May 8, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University track and field standout Jacquelyn Johnson has been named the Pac-10 Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending May 7, the Pac-10 announced Monday. Johnson won the 2006 conference crown in the heptathlon over the weekend for her second title in the event and her third overall Pac-10 title after winning the heptathlon and high jump at the 2004 meet.
Competing at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., last weekend, Johnson accumulated a personal-best 5,987 points, just missing the meet record by two points (Kelly Blair of Oregon, 5,989 in 1993) and bettering her previous best by 180 points. Her total was good enough for a 427-point victory over runner-up Julie Pickler of Washington State and moved her into the No. 2 position on ASU's all-time Top-10 list in the event. She also became just the second Pac-10 heptathlon champion to score 5,900 or more points in the meet.
Johnson, the 2004 NCAA heptathlon champion and 2006 NCAA indoor pentathlon champion, now ranks No. 4 on the all-time Pac-10 list in the heptathlon after winning five of the seven individual events on the weekend while setting three personal bests and regionally qualifying in the 100m hurdles (13.49), the high jump (1.78m/5-10) and the javelin (43.62m/143-1). Johnson's javelin mark also ranks as the No. 10 toss in ASU history while her hurdles time is the fastest by a Sun Devil during a heptathlon competition, bettering the 13.51 run by Gea Johnson in 1990.
Johnson will be back in action this weekend as she returns to Eugene with the remaining members of the Sun Devil track and field team as the 2006 Pac-10 Track & Field Championships presented by 76 ProClean Gasolines continues on Saturday and Sunday.