April 14, 1998
This Week:
USTCA/Pepsi Invitational April 18 at Eugene, Oregon
Quad-Meet on Tap for ASU: Arizona State travels to Eugene, Ore., for the USTCA/Pepsi Invitational, a scored quad-meet with host Oregon, Colorado, Washington and the Sun Devils. It is the second U.S. Collegiate Track & Field Series meet ASU has participated in this season, as the Sun Devils hosted the Series earlier this season. The Pepsi Invitational will be televised by Fox Sports Northwest on a delayed basis. The meet will air throughout the Northwest on Monday, April 20 at 3 p.m.
The U.S. Collegiate Track & Field Series is a 21-meet series running through May 10 that aims to cultivate excitement and interest in collegiate competitions by featuring weekly meets at sites across the United States. Arizona State hosted the ASU/USTCA Invitational March 21 as the Sun Devils hosted Kansas, George Mason and Iowa The ASU women won the quad meet with 170.5 points, outpacing Kansas by 1.5 points, while the Sun Devil men finished third. The win for ASU's women was its first in a scored meet since 1995.
Quick Fact Mika Laiho owns the nation's best collegiate hammer mark with a school-record 237-1 and has won every competition he has entered this year.
Laiho Leads the Way Mika Laiho earned the second Pac-10 Field Athlete of the Week honor of his career last week as he once again improved the school record. Laiho, a senior from Parkano, Finland, broke his own school record in the hammer with a winning throw of 72.26 meters (237-1) at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe. The Sun Angel Classic title was Laiho's second in three years at the meet and his third straight win this season. Laiho is the first Sun Devil to clear 70 meters as he first did it this year with a 70.90 (232-7) in the ASU/USTCA Invitational on March 21. His NCAA automatic mark of 72.26 is the seventh-best in Pac-10 history and the best collegiate mark in the country this year. Laiho has dominated every hammer competition he has entered this year, winning his three competitions by a combined 120 feet.
Last Week Arizona State took part in two meets in the Valley, the foremost being the 19th Sun Angel Classic in Sun Angel Stadium. While Mika Laiho's hammer title was the only first-place finish for a Sun Devil, six others placed among the top three at the premier meet. Charity Amama finished second in the javelin (156-6) while Dawnyell Linder fought a fierce headwind to finish second in the 200 meters (24.30). Tony Hazard captured second in the men's long jump with a 7.15 (23-5.5). Third-place finishes went to Jared Schrieber in the men's javelin (214-3), Troy Linder in the men's triple jump (46-0) and Fiona Daly in the women's high jump (5-7). A number of Sun Devils took part in the Mesa Classic at Mesa Community College. LaVell Robinson-Blanchard headlined ASU's efforts by sprinting to two wins. Robinson-Blanchard clocked a season-best in the 100 (10.82) and a personal record and Pac-10 qualifying mark in the 200m (21.43).
Postseason Qualifying
Men - NCAA Mika Laiho, Hammer (Automatic) Jared Schrieber, JavelinWomen - NCAA Charity Amama, Javelin Dawnyell Linder, 100m Joronda White, 400m
Men - Pac-10 Tony Berrian, 400m Anthony Hazard, LJ Vince Jones, 100m Mika Laiho, Hammer Eniak Mpwo, 100m Brian Raspberry, 100m Matt Repak, 5000m LaVelle Robinson-Blanchard, 200m Ari Rodriguez, 1500m Jared Schrieber, Javelin
Women - Pac-10 Charity Amama, Javelin Arlaina Davis, 200m & 400m Fiona Daly, HJ & TJ Priscilla Hein, 1500m & Mile Adrienne Judie, SP Dawnyell LInder, 100m& 200m Joronda White, 400m Christie Winkle, 100m
Kraft-ing ASU's Program Head coach Greg Kraft brought to ASU a reputation as a tremendous program builder after taking South Carolina's men to unprecedented heights and creating a national power on the women's side during a seven-year stint in Columbia. With its program in need of a major overhaul, there was not a better man for ASU's job than the 1996 SEC Coach of the Year. ASU's eighth head coach, Kraft is in his second season at ASU and is in the process of rebuilding ASU one step at a time. "You need to build it one step at a time," Kraft has said. "When I look at our team, obviously depth is not going to be one of our strengths. What we've tried to do is develop pockets of excellence in one particular area and move on from there."
Return of the ASU Relay At Arizona State, superb relay teams are as much a tradition as superb weather. At last week's Flagstaff Invitational, ASU returned to form with outstanding 4x400 performances from both its men and women. Due to an oversized track, ASU's times narrowly missed NCAA qualifying standards, but they were still impressive. ASU's men's team of LaVell Robinson-Blanchard, Tony Berrian, Brian Raspberry and Vondra Armour came within 0.13 of defeating the relay team for top-ranked Arkansas and recorded the third-fastest relay time (3:10.77) in ASU Indoor history. The women's squad of Arlaina Davis, Joronda White, Christy Winkle and Dawnyell Linder came in at 3:41.88.
Youth Movement As Greg Kraft and his staff mold the ASU program, youth is an obvious trait and focus. After just seven scholarship freshman came to ASU in the three years previous to their arrival, the ASU coaching staff has littered the roster with freshmen. Twenty-six freshmen are on the current ASU roster - comprising half the ASU roster. In fact, 64 percent of ASU's roster is either freshmen or sophomores.
Men Defeat UofA ASU began its indoor season last Saturday with a double dual at Flagstaff, Ariz., against in-state foes Arizona and Northern Arizona. The Sun Devils 78-77 win over the Wildcats was their first victory over their arch-rival, indoor or outdoor, since 1992 when ASU beat the 'Cats both inside and out. The Sun Devil men narrowly lost to NAU, 78-73. ASU's women lost to both the UofA and NAU: 86.5-60.5 and 80-57, respectively.
Inside the Numbers A closer look at ASU's double dual against Arizona and NAU is quite revealing. ASU's men won a majority of events against both Arizona and NAU - capturing eight of 15 against the Lumberjacks and nine of 15 against the 'Cats. However, in a sign of depth problems, the events ASU lost - they lost big. Against NAU, the 'Jacks outscored the Devils 8-3 in five of the six events they won. Of the five events Arizona won, three were by an 8-3 count and another was 8-2. Meanwhile, of the 17 events ASU won against both schools, ASU scored 8 points just once.
All-American Acclaim Prior to last year's post-season ban, ASU had at least one female and one male indoor All-American for the previous seven seasons. Mika Laiho and Fiona Daly each earned All-American acclaim in 1996. Laiho placed fifth at the NCAAs with a toss of 66-0 in the 35-pound weight throw. His personal-best weight throw of 67-2 3/4, an ASU record by over 11 feet, came that season in the NAU/UofA Double Dual. Daly placed sixth in the high jump at the NCAAs in 1996 with a leap of 5-11 1/2. Daly's personal-best mark of 6-0 1/2 is the second-best mark in ASU indoor history.
Arizona State Track & FieldTop Notch Performances Eleven Top 10 marks in ASU history have been set by Sun Devils during the 1998 outdoor season. At the top of the list is Mika Laiho's school record in the hammer. His throw of 237 ft. 1 inch. is the best among collegians in the nation this year and also ranks seventh in Pac-10 history. Dawnyell Linder's 11.39 in the 100m ranked second in ASU history and seventh in Pac-10 history. A complete look at those who have climbed into the school's top 10:
Name Event Mark ASU Rank Mika Laiho Hammer 72.26 (237-1) School Record Dawnyell Linder 100m 11.39 2nd Jared Schrieber Javelin 70.02 (229-9) 3rd Charity Amama Javelin 51.42 (168-8) 3rd Adrienne Judie Discus 43.86 (143-11) 7th Fiona Daly Triple Jump 11.66 (38-3.25) 8th Joronda White 400m 53.30 9th Matt Repak 5000m 14:14.99 9th Priscilla Hein 1500m 4:30.9 9th Dawnyell Linder 200m 23.71 9th Erika Johnson Triple Jump 11.47 (37-7.75) 10th
On the Dotted Line Arizona State has inked seven high school seniors to national letters of intent for the spring signing period, which began April 8. All seven (three men, four women) are distance runners and will join the Sun Devil track and cross country squads next fall.
Isaiah Festa (Morro Bay HS, Morro Bay, Calif.) is the 1997 California state cross country champion as well as the reigning 3200m champion. He finished third at the high school cross country national championships last fall. Fasil Bizuneh (Ben Davis HS, Indianapolis, Ind.) finished fifth at the 1997 Foot Locker national championships, was the Mideast Cross Country champion and was runner-up as a junior at the Indiana championships in the 1600m and 3200m. Ronnie Buchanan (Ragetti HS, Santa Maria, Calif.) was an all-state performer in both cross country and track in California while finishing seventh at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships.
On the women's side, ASU inked local product Lisa Aguilera (Centennial HS, Peoria, Ariz.), the 4A Arizona state cross country champion, 1997 3200m state champion and 1997 1600 runner-up. Kristin McFerron (St. Charles HS, St. Charles, Mo.) finished third at the Missouri high school cross country championships after showing dramatic improvement in each race her senior season. Cody Sohn (Carmel HS, Carmel, Ind.) was a Indiana all-state performer in cross country, the 800m and 1600m. Finally, Candi Criscione (Auburn HS, Auburn, Wash.) was an all-state performer in the 800 meters, clocking a 2:12.92.
Nifty Notes Matt Repak will run at the Mt. SAC Relays this Saturday in the 5000 meters ... ASU's women captured their first scored meet win since 1995 when the Sun Devils defeated Kansas, George Mason and Iowa in the ASU/USTCA Invitational. The Sun Devils tallied 170.5 points, nipping the Jayhawks by 1.5 points ... Mika Laiho is 3 for 3, as he has won both the ASU/USTCA and Baldy Castillo hammer titles ... Jared Schrieber and Charity Amama have each won two javelin titles ... Other two-time winners include Fiona Daly in the high jump, Priscilla Hein in the 1500m, Joronda White in the 400m, Repak in the 3000m and Ari Rodriguez in the 1500m ... Repak has three wins under his belt as he won the 5000m in the Baldy Castillo meet in addition to his two 3000m wins ... The ASU men's 78-77 indoor win over Arizona on February 7 was the first win for the Sun Devils over their arch-rival, indoor or outdoor, since 1992.
Indoor All-Americans Fiona Daly and Joronda White earned Indoor All-American honors with their performances in Indianapolis. It is Daly's second All-American honor, making her the eighth Sun Devil female to earn All-American honors multiple times. She joined the elite company of Omalade Akinremi, Omotayo Akinremi, Jacqui Gayle, Kim Toney, Shanequa Campbell, Maicel Malone and Lynda Tolbert--four of whom were Olympians. White's 54.36 in the prelims placed her among the top 8 Americans at the meet, earning her All-American acclaim. Sun Devil women have now earned that honor 36 times.
Kraft-ing ASU's Program Head coach Greg Kraft brought to ASU a reputation as a tremendous program builder after taking South Carolina's men to unprecedented heights and creating a national power on the women's side during a seven-year stint in Columbia. With its program in need of a major overhaul, there was not a better man for ASU's job than the 1996 SEC Coach of the Year. ASU's eighth head coach, Kraft is in his second season at ASU and is in the process of rebuilding ASU one step at a time. "You need to build it one step at a time," Kraft has said. "When I look at our team, obviously depth is not going to be one of our strengths. What we've tried to do is develop pockets of excellence in one particular area and move on from there."
Youth Movement As Greg Kraft and his staff mold the ASU program, youth is an obvious trait and focus. After just seven scholarship freshman came to ASU in the three years previous to their arrival, the ASU coaching staff has littered the roster with freshmen. Twenty-six freshmen are on the current ASU roster - comprising half the ASU roster. In fact, 64 percent of ASU's roster is either freshmen or sophomores.
Dancing Again In basketball, they call it "The Big Dance," and if the same were true in track & field, Arizona State is able to return to the dance floor in 1998. Sanctions levied against the program for violations of a previous coaching staff included a one-year ban from conference and NCAA postseason meets last year. The two-year probation, which ends following this season, also included recruiting visit and scholarship restrictions. After being limited to 18 official visits and as few as 20 total scholarships, ASU's recruiting for next year will not be restricted in any way as Kraft will have the full compliment of visits and scholarships (30.6) to grant.