Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
NCAA West Regional (O)
Lee Qualifies for NCAA Championship
5/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 30, 2008
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The Fresno State track and field team celebrated their successful season with the opening day of the NCAA West Regionals on Matador Track at CSU Northridge. Ten of the Bulldogs' 21 qualifiers competed Friday with one earning a bid to the NCAA Championships.
Gary Lee led the Fresno State men Friday. Lee leapt 25-1.25 (7.65m) to place fourth in the long jump and solidify a trip to the NCAA Championship Meet. The freshman finished fourth behind three seniors and was less than an inch from bronze. Lee's best of 25-6.25 ranks him in 19th as he goes to Des Moine, Iowa, for the Championships.
Val-Pierre Dai'Re was the lone Bulldog to qualify for finals on the track. Dai'Re dominated his heat of the 400-meter hurdles, timing in with a personal best of 51.02. Dai'Re, a redshirt-sophomore, earned an automatic berth to the final race, slated for 4:50 p.m. Saturday. Earlier in the day, Dai'Re competed in the 110 hurdles, registering a 14.33. Freshman Kendrick Young ran with Dai'Re in the 400 hurdles, clocking in at 54.27.
Frank Sanders took fourth in his heat of prelims for the 800. Sanders threatened to take second on the homestretch, but came up just shy of qualifying for the finals with a time of 1:51.48.
Oscar Rodriguez attempted the shot put, but a hip injury forced the senior to foul in his first throw, leaving him unable to compete in his final meet. Although having qualified in the hammer on Saturday, Rodriguez will not compete.
Sharon Ayala, the 18th-best hammer thrower in the NCAA, struggled in the finals of the event early on Friday. Ayala threw a 191-8 (58.43m) on her second attempt, qualifying for the finals in fourth place. Ayala, the current WAC Champion in the hammer, was unable to better her mark, falling from fourth place and an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships to seventh place in the finals. Ayala will likely qualify with an at-large bid, but will have to wait until Sunday to know her spot in Des Moine is secure.
Junior Grace Wiesmann battled nerves in the hammer throw, and on her third attempt Wiesmann threw a 162-11 (49.65m) to finish out her season.
Krystina Jackson, the women's lone Regional veteran, ran a 14.24 in the 100 hurdles, completing her Fresno State career.
Tiera Hilliard, the reigning WAC Champion in the 200, ran a 24.37 in the event. Freshman Sara Savage briefly appeared in the pole vault, unable to clear the 12-0 mark.
Saturday's events begin at 10 a.m. with the men's hammer throw, in which Brian Vazquez and Chris Witscher will compete. Three other throwers, Brooke Pighin, Rosario Sanchez, and Kayla Xavier, will also compete Saturday. The track events will begin at 3 p.m. with Roxanne Sellick competing in the 1,500 at 3:20 p.m. Dai'Re will run in the finals of the 400 hurdles at 4:50 p.m. Meredith Hawkins competes in the 3,000 steeplechase at 5:15 p.m. The Bulldogs' 4x400 relay with Hilliard, Erica McCoy, Christina Lopez, and Marina Santana will round out the day.
Check out the action at the Regional Website.
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