May 19, 2002
PULLMAN, Wash. - Arizona State men's and women's track and field teams both recorded fourth-place finishes as the 2002 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships concluded at Washington State University's Mooberry Track Complex in Pullman, Sunday.
ASU was led in the second and final day of competition by the men's 4x400-meter relay team of junior Lorenzo Parham, freshman Seth Amoo, senior Pete Lopez and sophomore Steve Fitch. The squad won the Pac-10 title with a Mooberry Track record and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:06.03. It was the second straight men's 4x400m Pac-10 title for ASU and fifth overall.
The Sun Devils were also led by runner-up finishes from senior Brandon Strong in the men's 1500m, Amoo in the men's 400m and the women's 4x100m relay team. ASU won two individual titles yesterday as junior Tiffany Greer won the long jump and junior Lisa Aguilera won the 3000m steeplechase. Greer also had a big day for the women, Sunday, finishing third in the 100m and fifth in the 200m. Aguilera also added a third-place finish in the 5000m, Sunday.
The ASU women's fourth-place finish is the best performance since a third-place standing in 1994. The Sun Devils tallied 89 points, matching last year's point total, the highest also since 1994 when they scored 96. UCLA edged USC by just three points for the women's team title, 160-157. Stanford finished third with 121 points.
"For the women, that was a good weekend for us," ASU head coach Greg Kraft said. "The story for us, Tiffany Greer really became a star this weekend, scoring 22 points by herself. It was by far the best weekend of performance she's had. She's really matured and it showed. She was able to sustain it over two days of competition."
The ASU men placed fourth for the second straight season, recording 103 points and missing third place by half a point. This year was the third straight year that the men have surpassed the century mark in point total at the Pac-10 meet. ASU's 103 points this year is the second-highest point total for the men since 1981 (133). Stanford won the men's team title with 151 points, followed by Oregon (125) and USC (103.5).
"As far as the men are concerned, it was definitely very disappointing for us to end up fourth with 103 points," Kraft said. "We had a solid first day Saturday, a good day on the track getting everyone through, but we needed to be at 35-42 points the first day and we were at 35. That was somewhat of an omen for us.
"It was really us not quite getting things done and Stanford really blowing up the meet. They definitely have some stars and they ran like stars. I think USC was a surprise third sneaking by us, but they had some quality points. It's hard to come here and have an impact when you don't have an individual champion."
Highlights for the men included the 1500m race, as Strong moved from fourth place to second in the final 200 meters, passing Stanford runners Donald Sage and Grant Robison before nearly reaching winner Gabriel Jennings, also of Stanford, at the tape. Jennings was first in 3:43.23, just ahead of Strong's 3:43.39, both NCAA provisional qualifying marks. ASU sophomore Dan Maher also finished sixth with a personal-best 3:47.84.
"Basically I've been getting beat by Stanford guys the whole three years of my career," Strong said. "I thought I had a chance to get them this time but I came a little short. It felt good, though, to get second because it's my first time but I'm still not fully satisfied. I tried my hardest. It was a good last lap so I'm happy."
Amoo finished second in the men's 400m with a season-best time of 46.33, followed by Parham in fourth (season-best 46.93) and Fitch in sixth (47.09).
Also earning points for ASU, the men's 4x100m relay team of junior Luiz Mello, Amoo, Parham and Lopez placed fourth with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 40.10. Senior Tony Galaviz finished fourth in the 110m hurdles (13.98), junior Vince Mosca finished seventh in the discus (177-1), Mello finished seventh in the 100m (10.66) and junior Casey Clark placed seventh in the high jump (6-10.75).
In the men's 200m, Mello (21.12), Amoo (21.16) and Lopez (21.48) finished fifth through seventh, respectively, and in the men's 800m, freshman Jeff Dodge placed seventh in 1:52.70, followed by Strong in eighth (1:55.47). Freshman Ryan Zimmerman finished sixth in the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 49-7.25.
On the women's side, the 4x100m relay team of freshman Porchea Carroll, Greer, junior Joni Smith and freshman Cassandra Reed finished second with a season-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 44.68. USC won the event title with a Mooberry Track record of 44.14.
After winning her second career Pac-10 long jump title yesterday, Greer also finished third in the women's 100m in 11.81 and fifth in the 200m in a personal-best 23.85. Aguilera, who won the 3000m steeplechase title yesterday, followed up her first Pac-10 crown with a third place finish in the 5000m (16:55.01). Junior Brianna Torres also turned in a strong performance in the 5000m, finishing fourth in 16:57.23.
The women's 4x400m team of Reed, senior Candida Coulson, sophomore Seneca Holmes and Joni Smith earned fourth-place points with a time of 3:39.25.
Also earning points for the ASU women today, Holmes finished fourth in the women's 100m hurdles (13.87) and seventh in the 400m hurdles (season-best 1:00.41). In the women's 400m, Joni Smith placed fourth with a season-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 53.38. Reed finished seventh in 54.96. Also in the 400m hurdles, senior Coulson placed sixth in 59.84. In the women's discus, sophomore Sandra Orsund placed eighth (156-5).
ASU will close out the 2002 season at the NCAA Championships hosted by Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday May 29, through Saturday, June 1.
2002 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships
Pullman, Wash. - Moobery Track Complex
Saturday, May 18-Sunday, May 19, 2002
Men's Final Team Scores: 1. Stanford, 151 pts.; 2. Oregon, 125; 3. USC, 103.5; 4. ASU, 103; 5. Arizona, 99; 6. UCLA, 91.50; 7. Washington State, 71; 8. Washington, 49; 9. California, 22.
Women's Final Team Scores: 1. UCLA, 160 pts.; 2. USC, 157; 3. Stanford, 121; 4. ASU, 89; 5. Washington State, 85; 6. Oregon, 67; 7. Arizona, 59; 8. California, 44; 9. Washington, 36.
ASU Champions - Women
Junior Tiffany Greer - Long Jump
Junior Lisa Aguilera - 3000m Steeplechase
ASU Champion - Men 4x400m Relay Team (Junior Lorenzo Parham, Freshman Seth Amoo, Senior Pete Lopez, Sophomore Steve Fitch