Fresno State Athletics
Women's Track and Field Season Review
6/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Bulldogs Take Second at WAC Outdoor Championships
Fresno State scored 135 points to finish second at the WAC Outdoor Championships in El Paso,
Texas, May 31-June 3. The Bulldogs were beaten only by Rice, who won the meet with 163 points
while SMU was third with 110. Brooke Lankard (So., Visalia, Calif.) and April Wiechmann (Jr.,
Apache Junction, Ariz.) were the Bulldogs' individual champions. Lankrad cleared a personal-best
12-11 1/2 in the pole vault to bring home a third consecutive outdoor title in the vault for
Fresno State. Wiechmann took first in the discus with a personal-best 149-2. She also placed
fourth in the high jump, fourth in the javelin, fifth in the hammer and fifth in the shot put.
Lankard and Wiechmann were not alone, however. Everyone made significant contributions towards
the team's strong finish. Aleyna Tomate (Sr., Camarillo, Calif.) took second in the pole vault
as she recorded a personal-best mark of 11-10. Erin Boothe (Jr., Fresno, Calif.) was the top
Bulldog finisher in the high jump, taking third place, while Kayla Russum (So., Lake Stevens,
Calif.) was the top FS athlete in the javelin, finishing third with a personal-best 151-10.
Jynette Grayson-Reed (Jr., Stockton, Calif.) was fifth in the 400 meters with a personal-best
54.30. Rachel Bauer (So., Clovis, Calif.) took second in the heptathlon with 4,546 points, fifth
in the 400 meter hurdles and fifth in the javelin. Jamie Farley (Fr., Clovis, Calif.) recorded
a personal-best 43-3 1/4 in the shot put, taking third place, and 147-10 in the discus to take
second place. Andrea Stelter (So., Chase, B.C.) recorded a personal-best in the shot put with a
mark of 41-8 3/4 to take fourth place. Dwanice Williams (So., Modesto, Calif.) posted a PR in
the prelims of the 200 with a time of 24.81. Crystal Simmons leaped a personal-best 19-4 3/4 in
the long jump en route to a third place finish and she also took fourth in the triple jump. Tamisha
Allen (Jr., Salinas, Calif.) and Mandy Hollister (Fr., Turlock, Calif.) finished fourth (14.34)
and sixth (14.98), respectively, in the 100 meter high hurdles.
Lankard Competes at the NCAA Championships
Lankard has had a tremendous season, but did not fair as well at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
in Durham, N.C. Lankard, the WAC Indoor and Outdoor champion in the pole vault, finished 21st
with a height of 11-9 3/4 at the NCAA meet. Lankard's season has been filled with stellar
showings. Her winning performance at the WAC meet came immediately after a solid effort during
the Modesto Relays. She placed first with a then-PR height of 12-10 1/4 which was her first NCAA
provisional qualifying mark. Lankard began her climb after recording a mark of 12-4 at a home
meet against Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton and Northwest Nazarene before clearing 12-8 while
competing in the NAPVA Invitational at the Bob Mathias Fresno Relays.
Bulldogs Place Eighth at Cal/Nevada Championships
The Bulldogs scored 34.5 points and finished eighth at the Cal/Nevada Championships, held in
Berkeley, Calif. UCLA won the event by notching 114 points, beating out second place California,
which had 86. Several Bulldogs placed high in their respective events, including Russum, who was
second in the javelin with a throw of 147-06. Grayson-Reed ran 54.64 in the 400 meters en route
to a third place finish. Lankard was also impressive, finishing fifth in the pole vault with a
12-3 1/2.
Bulldogs Are Champs at Bob Mathias Fresno Relays
The team scored 210 points to overpower the rest of the field for the victory at the 72nd annual
Bob Mathias Fresno Relays. Stelter was champion of the hammer throw, Grayson Reed won the 400
meters, Autumn Bell (Fr., Manteca, Calif.) won the collegiat pole vault event, Russum took first
in the javelin throw and Simmons won both the long jump and triple jump. Other solid performances
came from Tiffany Simon (Fr., Detroit, Mich.) who took second in the 100 meters with a personal-best
12.25. Bauer was third in the 800 meters and Jennifer Fiedler (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) was third in the
400 meters. Sandi Russler (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) and Michelle June (Fr., Santa Maria, Calif.) finished
sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 3,200 meters. Wiechmann leaped a personal-best 5-6 in the high
jump to take second place.
Sqaud Competes in First Ever USTCA Championship
Although the Bulldogs did not fair well at the first USTCA National Invitational Team Championship
in Austin, Texas, April 21-22, they got a good taste of a large national competition. Simmons took
fifth in the triple jump with a personal-best 41-8 3/4, a mark that ranks second in school history.
Wiechmann was ninth in the discus with a mark of 143-0, while Lankard and Tomate tied for ninth in
the pole vault. Russum also had a solid showing with a then-PR of 151 in the javelin as she placed
fifth.
Bauer Wins Easter Heptathlon
Bauer scored 4,309 points in Fresno State's annual Easter Heptathlon for a 323 point victory of
Laura Swanson of Occidental College. Swanson was leading the event after the first day by 20
points. She then increased her lead after winning the long jump, but Bauer took first in the
last two events (javelin and 800 meters) to pull ahead for the win. Bauer won the 100 meter
hurdles, 200 meters, javelin and 800 meters. Jaime Thompson (So., Clovis, Calif.) scored 2,741
points to place third and Dallas Neumann (Fr., Springville, Calif.) took fourth with 1,763
points.
Wiechmann, Farley Have Big Days at Modesto Relays
Wiechmann had a solid outing at the Modesto Relays on May 13. She recorded personal-bests in the
hammer (169-10) and shot put (41-4). Farley had posted then-PRs in the shot put (40-4) and
discus (139-2). Aside from Lankard's great vault, Tomate cleared 11-9 and Bell vaulted to 11-3.
Women Take Fourth at WAC Indoor Championships
Lankard was the only individual champion (pole vault) as the Bulldogs scored 76 points to finish
fourth at the WAC Indoor Championships in Houston, Texas. Naeemah Withey (Long Beach, Calif.) scored
3,101 points for second place in heptathlon and Bauer, Lankard and Thompson finished second through
fourth, respectively. Rickisha Herron (Jr., North Hills, Calif.) took second in the triple jump with
a personal-best 38-2. Boothe took fourth in the high jump, leaping to a personal-best height of 5-5.
Stelter took fourth in the shot put with a mark of 38-6 1/4 and Russler finished ninth in the mile run
with a time of 5:17.97.
Two New Coaches Added to Track and Field Staff
Due to the retirement of Fresno State head cross country and men's track and field head coach Gene
"Red" Estes, the Fresno State Department of Athletics has hired Joe Gonzales and Shannon Lieder, both
graduates of Fresno State, as assistant coaches for next season. The 2000-01 coaching staff is now
comprised of Director of Track and Field Bob Fraley (men's sprints, men's and women's jumps) , assistants
Tanya Ehlert (women's sprints), Chris Campbell (men's and women's throws), Gonzales (men's distance)
and Lieder (women's distance). Lieder was a former distance runner for the Bulldogs from 1989-93. She was
an All-American in the 800 meters in 1993 and still holds the school records for the 800 meters (2:07.03)
and the 1,500 meters (4:24.68). She also ranks ninth on the Fresno State women's all-time 5,000 meters list
in cross country. Lieder earned a Masters Degree in Kinesiology and ran for the Reebok Aggies.
Post-Season Awards
Outstanding Freshman Performers: Crystal Simmons and Jamie Farley
Coaches' Award: Rickisha Herron
Captains' Award: Kayla Russum
High Point Woman: April Wiechmann
Outstanding Track Performer: Jynette Grayson-Reed
Outstanding Field Performer: April Wiechmann
Herzog Track Woman of the Year: Rachel Bauer
Fresno State Athlete of the Year Nominee: Brooke Lankard
