Fresno State Athletics
2000 Women's Track and Field Outlook
2/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Feb. 18, 2000
The women's track and field team may have lost All-American pole vaulter Melissa Price and sprinter Angela Daigle to graduation, but the season outlook is looking bright. There is a solid group of athletes in each event that will challenge the rest of the WAC. Junior Jynette Grayson-Reed and sophomore Brooke Lankard head the list of top returnees.
The following is a breakdown of the Fresno State women's team by event:
Sprints/Relays: Grayson-Reed and sophomore Dwanice Williams return as the top sprinters and relay participants. Grayson-Reed's strength is the 400 meters where she posted a personal best of 54.35 (No. 7 on Fresno State's all-time list) in the outdoor event last year. Her indoor 400 meter personal best is 57.32. Williams has succeeded in the shorter sprints. Last season she ran the indoor 200 meters in 25.89 seconds and the outdoor 200 in 25.5 seconds. Grayson-Reed will also be a competitor in the 200 meters.
Middle Distance: Junior Brianna Denley and Sophomore Rachel Bauer look like the strength of the 800 meters. Denley had a team best 2:20.64 in the outdoor 800 and 2:22.74 in the indoor 800 last season. As a freshman last season Bauer was close on Denley's heels. After a strong showing in the cross country season, Bauer should be a solid contributor. Denley will also run the 1,500 meters.
Distance: Senior Laura Bracht finished the cross country season strong and will have a solid spring in the 5,000 meters. Her season best last season came when she posted a mark of 18:33.03 at the Cal/Nevada Championships in San Diego, Calif. Bracht ran a season best time in the 3,000 meters at the Cal/Nevada Championships also when she posted a mark of 10:39.74. Freshman Sandi Russler joins the team from Clovis West High and will be a competitive challenger.
Hurdles: Senior Brandi Jenkins set a personal best 14.56 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles at the Modesto Relays last season that tied for seventh on Fresno State's all-time list. Jenkins will lead a talented youth movement that includes sophomores Lankard, Bauer and Jamie Thompson. Lankard ran primarily in the 100 and 400-meter hurdles. Bauer was third on the team with a 9.87 mark in the 55-meter hurdles. Thompson's season best in the 400-meter hurdles was a solid 1:13.70.
Jumps: Jenkins and junior Rickisha Herron return as the strength of the jumps team. Last season Jenkins specialized in the long jump, leaping a personal best mark of 18-1.5. Jenkins also participated in the high and triple jumps. Herron led the team in the triple jump. Her jump of 39-7.75 ties for sixth on the all-time Fresno State list. Junior Erin Booth, senior Taylor Brown, and Thompson should also contribute heavily in this event.
Pole Vault: Lankard and senior Aleyna Tomate are the core of the pole vaulters. Last year, Lankard vaulted her way into the record books by recording a mark of 12-5.5, second best in Fresno State history. Her indoor best is 10-10. Tomate was second on the team last season with an indoor vault of 11-1.75, while her outdoor best is currently 11-8.
Throws: Sophomore Andrea Stelter will lead the way. Stelter had good showings in the shot put and hammer throws last season. Her top shot put mark of 35-5 came in an outdoor meet at the Woody Wilson Invitational in Davis, Calif. Her hammer throw of 167-4 at a meet here in Fresno ranks fourth on Fresno State's all-time list. Sophomore Kayla Russum and freshman Jamie Farley will also be solid contributors. Russum's javelin throw of 143-4 was tops on the team last year.
Heptathlon Thompson is the only returning athlete who competed in the heptathlon last season. The heptathlon consists of seven events: 100 meter hurdles, 200 meters, 800 meters, long jump, high jump, shot put and javelin. Thomson earned 3,316 points at the WAC Championships last year.
