Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
WAC Outdoor Championships
Five Bulldogs Win WAC Titles
5/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 16, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State won five individual titles at the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship Saturday as the women's team placed third while the men took fourth as a team.
"A lot of good things happened at this meet," said head coach Scott Winsor. "But we were definitely capable of finishing higher as a team. We had a lot of points that we left on the table."
The women amassed 119 points to take third in the team competition behind stellar performances by individual champions Sharon Ayala, Latrisha Jordan and the 4x400-meter relay team of Vanessa Sautebin, Tiera Hilliard, Janev Morris and Jordan. Louisiana Tech won the title with 150 points ahead of second-place Nevada with 129.50.
Frank Sanders and the men's 4x400 relay team of Michael Barragan, Kendrick Young, Val-Pierre Dai'Re and Darryl Miller picked up individual titles to propel the men to fourth with 101 points. Utah State was the team champion with 181 points, followed by Idaho with 138 and Louisiana Tech at 130.
Ayala brought home the Bulldogs' first conference crown of the meet in record-breaking fashion. The senior successfully defended her WAC title in the event, picking up her fourth-career conference championship. Ayala threw well throughout the event, throwing past her record on her third throw of the day, but bettering that mark two throws later. Ayala catapulted the hammer 218 feet, 3 inches (66.52 meters) to trump the Fresno State she set by more than two feet and set a new record for the Ralph Maughan Track at Utah State in Logan, Utah.
"Sharon just kept climbing the ladder on each throw today," said Winsor. "She had a great day, breaking the venue record and the Fresno State record again. She was just six centimeters from the conference record, which is a little disappointing, but she had a great day.
"And she's not done. She's close to hitting a bomb and really getting it sailing out there. She's a true competitor and she knows she has a bigger one in there."
Latrisha Jordan brought her "A" game on Saturday, earning the Freshman of the Year honors on the back of two stunning performances on the track. After taking a tumble in the preliminaries of the 400-meter hurdles Friday, Jordan dominated the event finals with a record-breaking 58.36. The freshman not only out-ran the second-place finisher by more than a second and a half, she also broke her own Fresno State record by .12 seconds.
Later in the day, Jordan brought home the gold for the Bulldogs, running the anchor leg of the 4x400.
"Latrisha ran a 53.00 split in the 4x400 to win it for us," said Winsor. "She was at least 15 meters back when she got the baton and won the race by five meters. She's just the kind of athlete that if there's someone in front of her, she's going to get them. That's the mentality she has and that's what she did for us today."
The relay team combined for a 3:39.85, cutting nearly four seconds off their season-best time set in March. Although the team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional as the conference champion, the time easily met the NCAA Regional qualifying standard as well.
Hilliard and Jordan picked up points for the team in the 400 earlier in the day as well. The two Bulldogs went three-four in the quarter-mile as both ran NCAA Regional qualifying marks on career-best races. Hilliard, the Freshman of the Year for 2008, timed a 53.85, while Jordan clocked a 54.35. Hilliard also placed fourth in the 200 with a 24.52.
In addition to her top finish with the 4x400 team, Sautebin picked up points for Fresno State in three other events - the 100 hurdles, the 400 hurdles and the open 100. The senior ran a season-best 13.98 in the 100 hurdles to finish fourth, nabbed fifth in the 400 hurdles, and took seventh in the 100. Teammate Shanelle Stephens finished a breath ahead of Sautebin in the 100, taking fifth in the women's fastest race of the meet.
The 4x100 team of Jordan, Stephens, Hilliard and Morris opened the day on the track with a season-best 46.24 for third.
Roxanne Sellick stepped into the spotlight for Fresno State in the longer races on Saturday. Sellick ran a 4:31.84 in the 1,500, just a step behind the champion, to take her first of two silver finishes on the day. Sellick then came back and ran the 5,000, picking up second place.
In addition to Ayala's stunning performance in the hammer throw, two other Bulldogs earned points in the event for the team. Kayla Xavier and Grace Wiesmann threw their way into fourth and fifth respectively. Saturday's other point gainer for the women's team on the field, Antoinette Burton cleared 5-4.25 (1.65) in the high jump for eighth.
On the men's side, Sanders began the men's track events by defending his title in the 1,500. Sanders ran a 3:51.41 for the win and meet the NCAA Regional standard in the event.
 Frank Sanders defended his WAC title in the 1,500 Saturday. He also won the race at last year's WAC Championships.  | |
"Frank did a great job," said Winsor. "He ran a smart race; executing the race he wanted and it worked for him."
Later in the day, Sanders raced to sixth in the 800 to add points to the team total.
The men's other individual championship came at the very end of the day as 4x400 relay team combined for a scorching season-best of 3:10.98.
"Michael did a heck of a job leading off for us, he really put us in the race," said Winsor. "He handed off to Kendrick, who ran great all weekend long, and got us a good lead. And then Val-Pierre blew the doors off the LA Tech runner, giving us a solid lead. He really ran a tremendous leg and gave Darryl a great lead. Darryl did a lot of running this weekend and despite being tired, he held on to the lead for us. They did a great job."
By winning the conference crown, the relay team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional.
Young truly earned Winsor's compliment earlier in the 400 hurdles. The sophomore took second by .06 seconds in the quarter mile hurdles with a career-best 50.93, a qualifying mark for the NCAA Regional.
"Kendrick took second by a half step in the 400 hurdles with a big time PR," said Winsor. "Kendrick ran like we needed everyone to run. He ran motivated; he ran feeling obligated to win it for his teammates."
Miller added to the points earlier in the day as well. Prior to the 4x400, Miller ran to a third place finish in the open 400 with a 47.69. His teammate in the 4x400, Dai'Re also grabbed team points, taking fifth in the 100. Durran Moore rounded out the sprints for the Bulldogs with a career-best time of 21.52 for fourth place in the 200.
The 4x100 team featuring Charles Williams, DeAnte Brown, Dai'Re and Moore also nabbed third with a season-best time of 41.00.
Paul Zwama, who ran to second in the 10,000 Friday, returned to the track near the end of the meet to take on the 5,000. The freshman distance runner stepped up for the `Dogs again, adding another second-place finish to the point total for Fresno State.
Over on the field, Lyle Quillen and Taylor Franzman vaulted to fourth and fifth places, respectively. Quillen cleared 15-7 (4.75m), while Franzman overcame 15-1 (4.60m) to grab six points for the team.
Brown, who ran in the 4x100, also picked up team points in the triple jump. The senior marked a 48-0 (14.63m) in the triple jump to take sixth. After a career-day Friday, Tim Greene contributed more points for Fresno State in the discus throw. Greene took sixth with a heave of 161-3 (29.15m).
With the regular season now complete, the Bulldogs now turn their attention to the NCAA Regional set for May 29-30 in Eugene, Ore.
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