June 12, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sarah Stevens collected the 14th All-America honor of stellar career by taking third in the hammer and Brandon Bethke placed fourth in the men’s 5,000m run to lead the Arizona State University track and field teams on the third day of action at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday night. Overall, seven different Sun Devils had a hand in collecting eight All-America honors, including Charonda Williams, who was sixth in the 100m dash after helping the 4x100m relay to an identical finish.
In the team standings, Oregon leads the women’s race with 39 points while USC (21) and the trio of Arizona State, Florida State and Texas are tied for third at 20. On the men’s side, Oregon leads with 36 points while LSU (30), USC (22), Florida (21) and Georgia (19) round out the Top 5. The Sun Devils have 18 points and are seventh.
The day opened with the hammer finals with Stevens sitting in third place before a two-hour weather delay, which featured baseball-size hail, torrential rainfall and a tornado warning, halted the event. After the weather cleared, Stevens slipped into fourth place before tossing the hammer 66.32m (217-07) to retake third and finish there. Jason Lewis competed in the men’s final and, after entering the event as the 12th and final man in and carrying the seventh-best mark in the nation all year, Lewis competed hard and moved up to fifth twice before ending the day in sixth at 67.22m (220-06). With his All-America honor, Lewis became only the third Sun Devil man all-time to earn the national status and the first since Mika Laiho won the event in 1998.
On the track, Bethke was the lone Sun Devil to run on the day and made the most of it in the final of the 5,000m run as he competed in a very tactical race that saw him take fourth place in 14:08.00. Bethke lead at various points throughout the race as the field stayed bunched before the race spread out with 1,200m to go. Bethke held his ground and kicked to finish fourth and earn his first All-America award as a Sun Devil.
The women’s 4x100m relay of Dominique’ Maloy, Kayla Sanchez, Jasmine Chaney and Williams entered the day with the sixth-best time in the nation on the year and ended the season in that position as the quartet ran 43.78 to take sixth place. Chaney came back a short time later and finished 18th in the semifinal round of the 100m hurdles at 13.57. Williams also doubled back on the day as she finished sixth in the 100m dash in 11.37 for her second All-America honor on the day. For the relay, the All-America finish marked just the sixth in that event in the program’s history while also marking the first time since 1991 that ASU has finished in the Top 8 nationally in the 4x100m.
The final day of action on Saturday, which will be broadcast live on CBS starting at 12 p.m. CST (10 a.m. in Arizona), will see several Sun Devils compete for individual and relay honors, as well as a Top 4 team finish that would earn a trophy for the program. In the field, Stevens and Cj Navarro will take part in the final of the women’s discus while Ryan Whiting and Lewis will compete in the men’s discus. On the track, Williams will run in the final of the 200m dash before the women’s 4x400m relay closes out the meet.
NCAA Championships Results - Day 3
Friday, June 12 • Fayetteville, Ark.
Women’s Hammer - Final
3. Sarah Stevens - 66.32m (217-07) - All-American
Men’s Hammer - Final
6. Jason Lewis - 67.22m (220-06) - All-American
Women’s 4x100m Relay - Final
6. D. Maloy, K. Sanchez, J. Chaney, C. Williams - 43.78 - All-Americans
Women’s 100m Hurdles - Semifinal
18. Jasmine Chaney - 13.57 (dnq)
Women’s 100m Dash - Final
6. Charonda Williams - 11.37 - All-American
Men’s 5,000m Run - Final
4. Brandon Bethke - 14:08.00 - All-American
TEAM SCORES
Women (through 12 events)
1. Oregon - 39
2. USC - 21
3. Arizona State, Florida State, Texas - 20
Men (through 13 events)
1. Oregon - 36
2. LSU - 30
3. USC - 22
4. Florida - 21
5. Georgia - 19
6. South Carolina - 18.5
7. Arizona State - 18