Fresno State Athletics
Women Look to Go the Distance
2/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Sprints/Relays
Senior sprinter Jynette Grayson-Reed (Stockton, Calif.) returns to the starting blocks for the Bulldogs to compete in the 200 and 400-meter sprints. She will join newcomer Katie Christianson (Indian Wells, Calif.) and walk-on sophomore Jennifer Fiedler (Fresno, Calif.) in the 4 x 400 relay. Grayson-Reed posted personal bests last season in the 200 with a time of 25.41. Her time was .60 under the leader. In the 400, Grayson-Reed achieved a personal best of 54.30 at the WAC Championships, good for sixth place overall. The time improved by four seconds from last season when she managed 54.35. She now holds the seventh and eight spots in the Fresno State career leader's list. Another top returnee is sophomore Crystal Simmons (Barstow, Calif.), more known for her jumping ability, Simmons will contribute to the sprinting effort by competing in the 100 and 200-meter sprints as well as joining Grayson-Reed and Christianson in the 4 x 100 relay. Fiedler will be a definite benefit for the 'Dogs. Look for her in the 400, mile relay and both the sprint and distance medleys.
Middle Distance
Senior Brianna Denley (Prunedale, Calif.) and junior Rachel Bauer (Clovis, Calif.) return as the top middle distance runners. Denley posted a personal best last season with a time of 2:17.26 at the Cal/Nevada Championships in the 800-meter. She also competes in 1,500-meter. In that event, Denley captured her season best at the Woody Wilson Relays with a time of 4:47.56 Bauer is also the Bulldogs' number one heptathlete.
Distance
The 2001 season brings a new event to the women's scorebook, the steeplechase. Freshman Kara June (Santa Maria, Calif.) will represent the Bulldogs. June has been successful with hurdles and is a top choice. In the 5,000-meter, junior Jennifer Smith (Lake of the Pines, Calif.) will take the helm. She is one of Fresno State's top cross country runners and is looking to carry over her success onto the track. Smith has the ability to compete at the NCAA level and be a high scorer in the WAC. Joining Smith is Michelle June (Santa Maria, Calif.). June will also compete in the 10,000-meter. She posted a personal and season best time of 19:00.43 at the USTCA Invitational last year.
Hurdles
The 'Dogs have two WAC Championship finalists returning in senior Tamisha Allen (Salinas, Calif.) and sophomore Mandy Hollister (Turlock, Calif.). Allen placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.34. Her record resulted in the best time for the team and was also her personal and season bests. Hollister was on the heels of Allen with a 100 hurdles time of 14.98. She achieved her personal and season best time at the WAC Championships. In addition, Hollister will compete in the intermediate hurdles with teammate Bauer. Bauer recorded a personal and season best time at the WAC Championship with a time of 61.45, good for fifth place.
Jumps
Simmons, the top returnee for the Bulldogs in both the triple and long jumps, brings back a ninth place finish at the WAC Championships with a distance of 19-4 3/4 in the long jump. Her personal best jump was good enough to make her the leader for the Bulldogs last season by just under two feet. Simmons placed fourth last season at the WAC Championships and managed a personal best with a distance of 41-8 3/4, good enough for a second place finish at the USTCA Invitational. She is joined by newcomer Jenny Moore (Upland, Calif.). Combined, the two will be very competitive in both the dual and triangle meets in the long jump. Simmons and Moore will be joined by incoming freshman Sraeya George (El Cajon, Calif.). Moore will join, senior Erin Boothe (Fresno, Calif.) in the high jump. Boothe achieved a personal and season best height of 5-3 3/4, good for second on the team.
Pole Vault
The Bulldogs lost their top vaulter Brooke Lankard (Visalia, Calif.) to an ACL injury, but are confident in sophomore Autumn Bell (Manteca, Calif.) to represent the 'Dogs. Bell placed fifth at the Fresno Relays with a personal and season best 11-6 vault. Bell will be joined by freshman Lexine Lessar (Hanford, Calif.) and freshman Sarah Merino (Hayward, Calif.).
Throws
Senior April Wiechmann (Apache Junction, Calif.) is the top returnee this season. Wiechmann is a returning WAC Champion in the discus. Her distance of 149-2 is just under two feet farther than the next closest Bulldog. She will compete in all of the throwing events. She scored in all events except for the shot put in conference competition. Her performance at this year's Turkey Trials demonstrated just how significant she will be for the team in terms of points. Junior Kayla Russum (Lake Stevens, Calif.) brings her experience and work ethic to the javelin event this season. Russum is working towards qualifying for the nationals. In the hammer and shot put, junior Andrea Stelter (Chase, British Columbia, Canada) returns to improve on last season's performance of a personal best 41-8 3/4. Sophomore Jamie Farley (Clovis, Calif.) was last season's top performer with a throw of 43-3 1/4 in the shot put. She improved from 105 feet in the hammer to 143 feet at this year's Turkey Trials. Fresno State welcomes incoming freshman Kristin Schelir (Fresno, Calif.). She had an outstanding performance at the Turkey Trials with 141 feet, only 10 feet off of the provisional mark.
Heptathlon
Bauer is the only returning this year. Last season she recorded a personal best time of 4,546 points at the WAC Championships. Her points total was good enough to land her in second place at the meet. The heptathlon consists of seven events: 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter, 800-meter, long jump, high jump, shot put, and javelin.
