Sun Devils Head to NCAA Track & Field Championships

March 4, 1999

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State ends its indoor season while beginning the outdoor season this weekend. Six individuals and two relay teams will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Friday and Saturday, March 5-6 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. The remainder of ASU's squad will remain home for the Sun Devils' first outdoor meet of the season, the Bill Sawyer Invitational, Saturday, March 6, at Sun Angel Stadium.

Falling Like Bricks
Arizona State's indoor record book has been rewritten in 1999 as six school marks have fallen, the most in a single year since 1991 when seven indoor school records were established. Week one of the indoor season saw Marcus Brunson establish a collegiate record in the 60 meters (6.46) and Tony Berrian break Herman Frazier's 21-year old ASU record in the 200 (46.29) at the Flagstaff Invitational. Brunson, Berrian, Dwight Phillips and Vondre Armour teamed to break the ASU 4x400 indoor record (3:08.35) at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa, where Priscilla Hein and Kelly MacDonald also broke into the record books. Hein established a new school record in the mile in Ames and improved it at the Alex Wilson Invitational, where she ran 4:45.27. MacDonald established a new school best in the 3000 meters (9:47.03). Phillips also broke the only remaining indoor sprint record by running a 21.31 in the 200 meters at the MPSF Championships.

NCAA Qualifiers
Three men and three women as well as both of ASU's 4x400 relay squads will participate at the NCAA Indoor Championships this Friday and Saturday.

Men              Event           Mark (Nat. Rank) Schedule (All Times CT)
Marcus Brunson   60m             6.53a (t3)       Prelims: Fri., 5:10 p.m.; Finals: Sat., 7:15 p.m.
Tony Berrian     400m            46.69tc (t5)     Prelims Fri., 4:45 pm; Finals: Sat., 6:55 p.m.
Dwight Phillips  Long Jump       25-7.5 (t4)      Friday, 5:15 p.m.
ASU              4x400 Relay     3:09.94 tc (9)   Saturday, 8:10 p.m.
Women            Event           Mark (Nat. Rank) Schedule (All Times CT)
Fiona Daly       High Jump       5-11.75 (t10)    Saturday, 5:55 p.m.
Priscilla Hein   Mile            4:45.87 tc (10)  Prelims: Fri., 5:25 p.m.; Finals: Sat., 6:05 p.m.
Dawnyell Linder  200m            24.08 tc (18)    Friday, 7:30 p.m.
ASU              4x400 Relay     3:38.58 tc (8)   Saturday, 7:55 p.m.

Last Year at NCAA Indoors
In its indoor season, ASU's women finished 55th at the 1998 NCAA Championships with 2.5 points while the men did not place. Three Sun Devils-Fiona Daly (HJ), Joronda White (400m) and Mika Laiho (Weight Throw)-competed at the NCAAs while Tony Berrian (400m) and Dawnyell Linder (55m & 200m) each had provisional marks, but did not make the cut for the NCAAs.

Bill Sawyer Invitational
ASU hosts its first outdoor meet of the season this Saturday. Field Events begin at 10:00 a.m. and running events at 11:00 a.m. The Bill Sawyer is an all-comers meet and includes many local junior colleges in addition to ASU and the University of Arizona. Tickets are on sale the day of the meet at Sun Angel Stadium. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for juniors and seniors, $2 for groups of 25 or more.

Marcus Brunson
60 Meters/4x400 Relay
Junior (Indoor) - Tempe, Ariz. (Marcos de Niza HS/Wyoming)

This Year
An automatic qualifier in the 60 meters ... MPSF champion ... in his first race as a Sun Devil at the Flagstaff Invitational, he broke the collegiate record in the 60 meters with a time of 6.46... it is the fourth-fastest time ever run in that event... shattered ASU's 55 meter record at the MPSF Championships with a time of 6.06, breaking LaMonte King's 17-year old mark of 6.17... also part of ASU's 4x400 relay team that broke ASU's indoor record at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa with a time of 3:08.35... ran a 45.8 second leg ... is a junior in indoor track, a redshirt sophomore outdoor.

Wyoming
Played football and ran indoor track at Wyoming from Fall 1996 to Spring 1998... set Wyoming records in the 55m (6.10) and indoor 200m (21.21)... qualified for NCAAs in both events, but injuries prevented him from competing one year and hampered him the next... has not run outdoor track since high school... played wide receiver for Cowboys... tallied 15 receptions for 159 yards in 16 games over two seasons... won 1996 WAC Pacific Division championship.

NCAA Championships
While at Wyoming, he qualified for each of the last two NCAA Indoor Championships, but due to injuries only competed in 1998 ... ran a 6.51 55m to finish sixth in his preliminary heat ... was hampered by an injury.

1998 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (60/55m)

Date  Meet                             Location          Event  Mark  Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational (Prelim)  Flagstaff, Ariz.  60m    6.57   1st
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational (Final)   Flagstaff, Ariz.  60m    6.46** 1st
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual          Flagstaff, Ariz.  60m    6.52   1st
2/19  MPSF Championships (Prelim)      Reno, Nev.        55m    6.06*  1st
2/20  MPSF Championships (Final)       Reno, Nev.        55m    6.13   1st
*School Indoor Record, **Collegiate Indoor Record

This Year
A provisional qualifier ... defending Pac-10 outdoor champion ... finished second to Washington State's Whitney Evans at MPSF Indoor Championships ... ranks third in ASU indoor history with a personal-best indoor mark of 6-0.5 (1.84) in 1996 ... shattered a personal record by leaping 1.88 (6-2) at the Drake Relays last year ... that ranks as the second-best jump in ASU outdoor history.

NCAA Championships
Making her third NCAA Indoor Championship appearance, fourth overall ... placed sixth at both the the 1998 and 1996 Indoors, clearing 1.82 (5-11.5) both years ... finished in a tie for ninth at last year's outdoor championships, also jumping 5-11.5.

Arizona State
1998 Outdoor: First-ever Pac-10 high jump champion in ASU history and first conference champion in that event since Coleen Rienstra won Western Collegiate title in 1980... won six of nine outdoor competitions she entered, but set PR (6-2) with second-place finish at Drake Relays. Indoor: Earned All-American acclaim with her second sixth-place NCAA finish in three years... captured the MPSF Indoor high jump crown with an indoor season-best leap of 6-0, tied for the eighth-best mark in the nation during indoor year. 1997 Outdoor: Had a team-best jump of 5-10 at the Sun Angel Classic. Indoor: Had her season-best high jump at the MPSF Championships with a 5-9.75 to finish second. 1996 Outdoor: Had a season-best jump of 5-8.75, good for fourth at the Pac-10 meet. Indoor: Earned her first All-American honors by placing sixth in the NCAA high jump with a leap of 5-11.5...had a season-best jump of 6-0.5, tied for second-best in ASU annals 1995: Redshirted.

1998 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (High Jump)

Date  Meet                     Location           Mark           Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational   Flagstaff, Ariz.   1.75 (5-8.75)   2nd
2/6   Cyclone Classic          Ames, Iowa         1.80 (5-10.75)  1st
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual  Flagstaff, Ariz.   1.81 (5-11.25)  1st
2/20  MPSF Championships       Reno, Nev.         1.82 (5-11.5)   2nd

Dawnyell Linder
Women's 200m
Senior - Jonesboro, Ga. (Lovejoy HS/Georgia Tech)

This Year
A provisional qualifier ... captured her second consecutive MPSF 200 meter championship. ... owns top five ASU indoor marks in the 55m (3rd, 6.84) and 200m (2nd, 23.86) ... was .01 short of a provisional mark in the 60 meters ... honored last year in her home state of Georgia as a "Peach of an Athlete," awarded to Georgia natives who display excellence in leadership on and off the field of play.

NCAA Championships
First NCAA Indoor Championships appearance, second overall ... Competed in 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championships in 100m, clocking an 11.77 in her preliminary heat.

Arizona State
Owns the second-best 100m time in ASU outdoor history, 11.39, second only to Sharon Ware's 15-year old record (11.33)... also clocked the fifth-best outdoor 200m time in ASU history (23.42). 1998 Outdoor: Had provisional qualifying marks in the 100m and 200m ... finished second in the 200m (PR 23.42) and third in the 100m (11.55) at the Pac-10 Championships... finished third at Texas Relays in the 100m (11.53). Indoor: Clocked NCAA provisional qualifying times in the 55m (6.84) and 200m (23.86)... those times rank third and second, respectively, in ASU indoor history... captured MPSF championship in 200m and finished second in 55m. 1997 Outdoor: Registered ASU's season-best times in both the 100 and 200...clocked an 11.69 in the 100m at the Long Beach Invitational and a 24.40 in the 200m at the Arizona/NAU double dual ... transferred from Georgia Tech.

1998 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (200m)

Date  Meet                      Location          Mark   Place
2/6   Cyclone Classic           Ames, Iowa        24.12   2nd
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual   Flagstaff, Ariz.  24.07   1st
2/20  MPSF Championships        Reno, Nev.        23.88   1st

This Year
A provisional qualifier with a converted mark of 4:45.87, an ASU indoor record ... competed in only two mile races, as she ran the 800 meters as well.

NCAA Championships
Her first NCAA Indoor Championships appearance, second overall ... finished 39th, a Sun Devil record, at this year's NCAA Cross Country Championships ... the first female Cross Country All-American in ASU history ... led the 1998 Cross Country squad to ASU's first-ever team appearance at NCAA Championships ... Sun Devils finished in a tie for 23rd.

Arizona State
The top female distance runner in ASU history ... owns the ninth-best 800m and 1500m times in ASU outdoor history. 1998 Cross Country: Her 39th-place finish, a Sun Devil record, at the NCAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan., earned her All-American honors... ran the 5K course in 17:42.65... her 13th-place finish at the West Regionals., was the best by a Sun Devil since 1988... became second All-Pac-10 performer in ASU history with sixth-place finish at Pac-10 Championships (17:36) in Eugene, Ore.... ASU's top finisher in every race she competed in... had four top 10 finishes and two top five finishes... led ASU to its first national ranking, climbing as high as 14th... second-team Pac-10 All-Academic selection. 1998 Outdoor: Finished sixth at Pac-10 Championships in 800m (2:08.89)... ran the ninth-best 800m time in ASU history with a 2:08.74 to finish second at Arizona Elite Classic... her time of 4:30.9 at Baldy Castillo Invitational ranks as ninth-best in ASU 1500m history... ran a 10:17.78 in 3000m at UofA/NAU Double Dual. Indoor: Clocked a 4:55.60, the second-best indoor mile time in ASU history, at the Cannon IV Classic in Indianapolis... finished fourth in the mile at the MPSF Championships (5:03.36). 1997 Cross Country: Redshirted. 1997 Outdoor: Recorded team-best marks in the 800m (2:10.66) and 1500m (4:35.08) at the ASU Invitational and Baldy Castillo Invite, respectively...both marks were personal bests and among the top 20 in the Pac-10. Indoor: Her 2:14.49 at the NAU Invitational was the fourth-best indoor 800m-mark in ASU history.1996 Cross Country: Led the Sun Devils at every meet... 22nd at District VIIIs, the best finish by a Sun Devil in four years... sixth at the ASU Invite... 25th at the Pac-10s with a season-best 17:47... second at the Grand Canyon Invite.

1998 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (Mile)

Date  Meet                      Location          Mark      Place
2/6   Cyclone Classic           Ames, Iowa        4:50.31    4th
2/27  Alex Wilson Invitational  South Bend, Ind.  4:45.27*   3rd
*School Indoor Record

This Year
An automatic qualifier ... broke Herman Frazier's 21-year old school record in the indoor 400 meters with a personal-best 46.29 in first meet of indoor season ... ran only one more 400 meter race after that, winning in the UofA/NAU Double Dual ... also ran a couple 200 meter races, posting the third-best time in ASU indoor history in that event (21.40) ... anchor-leg on ASU's 4x400 relay team that broke ASU's indoor record at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa with a time of 3:08.35... ran a 45.7-second leg.

NCAA Championships
First NCAA Championships appearance.

Arizona State
1998 Outdoor: Clocked a personal-best 46.38 in Edwardsville, Ill. to capture U.S. Junior title in 400m... finished eighth at World Juniors in Annecy, France... also posted fifth-fastest qualifying time in 200m at U.S. Juniors with a personal-best 21.19, but did not compete in finals... ran a leg on the second-place 4x400 U.S. squad at the World Junior Championships... ran a 46.46 to finish fourth at Pac-10s in the 400m ... only freshman to make Pac-10 400m final. Indoor: Won 400m in first collegiate meet (UofA/NAU double dual)... ran a 47.33 (NCAA Provisional time) in 400m at Flagstaff Invitational and a 21.77 in 200m at Cannon IV Classic in Indianapolis, both indoor season bests... finished sixth in 400m at MPSF Championships (49.11), while also competing for second-place 4x400 squad.

1999 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (400m)

Date  Meet                     Location          Mark   Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational   Flagstaff, Ariz.  46.29*  1st
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual  Flagstaff, Ariz.  46.86   1st
*School Indoor Record

This Year
A provisional qualifier ... season-best jump of 7.81 (25-7.5) ranks second in ASU history, 1.5 inches behind Kenny Frazier's school record ... has won every long jump competition he's entered this season ... MPSF Champion in both long jump and triple jump ... missed an provisional mark in the triple jump by one-half inch ... broke ASU's 200-meter indoor record with a time of 21.31 at NAU/Arizona Double Dual, where he won three events ... also part of ASU's 4x400 relay team that broke ASU's indoor record at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa with a time of 3:08.35... ran a 47.2-second leg.

Kentucky
A Wildcat from Fall 1996 to Spring 1998... set freshman 400m record (46.80)... set school indoor triple jump record (51-3)... member of 1997 NCAA second-place indoor 4x4 relay team.

NCAA Championships
First NCAA Championships appearance.

1998 Indoor Meet-by-Meet (Long Jump)

Date  Meet                      Location          Mark           Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational    Flagstaff, Ariz.  7.56 (24-9.75)  1st
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual   Flagstaff, Ariz.  7.81 (25-7.5)   1st
2/20  MPSF Championships        Reno, Nev.        7.58 (24-10.5)  1st

Name                              Events         Ht. Yr.  Exp. Hometown (Last School)
Vondre Armour                     Mid-Distance   6-0 Sr.* 3V   Bakersfield, Calif. (Bakersfield)
Dwight Phillips                   Sprints        6-0 Jr.  TR   Tucker, Ga. (Kentucky)
Marcus Brunson                    Sprints        6-1 Jr.  TR   Tempe, Ariz. (Wyoming)
Tony Berrian                      Sprints       5-10 So.  1V   Atwater, Calif. (Atwater)
LaVell Robinson-Blanchard (Alt.)  Sprints        6-2 Jr.  2V   Sacramento, Calif. (Christian Brothers)

Date  Meet                     Location          Mark     Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational   Flagstaff, Ariz.  3:10.02   2nd
2/6   Cyclone Classic          Ames, Iowa        3:08.35*  1st
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual  Flagstaff, Ariz.  3:09.16   1st
2/20  MPSF Championships       Reno, Nev.        DQ 
*School Indoor Record

Name                   Events    Ht.  Yr.   Exp. Hometown (Last School)
Arlaina Davis          Sprints   5-4  So.    1V  Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence Central)
Joronda White          Sprints   5-7  Sr.*   3V  Los Angeles, Calif. (Morningside)
Candida Coulson        Sprints   5-6  Fr.    HS  Roswell, Ga. (Roswell)
Dawnyell Linder        Sprints   5-4  Sr.*   2V  Jonesboro, Ga. (Georgia Tech)
Priscilla Hein (Alt.)  Distance  5-4  Sr.*   2V  Prescott, Ariz. (Yavapai)

Date  Meet                     Location          Mark     Place
1/30  Flagstaff Invitational   Flagstaff, Ariz.  3:44.90   1st
2/6   Cyclone Classic          Ames, Iowa        3:38.32   2nd
2/13  Arizona/NAU Double Dual  Flagstaff, Ariz.  3:37.38   1st
2/20  MPSF Championships       Reno, Nev.        3:43.26   1st