March 29, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - The San Diego State track and field team won its second consecutive Cal-Nevada Championships team title, fifth since 2001 and fifth in the last six seasons in which it competed at the event. As a result, head coach Rahn Sheffield was awarded his fifth Cal-Nevada Coach of the Meet award. SDSU finished with 175 points, ahead of preseason No. 6 and second place UCLA, which finished with 124 points.
Decontee Kaye, who was named the Track Athlete of the Meet, was a big winner on the final day of the yearly event as she ran leg on the winning 4x100-meter relay and won the 200-meter dash, the long jump and the triple jump. Her 4x100 team of Alicia King, Shana Solomon and Jessika Hornsby was the first to cross the finish line, logging a time of 46.36 to post their second straight victory in the event. In the 200, the junior was victorious with a lifetime-best clocking of 24.09 and won the long jump and triple jump with NCAA regional-qualifying and season-best marks of 19-8.75 and 42-2.00, respectively. Kaye also finished in third place in the 100 with a time of 11.97.
Overall in the 100, Solomon finished in second place with a season-best matching time of 11.86, ahead of Kaye, Alicia Lowery (4th, 12.07), Hornsby (5th, 12.09) and King (7th, 12.14). In the 200 following Kaye, was Solomon in second with a season-best effort of 24.13, Hornsby (3rd, season-best 24.33), King (6th, 24.42) and Lowery (7th, season-best 24.60). All five Aztecs in both races earned points toward SDSU's winning total.
San Diego State's pole vault group once again showcased their talent as Stephanie Bagan won her second event of the young season, this time clearing 13-7.75, which is currently the top vault in the nation. She also set a new personal record and notched her third straight NCAA regional mark of the outdoor campaign. At the conclusion of the meet, Bagan was named the Field Athlete of the Meet. Teammate Monica Pacas also recorded another regional mark, her third straight of the season, after she vaulted 12-7.50 to finish in sixth place.
In the 400, Fresno native Kyanna Thomas finished in third place with a season-best performance of 55.70, while Mandy Upuu logged a runner-up effort in the 800 with a clocking of 2:12.75.
Kristin Olafsdottir also enjoyed a solid day as she won the 400-meter hurdles after she completed the competition in a season-best and NCAA regional-qualifying time of 1:00.37. Corri Campbell-Fell, meanwhile, came in third place with a mark of 1:01.31, which was also a season-best.
In the 4x400 relay, Olafsdottir anchored the group to a fourth-place finish while establishing the team's fastest time of the year. The quartet of Thomas, Upuu, King and Olafsdottir crossed the finish line in 3:45.44.
In addition to Kaye winning both the long and triple jumps, Shana Watson posted a runner-up effort in the long jump with a season-best leap of 19-7.00 and came in third in the triple jump with a personal-record and NCAA regional-qualifying jump of 41-7.25.
The Aztecs return to action next week as they will split their squad and send one to the Stanford Invitational and the other to the Pomona-Pitzer Invite.
Cal-Nevada Championships
Warmerdam Stadium (Fresno, Calif.)
Team Standings (top 5 of 21 schools)
1. San Diego State - 175 points
2. #6 UCLA - 124
3. Fresno State - 117
4. Cal State Northridge - 94
5. UC San Diego - 67