Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UC Davis
Track And Field Sweeps UC Davis In Dual Action
4/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
April 28, 2007
Fresno, Calif. - On a scorching hot day, Fresno State track and field still produced top marks, defeating UC Davis in a single meet action on Saturday. The men's team cruised to a 103.5 to 79.5 win, while the women had to wait for a 4x400m win in the day's final event to take a 94-93 victory home for the Bulldogs.
"I thought that today's meet went extremely well," commented head coach Bob Fraley. "I thought a lot of our athletes really stepped up. This late in the season, this type of event really prepares us for the upcoming WAC Championships."
Much of the day's excitement was generated by senior Samantha Modeste, who became just the third woman in Fresno State history to clear 13 feet in the pole vault. That mark helped Modeste win the pole vault and further solidify her regional qualifying status.
Fresno State's Katie Richardson was the top scorer on the day for the Bulldogs, scoring 18 total points on the day. Richardson won the discus, shot put and javelin throws, and took second place in the hammer behind Grace Wiesmann, who set a PR and season-best for Fresno State with a throw of 52.78m.
In other field action, UC Davis' Jah Bennett cleared 7 feet in the high jump to win that event, and Fresno State's Ryan Rupcich skied over 4.73m to take the gold in the men's pole vault. DeAnte Brown and Dave Endler were both double winners on the day, with Brown taking both distance jumping events, the long jump and triple jumo, and Endler winning the shot put and discus as well as closing out as the runner-up in the hammer.
Out on the track, Christina Lopez won the 200-meter dash with a career-best time of 24.26, and Renee Winston and Zinzi Evans won their specialties in the 400 and 800 respectively as the Bulldogs won three of the four sprints. The Bulldog women also swept the hurdles races, as Krystina Jackson won the 100m and Erica McCoy won the 400m.
For the men, Juan Valdez ran a season-high 47.92 in the 400m dash, and Aaron Berry took a somewhat surprising win the 800m run. Frank Sanders also added a win in the 1500m for the Bulldogs, Fresno State's only win in the distance races.
The end of the day provided a bit of drama. While Modeste and Bennett were chasing down potential school records in the pole vault and high jump, the women's teams were embroiled in a tight competition that came down to the final race. Fresno State's "A" relay team of Renee Winston, Christina Lopez, Erica McCoy and Zinzi Evans bested the Aggies though in the day's final event to get the win.
"I really feel like UC Davis is becoming a good rivalry for us," said Fraley. "It was really neat to see the teams come together and win the sweepstakes award in this meet."
Fresno State travels to the Modesto Relays next week in the final tuneup for the Bulldogs before they host the 2007 WAC Championships from May 9-12 at Warmerdam Field.
Players Mentioned
