Gatel, Evan Anderson and Carl Dargitz.
Hurdles - Cal State Northridge's Thomas Ross and Cal Poly's Chris Frazeur own the top times in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles, repectively. Ross, the defending champion in the event, posted a time thats almost .2 seconds better than the second-fastest mark owned by Polly Gnepa of newcomer UC Davis. Frazeur's time put him ahead of the two competitors who finished 1-2 in the event last season, defending champion Robeto Archibold of Cal State Fullerton and Napoleon Green of UC Irvine.
Relays - Long Beach State has posted stellar times in both relays as the 49ers head into the championships leading both events. Defending 4x100 champion Cal State Northridge is a close second to LBSU, while UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerto look to dethrone LBSU in the 4x400.
Jumps - Cal State Northridge is having its typical strong season in the jumps department as the Matadors own the top mark in the long jump and triple jump, while ranking second in the high jump. Defending national long jump champion DaShalle Andrews of CSUN has posted the second-best showing in the event and is tops in the triple jump. Reindell Cole recently posted the top long jump in the country (as of May 5). Hoping to break the Matador grasp on the jumps is Cal State Fullerton’s Johnathan Golden who is tops in the high jump and second in the long jump entering the conference meet.
Throws - Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State have dominated the throws so far in 2008. Of the five throwing events, the schools have combined for 11 top three marks. CSUN's Derek Cooper is the leader in two of those events, the shot put and the discus throw. LBSU has leaders in the hammer and javelin throw, pitting the two clubs against each other for points in the meet. Cal Poly has also had a solid showing in the throws as Kevin Jones leads the pole vault, Joey Hauser is third in the triple jump and Chris White is second in the shot put.
WOMEN
Defending Champion – Cal State Northridge
Sprints - Sherrina Lofton of Cal State Northridge has picked up where Deanna Goodwin left off for the Matadors as she leads the conference in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. Jessica Branker of Long Beach State is hot on her heels in the 100 and 200, while Lofton's teammates Shelese Ruffin and Tara Prier are nipping at her heels in the 400.
Distance - The distance conversation starts with Brenda Martinez of UC Riverside. She posted the top times in both the 800 and 1500-meter runs, holding a near three second advantage over second in the 800 and almost a five second gap over second in the 1500. She also ranks second in the 5000 meter run behind Kim Conley of UC Davis. UCR's Lisa Lopez has the second-best time in the 800 and 1500 as well as ranking in the top 10 in the 5000. A pair of Cal State Fullerton runners were also solid as Carolyn Ellis posted the top time in the steeplechase, while Grace Gonzales was tops in the 10000-meter run.
Hurdles - Freshman Lauren Williams of Cal State Fullerton holds the top slot in the 100-meter hurdles heading in the conference championships, just .01 seconds ahead of Sirena Williams of UC Davis. Ashleigh McGrew of Cal State Northridge is also in the mix, posting a time that was just .05 seconds behind Lauren Williams. In the 4x400, Uchechi Egeonuigwe, who finished second at last season’s championship, posted the top time ahead of a trio of Cal State Northridge runners, including last season's champion Julie Eze.
Relays - Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside have the leads in the relays going into the Big West Championships as the Matadors posted the top time in the 4x100, while the Highlanders have the best effort in the 4x400. CSUN is looking to defend its title, while UCR is looking to grab the crown from defending champion Cal State Fullerton.
Jumps - Cal Poly has the advantage in the jumps entering the conference meet thanks to some familar names. Sharon Day, the 2005 high jump national champion, holds the top spot on the league board in the high jump and long jump. Her effort in the high jump is the nation’s top mark as of May 5. Teammate Jessica Egglestion gives the Mustangs its third leader in the jumps as she enters the championship with the top mark in the triple jump, while teammate Jasmine Pickett is second.
Throws - Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State are well represented at the top of the throws marks list entering the Big West Championships. LBSU has leaders in the discus (Katelyn Ciarelli) and javelin (Alex Shaw), while CSUN has the top performer in the pole vault (Krystal Quinn) and three athletes at the top of the hammer. Breaking up the Matador and 49er stranglehold on the throws is Alisha Misiaita of UC Irvine who leads the conference in the shot put entering the championships.