May 26, 2006
PROVO, Utah - The 2006 NCAA West Region Championships got underway in Provo, Utah, Friday with members of the Arizona State University women's track and field team recording solid performances and advancing four of its athletes advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7-10, in Sacramento, Calif. With their performances, the Sun Devil women are currently in second place in the team standings with 31 points while UCLA leads with 32.50. The men have not scored in the meet.
A pair of freshmen led the way with Sarah Stevens setting two records while winning her second shot put crown in a row and Jenna Kingma winning the first distance event of the weekend to keep the Sun Devils rolling. Kingma won the 5,000m run in 16:55.58 to score 10 points in the team race while earning a trip to the national meet. Stevens, who set the school record in the shot put while winning the Pac-10 title two weeks earlier, recorded a toss of 17.46m (57-03.50) to improve her record mark and also break the regional meet record of 17.30m set in 2003 by Stephanie Brown of Cal Poly. Her win also gave ASU the event title in each of the past two seasons after Jessica Pressley won the event in 2004.
Pressley also competed in the event and recorded a toss of 16.94m (55-07.00) to add six more points to the ASU team total. The final qualifier was Jacquelyn Johnson, who finished fifth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.71m (5-07.25). Johnson, who tied for fourth in the event, took fifth place in the jump off.
Two other women will await word from the NCAA to see if they will compete in the national meet as they finished in the Top 12. Stephanie Garnett placed eighth in the long jump with a mark of 6.13m (20-01.50) to score one team point while Becky Holley finished 12th in the javelin with a mark of 45.18m (148-03).
Several other women remain in contention as they advanced to the Saturday's event finals, including four sprinters. Johnson placed sixth in the 100m hurdles in a wind-aided 13.43 while Bridgette Williams also took sixth in the 400m dash in 54.91. Both will need to improve on their finishes by one place to reach the national meet. Latosha Wallace placed second in the 400m hurdles (58.80) while Christina Hardeman was third in the 400m dash (53.78).
On the men's side, Kelvin Love Jr. finished fourth in the 200m dash in 20.73 with a tail wind of 5.9 meters per second to help him along to the finals on Saturday. Two Sun Devils finished in the Top 12 of their respective events and will await word from the NCAA to see if they make the national field. Those two athletes include Marquis Profit, who placed 12th in the preliminaries of the 110m hurdles in 14.30 while Casey Burchill took 11th in the 5,000m run in 15:24.98. ASU's lone relay entry, the 4x100m relay, finished 10th overall in 43.34 after Domenik Peterson was injured on the second leg of the race. He later withdrew from the 200m dash.
Action continues Saturday in Provo.
2006 NCAA West Region
ASU Results Only
Women's Shot Put
1. Sarah Stevens - 17.46m (57-03.50) - advances to NCAA Championships
- Stevens breaks school and regional meet record with winning toss
3. Jessica Pressley - 16.94m (55-07.00) - advances to NCAA Championships
Women's Long Jump
8. Stephanie Garnett - 6.13m (20-01.50)(+1.3)
18. Jacquelyn Johnson - 5.56m (18-03.00)(+0.6)
Women's Javelin Throw
12. Becky Holley - 45.18m (148-03)
Women's 100m Hurdle Preliminaries
6. Jacquelyn Johnson - 13.43 (+4.0) - advances to event final Saturday
Women's High Jump
4. Jacquelyn Johnson - 1.71m (5-07.25) - advances to NCAA Championships
Women's 400m Hurdle Preliminaries
2. Latosha Wallace - 58.80 - advances to event final Saturday
Women's 400m Dash Preliminaries
3. Christina Hardeman - 53.78 - advances to event final Saturday
6. Bridgette Williams - 54.91 - advances to event final Saturday
Women's 5,000m Run
1. Jenna Kingma - 16:55.58 - advances to NCAA Championships
15. Corey Randall - 18:32.90
Men's 4x100m Relay Preliminaries
10. Arizona State `A' - 43.34
Steven Koehnemann, Domenik Peterson, Joshua Kinnaman, Kelvin Love Jr.
Men's 110m Hurdle Preliminaries
12. Marquis Profit - 14.30 (+1.8)
Men's 400m Hurdle Preliminaries
18. Marquis Profit - 53.80
Men's 200m Dash Preliminaries
4. Kelvin Love Jr. - 20.73 (+5.9) - advances to event final Saturday
-- Domenik Peterson - did not start
Men's 5,000m Run
11. Velibor Radejovic - did not finish
Men's Hammer Throw
20. Tomas Navarro - 52.71m (172-11)
Men's Discus Throw
19. Tomas Navarro - 52.07m (170-10)
Men's Pole Vault
17. Brandon Glenn - 5.06m (16-07.25)