Fresno State Athletics
Track and Field Awaits 2001 NCAA Championships
5/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 24, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - 2001 WAC CHAMPIONS CROWNED
The 2001 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships crowned a new champion on Saturday, May 19, at Fresno State's Warmerdam Field. The men suited up six teams. Texas Christian University earned the honor with their effort of 162 points. The University of Texas-El Paso fell in at second with 151 points. Fresno State stood alone in third with 117 points. Rounding out the three remaining spots are Southern Methodist University in fourth with 103 points, Rice in fifth with 82, Tulsa with 33.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior thrower Ryan Beckenhauer (Reedley, Calif.) threw a NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 64 2 1/2 on Saturday, May 5, in the shot put to advance him into the NCAA Championships beginning May 30, in Eugene, Ore. Junior pole vaulter, Mark Unzueta (Lemoore, Calif.) may join him, after vaulting to a provisional height of 17-4 1/2 in the same meet. Beckenhauer now ranks No. 2 in Fresno State history in the event. Unzueta joins the elite group of Fresno State pole vaulters who have reached the 17-foot mark. The three-day competition will begin on Wednesday, May 30 and continue through Saturday, June 2.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
The 4 x 400-meter relay squad definitely put the icing on the cake on Saturday, with its push towards a championship title. The squad comprised on senior C.J. Nakayama (Clovis, Calif.), sophomore Aaron Vasquez (Merced, Calif.), junior Roosevelt Cook (Ontario, Calif.) and anchor, freshman Reginal Allen (Fresno, Calif.) snatched the gold medal away from second place finisher UTEP at the finish line. The four-some crossed in a team-best 3:10.15, just nudging past the 3:10.20 time of UTEP. The crown is the first since 1988 and the third in Fresno State history, since 1970.
TWICE IS NICE WITH UNZUETA
Once again, Unzueta has been crowned the pole vault champion, this time for his efforts at the WAC Outdoor Championships. Unzueta crossed the bar at 16-6 3/4, to finish first. Unzueta becomes just the second track and field athlete to sweep both the indoor and outdoor championships. The last athlete to accomplish such a feat was Jim Davis in 1999. Unzueta also becomes the 14th Bulldog to win a conference crown in the event and 20th WAC Champion.
TICKET TO OREGON
Beckenhaur is headed to Eugene, Ore., for the 2001 NCAA Championships for his efforts in the shot put. He threw the automatic qualifying mark of 64-2 1/2 on Saturday, May 5. Previously, the thrower had tossed three provisional marks in as many meets. His second place throw of 61-3 at the WAC Outdoor Championships was his third PQ of the season. Last season, Beckenhauer finished fifth in event with a throw of 54-3 1/4, a toss nearly 10 feet shorter than his best this season. The automatic throw also moved him into the No. 3 spot in the Fresno State career leaders list. Beckenhauer surpassed Don Crow's throw of 59-0 in 1983. The leader is John Bender with his best of 65-6 in 1987.
DOMINATING `DOGS
The Fresno State decathletes dominated the event at the 2001 WAC Outdoor Championships. Of the six decathletes in this year's events, the Bulldogs accounted for five of them. Senior Donell Wickett (Ventura, Calif.) turned in the `Dogs best performance after tallying 6,809 points after the 10 events. Wickett sailed to victory in the final event of the multi-event competition, the 1,500 meters. He clocked a first place time of 4:15.83. Nakayama came in a close second after recording 6,642 points. He took first in the javelin after a spear of 172-11. Junior Justin Schwartz (Herald, Calif.) finished in fourth with 6,084 points. He also earned a first place crown in the pole vault after hovering at 14-9.
STEPPIN' UP
All together there were eight top three finishes. In addition to the 1,600-meter relay team, Wickett and Nakayama in the decathlon, Beckenhauer in the shot put and Unzueta in the pole vault, there were three other top finishes. Freshman Shlomi Ben-Shushan (Kfar.Saba, Israel) turned in a second place throw in the hammer of 189-4. Cook inked second in the 800 meters after clocking 1:51.73. Finally, the 400-meter relay team of senior Ron Fox (Spring Valley, Calif.), freshman Chad Seiler (Fresno, Calif.), sophomore Darnell Hammock (Oakland, Calif.) and Allen, clocked a third place time of 40.66.
REMEMBERING THE PAST
Last year at the WAC championships, the Bulldogs placed third overall and tallied 120 points. Since joining the WAC in 1993, the `Dogs have finished in the top three ranks, seven out of nine years. Undoubtedly the most impressive year was in 1994, as the squad inked 183 points, en route to their first and only conference title. That same year, the `Dogs also managed to score the highest points total in school history since joining. The landmark year was also the only crown the Bulldogs have won in the WAC, in the indoor and outdoor.
2001 WAC CHAMPION CROWNED
The 2001 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships crowned a new champion on Saturday, May 19, at Fresno State's Warmerdam Field. The women suited up eight teams. For the second-straight year, Rice University earned the honor with their effort of 142.50 points. Nevada, upon the heels of joining the conference this season, finished in an impressive second place with 111 points. Fresno State and Texas Christian University tied for third with 110. Southern Methodist University finished in fifth with 109. Rounding out the last the three positions were Tulsa (96), the University of Texas-El Paso (91.50) and Hawai'i (46). This was also the first outdoor championship for Hawai'i, who only participated in the women's events.
A QUARTET OF NCAA PROVISIONAL QUALIFIERS
The women of Fresno State have done well this season in their efforts to qualify for the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Leading the way is senior Jynette Grayson-Reed (Stockton, Calif.) in the 400-meter run. Joining her are freshman Kara June (Santa Maria, Calif.) in the steeplechase, junior Kayla Russum (Lake Stevens, Calif.) and sophomore Crystal Simmons (Barstow, Calif.) in the triple jump. Should the quartet be selected to compete at the 2001 NCAA Championships, they will travel to Eugene, Ore., on Wednesday, May 30, through Saturday, June 2.
THE GOLDEN CHILD
Kara June was rewarded for her efforts as a pioneer in the women's steeplechase on Saturday, after she sprinted to a championship crown. June clocked a NCAA provisional time of 10:53.83, which was 13 seconds faster than her closest opponent, Elizabeth Ruckman of Rice. The new personal-best will forever remain in the history books, as she becomes the first-ever, WAC champion in the women's steeplechase. The impressive time also marks the fourth time this season in which she has both won the event and posted a personal-best and places her as the new WAC leader. Her efforts will also go down in the record books as Fresno State's first WAC steeplechase champion and the record holder at Warmerdam Field. This year marks the first season in which the women's steeplechase is a NCAA event.
LOOK AT GRAYSON-REED GO
Like a true champion, Grayson-Reed took her place on the podium as the silver medal was placed around her neck. The WAC championships saw Grayson-Reed sprint to a provisional time in the 400, and the best of her career. In the event on Saturday, Grayson-Reed clocked a second place time of 53.30. A mark, that for the second time this season, has earend her a provisionally qualified bid to the championships. She improved on her previous personal-best of 53.60, which she earned earlier in the season in Sacramento, Calif., on March, 24.
HONORING OUR HEPTATHLETES
In 90 degree weather, competing in seven events is no small feat. Fresno State heptathletes junior Rachel Bauer (Clovis, Calif.) and freshman Jenny Moore (Fresno, Calif.) represented the Bulldogs in the heptathlon at the WAC Championships. Bauer finished fourth with 4,423 points. She earned a first place finish in 800-meter run at 2:19.81. Bauer also finished in fourth place at the 2001 WAC Indoor Championships. Moore inked seventh and 4,059 points.
STEPPIN' UP
All together four Bulldogs stepped onto the winners' stand on Saturday. Topping all performances was of course, Kara June in the steeplechase and Grayson-Reed in the 400. Simmons, earned a bronze in the long jump, after she leaped a personal-best 19-6 1/4. Her mark also moves her into the seventh rank in Fresno State's career leaders list. Freshman Kristin Schelir (Fresno, Calif.) found her way to the awards stand with two top three efforts. In the shot put, Schelir finished in second with a personal-best toss of 44-11 1/2. She later took third in the discus with a team and personal-best throw of 153-1. Since 1993, the `Dogs have seen 27 WAC champions.
REMEMBERING THE PAST
Last year at the WAC championships, the Bulldogs placed an impressive second, as they tallied 135 points. The top three finish was the best the team had seen since 1997, when they fell to Brigham Young, who dominated the championship with 234 points. Since 1993, the `Dogs have placed second, six of the nine years since joining the conference and been in the top three spots, seven of the nine years. The `Dogs have never placed higher than second, but took the rank for five-straight years, beginning in 1993 and ending in 1997. With the first, second place finish in 1993, the `Dogs captured 198 points, the most in the school's WAC history. In 1998, the team found themselves in fourth and in sixth place in 1999, before returning to their familiar, second place in 2000. The team has only been crowned champions one time, after its win in the indoor season of 1994. The WAC held its first women's outdoor track and field championship in 1991, when Brigham Young was the champion.
