March 19, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. - The outdoor season resumes this week following the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend as the Arizona State track and field team plays host to the Baldy Castillo Invitational. The meet will run Friday and Saturday at Sun Angel Stadium.
ALL-AMERICANS
Five Sun Devils returned to Tempe as All-Americans last weekend after placing in the Top 8 in their respective events at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Lisa Aguilera took seventh in the women's 3,000 meter run while the quartet of Seth Amoo, Lewis Banda, Jason Barton and Steve Fitch took fifth in the men's 4x400m relay. Aguilera posted a 9:18.80 in the finals only race while the men rounded the track in 3:07.41 to win their heat as four other teams in the other two heats made the circuit faster.
Amoo also finished 15th in the men's 200m dash while teammates Trevell Quinley (12th) and Seneca Holmes (10th) competed in the long jump and 60m hurdles, respectively.
IT'S A RECORD!
Seth Amoo ran his first 200m race of the year at the Double Dual (Feb. 14) and used that performance to not only win the race and earn a provisional qualification time, he also reset his school record in the indoor event. Crossing the line at 21.01, Amoo bettered his previous mark of 21.19 that he established last year. Lewis Banda, who took third in the race, finished in a time of 21.19, tying the previous mark and moving into second on the all-time list.
THEY ARE RE-LAY DOING WELL
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Seth Amoo, Jason Barton, Lewis Banda and Steve Fitch have teamed to compete in the event five times this year and crossed the finish line in first place. The quartet also ran a 3:07.03 at the Double Dual which was 0.01 off the school record set two years ago.
SCOUTING: BALDY INVITATIONAL
Individuals representing Arizona State, Dartmouth, George Mason, Manhattan, Memphis, Minnesota, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. John's, UC Santa Barbara and Utah will be on hand to compete as many of the athletes visit Tempe on their school's Spring Breaks.
OUTDOOR RECAP: BILL SAWYER
The first outdoor meet of the year for the Sun Devils took place in their own back yard as they played host to the annual Bill Sawyer Invitational. Six Sun Devils took home the top place in their respective events while four races featured a clean sweep of the Top 3 places by ASU.
The sweeps were in the men's 400 and 800-meter events while the women dominated in the short sprints of 100 and 200-meters in length. Lewis Banda (first), Seth Amoo (second) and Jason Barton (third) combined with fifth-place finisher Steve Fitch to dominate the 400 meter event.
Winners on the day included Anthony Santa Cruz in the 800 meters. In all, the Sun Devil women had three first-place, 6 second-place and seven third-place finishes while the men finished first, second and third three times, twice and five times, respectively.
SUN ANGEL STADIUM
Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium has stood as the home grounds for the Arizona State track and field programs since it opened in 1976. The site of seven conference championship meets and the prestigious Sun Angel Classic, now in its 24th year, the stadium has seen numerous of the world's best including dozens of Olympians from many nations.
NEXT TIME OUT
Next week, Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium plays host to the Arizona State Invitational, March 29. Schools scheduled to compete against the Sun Devil include Kansas State, Northern Arizona, Ohio State and Oregon (women only).