Fresno State Athletics
Men's Weekly Release
5/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 1, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - FINAL HOME MEET
The Bulldogs will host their final home meet of the season on Saturday, May 5, in Warmerdam Field. Cal Poly and CS Northridge are slated to compete.
`DOGS INK 5th AT CAL-NEVADA
The 2001 Cal-Nevada Championships were held at UC Irvine, in Irvine, Calif., on Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29. The `Dogs tallied 63 points en route to a fifth place finish.
BECKONING BECKENHAUER
Senior Ryan Beckenhauer (Reedley, Calif.) is probably used to hearing chants from the crowd these days. He has certainly earned them after having posted three provisional qualifying marks in the shot put over the past three weeks. Beckenhauer's most recent accomplishment was achieved at Cal-Nevada. He threw 59-8 1/2 for a new personal-best distance and a third place finish overall.
THE VASQUEZ DUO
Sophomores Joe Vasquez (Selma, Calif.) and Aaron Vasquez (Merced, Calif.) share more than their last names. They also share in the spirit of competition. At Cal-Nevada, Joe improved his personal-best throw in the shot put by over a foot. He went from 48-1 1/4 to 49-4 1/4, to ink the second-best spot on the Fresno State bests' list. His effort marks the second week in a row that he has posted a new best. Aaron clocked a personal-best time in the 400 meters as he crossed the finish line in second place fashion.
MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A CHAMPIONSHIP
The men's jump squad is busy dreaming of flying sand these days as they prepare for the Western Athletic Conference Championships. Brothers Kyle and Kevin Carano (Fresno, Calif.) and junior Kyrah Ayers (Vallejo, Calif.) are not just sending the sand flying, they are also busy sending the records flying. All three men participated at Cal-Nevada. Kevin jumped to a fourth place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 49-7 1/4. Kyle and Ayers inked the 10th and 12th spots respectively. Ayers had previously jumped to two personal-bests in the long and triple jumps at the Woody Wilson Relays on April 21, 2001.
DECADENT DECATHLETES
Junior Josh Alfaro (Clovis, Calif.) topped all Bulldog performances in the decathlon event at Cal-Nevada. He finished in sixth place with 5,710 points. Alfaro captured first in the high jump, hovering the bar at 6-4 3/4. He also finished second in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking a personal-best 15.64. Freshman Adam Hess (Union City, Calif.) finished in 12th place with 4,009 points.
ROOSEVELT COOKS
Junior Roosevelt Cook (Ontario, Calif.) cooked up a new personal-best and a second place finish at Cal-Nevada with his time of 1:50.88 in the 800 meters. He is only .50 seconds away from breaking in Fresno State's career leaders' list. His time leads the team.
PASSING THE BATON AND THE COMPETITION
For the fifth consecutive week, the men's relay team finished in the top three spots in the 4 x 400-meter relay. Fresno State team A anchored second in the 4 x 400 crossing in a team-best 3:10.71. The team also placed third in the 4 x 100-meter relay with a time of 41.01.
THREE'S A CHARM
Beckenhauer has definitely made his presence known in the shot put ring. He has improved his personal-bests in the shot put for three consecutive weeks. All three new marks have been NCAA provisional qualifying distances. To earn a shot put PQ, the thrower must reach 58-4 3/4. Beckenhauer's best mark thus far is 59-8 1/2. To automatically qualify, he must throw 63-0.
THE LEADER OF THE PACK
Of the 19 individual events, there are 12 different event leaders on the men's squad. Sophomore Darnell Hammock (Oakland, Calif.) leads the way in the 100 meters, while freshman Chad Seiler (Fresno, Calif.) has the top spot in the 200 meters and Vasquez holds the reigns in the 400. Cook is solid in the 800, as sophomore Josh Roddy (Manteca, Calif.) owns the 1,500 meters. Sophomore Robert Vaca (Parlier, Calif.) leads in both the steeplechase and 5,000 meters. Alfaro is stellar in the 110 hurdles, high jump and decathlon. Senior C.J. Nakayama (Clovis, Calif.) owns the 400-meter hurdles, long jump and javelin. Kevin Carano is tops in the triple jump, while junior Mark Unzueta (Lemoore, Calif.) hovers at the top in the pole vault. Beckenhauer leads in the shot put and discus, while teammate, freshman Shlomi Ben-Shushan (Kfar.Saba, Israel) reigns in the hammer.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS HEADING TO FRESNO
The 2001 WAC outdoor track and field championships are headed to Fresno State for the first time since 1994. Warmerdam Field will host the events from Wednesday, May 16, through Saturday, May 19.
