Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
WAC Indoor Championships
Track and Field Concludes 2001 WAC Indoor Championships
2/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 24, 2001
RENO, Nev. - The Fresno State track and field team concluded the three-day 2001 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships today, Saturday, Feb. 24. The men's team finished in third place earning 94 1/2 points, while the women took sixth with 69 points.
The men stepped up this indoor season to improve on last year's fifth place finish, by taking third. They also set a few personal-records in the process. Although the day did not result in any first place champions, the team did see one second and two third place finishes. Sophomore triple jumper Kevin Carano (Fresno, Calif.) claimed second in his event with a distance of 50-09 1/2, a performance also resulting in a personal-best record. Senior thrower Ryan Beckenhauer (Reedley, Calif.) and senior sprinter C.J. Nakayama (Clovis, Calif.) inked third place in their respective events. Beckenhauer threw 54-06 1/2 in the shot put, while Nakayama sprinted to a personal-best time of 48.11 in the 400-meter dash. Other noteworthy finishes came from sophomores Aaron Vasquez (Merced, Calif.) and Josh Roddy (Manteca, Calif.). Vasquez was on the heels of Nakayama in the 400 at 48.19, also a personal-best, and Roddy once again improved his mile time to 4:16.25.
The women were not as fortunate this season with their sixth place finish, compared to last season's fourth place capture. However, despite the overall team performance, there were some individual achievements. A third place throw of 44-00 3/4 from freshman Kristin Schelir (Fresno, Calif.) in the shot put proved to be the highest finish for the women. Senior hurdler Tamisha Allen (Salinas, Calif.) improved her time in the 55-meter hurdles to 8.39. Also, sophomore Autumn Bell (Manteca, Calif.) vaulted to new personal-best of 11-09 3/4, a height more than five inches higher than her previous attempt. Another noteworthy performance came from junior Andrea Stelter (Chase, B.C., Canada) as she competed and finished fifth in the shot put despite an injury to her left hand (non-throwing arm). She managed a throw of 43-02 1/4, just nine inches off of her personal-best. Also, improving was senior Jynette Grayson-Reed (Stockton, Calif.). She crossed the line in the preliminaries of the 200-meter in 24.94 to beat her old record of 25.00.
For the men, Texas Christian won the title recording 160 1/2 points, while the University of Texas-El Paso totaled 97 points to earn second and Fresno State finished with 94 1/2 for third. The last three places were taken by Rice with 83 points, Southern Methodist with 75 and Tulsa with 14. The women's competition saw Rice overcome host Nevada for first place with 144 1/2 points to its' 119 1/2. The remainder of the finishes saw SMU take third with 91, TCU fourth with 90, UTEP fifth with 85, Fresno State sixth with 69 and Tulsa in seventh with 46.
The Bulldogs open their outdoor season on March 17, in San Luis Obispo with the Cal Poly Invitational.
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