April 13, 2012
TEMPE - The Arizona State University track and field team will host its final home meet of the season on Saturday, April 14 as the squad welcomes LSU, Arkansas (men) and San Diego State (women) for a unique tri-meet experience featuring some of the elite teams historically of any sports. LSU, Arkansas and Arizona State have combined for 65 NCAA Championships between the indoor and outdoor seasons on both the men's and women's sides and 15 titles combined since 2002. The meet will not be scored but will feature several elite student-athletes going head-to-head in what could be a preview of some of the finals at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, this June. Events will get underway Saturday starting with the hammer throw at 10:30 a.m. and resume with the pole vault at 1 p.m. The running events are set to get underway around 3 p.m. PST.
OUT OF THE BLOCKS
The Sun Devil men are coming off a trophy-earning fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boise earlier in March. The men saw two national champions crowned in Jordan Clarke in the shot put and Mason McHenry at 800 meters.
The Sun Devil women return two first team outdoor All-Americans this season in Anna Jelmini (discus) and Christabel Nettey (long jump).
Head coach Greg Kraft is in his 16th season at Arizona State, the third-longest tenure of any of ASU's current sports coaches.
Junior Jordan Clarke is currently ranked in the NCAA top-15 in three throwing events (2nd in the shot put, 9th in the hammer and 15th in the discus)
Jordan Clarke is the NCAA"s returning shot put champion outdoors and will be the returning champion when the team reaches the 2013 indoor season as well after his performance in Boise earlier this year.
The Sun Devil men currently rank 7th nationally while the women sit 15th
Sun Devils are ranked in the top 25 in 21 events headings into the weekend and the ASU men have both relays ranked in the top 10 nationally.
IN THE RANKINGS: USTFCCCA TOP 25
The men moved up three positions in the Week 2 USTFCCCA Computer Rankings to No. 7. It is the highest the Sun Devil men have been ranking in the computer rankings since reaching No. 6 in the June 1 rankings of the 2010 season. The ASU women climbed four positions to No. 15. Both teams are in the top-15 in the computer rankings for the first time since the final rankings released before the 2009 NCA A Championships.
IN THE RANKINGS: USTFCCCA WEST REGION
The Sun Devil men currently lead the NCAA West Region computer rankings with 709.10 points, just ahead of second-place Oregons' 687.19 points. The women's team sits third in the Regional rankings behind Oregon and Arizona.
FOLLOW LIVE
Due to insufficient Internet connection at the track, there will be no live results from Saturday's competition. However, there will live blog available to all that will serve as `live coverage' in its stead. The blog will begin around 2 p.m. PT on Saturday and can be found at the following link: http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/031712aaa.html
THROWING THEIR WEIGHT
Over the past 10 years, David Dumble has continued to bring in top talent and build the throws program at Arizona State, which has collected 13 total national titles, including the shiny new trophy earned by Jordan Clarke at the NCAA Indoor Championships just two weeks ago. With Clarke the defending indoor AND outdoor national champion and Anna Jelmini the top returning discus thrower in the nation, the ASU throws team looks to continue their perennial dominance of the event into the outdoor season.
NETTEY POT
Christabel Nettey looked up to snuff with her outdoor long jumping self that earned first-team All-America honors last season as she soared 6.58m (21-07.25) in the team's season opener at the Baldy Castillo Invitational for a new career best and improved her second-place hold on ASU's all-time list in the event. Nettey also moved into second all-time at ASU in the triple jump with her leap of 12.80m (42-00.00) at the ASU Invite. Both marks rank in the top 20 nationally this season.
RUNNING RELAY FAST
The ASU men's relay teams strutted their stuff at the Sun Angel Classic with the men's 4x100m of Daniel Auberry, Chris Burrows, Rashad Ross and Ryan Milus clocking a time of 39.12 that ranks fourth in the country thus far. The 4x400m team of Kelsey Caesar, Chris Burrows, John Kline and Will Henry currently sits seventh as well with their season opening time of 3:05.29.
I'VE GOT A HINCH
Before the 2012 season even got underway, head coach Greg Kraft said that Derick Hinch, a junior college pole vault transfer out of Cuesta College in California, would be one of the team's dark horse as it fights for Pac-12 dominance this year. Hinch looked to be playing the part at the ASU Invite as he soared 5.50m (18-00.50) for the second-best jump in school history and the current third-best pole vault in the nation.
PINNICK BASKET
Keeping track of Keia Pinnick at a track meet isn't always an easy task. The junior does just about everything for the Sun Devils and showed it at the Jim Click Combined Events in Tucson as she set a career best in the heptathlon with a score of 5,622. That score sits fourth in the nation in 2012 and would have been good for fifth at the NCAA Championships in 2011. Not only that, but it moves Pinnick to third on ASU's all-time descending order list in the event
RUNNING FOR MILUS AND MILES
If there is such a thing as a sophomore slump, Ryan Milus is showing no symptoms of it early in the 2012 outdoor season. The second-year runner broke the meet record at the ASU invite with a career-best time of 10.21 in the 100-meter dash and followed it up with a career-best 20.86 in the 200-meter dash later in the event. Milus currently sits ninth in the nation at 100 meters and 17th at 200 meters.
GRAND MASON
Another student-athlete not looking at any dropoff is Mason McHenry at 800 meters. After winning the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championship in the event, McHenry clocked a new outdoor best of 1:47.60 at the ASU Invite for the fifth-fastest time in the country and second-fastest in school history.
SHELBY GT800
Freshman Shelby Houlihan is fast becoming one of the top middle-distance runners to ever come through Tempe and she's only competed in just a handful of races. Competing against several potential Olympians at the Sun Angel Classic, Houlihan clocked a freshman record and the fifth-fastest time in the country in 2:03.85 for the third-best time in school history in just her second outdoor 800-meter run.
A MAN OF MANY DIFFERENT HATS
Jordan Clarke has wasted little time establishing himself as one of the top all-around throwers in the country with his recent performances. Clarke ranks in the top 15 in three events currently, sitting second in the shot put, ninth in the hammer and 15th in the discus throw. Clarke is the only thrower in the nation that can lay claim to such a feat and also finds himself ranked in the top-10 on ASU's all-time lists in each of the three events as well.
EVERYTHING IS JEL-ING
Clarke isn't the only Sun Devil turning it on in the throws. Sophomore Anna Jelmini finds herself ranked second in the discus and fifth in the shot put events early this season. Jelmini has also already set a career-best in the hammer throw this season and she, too, finds herself ranked in ASU's top-10 in all three events.
FLYING HIGH
Bryan McBride has come on strong in his sophomore campaign and finds himself fast rising the ASU all-time ranks in the process. McBride currently ranks ninth in the nation with his career outdoor best of 2.20m (7-02.50) in both oudoor contests he has competed in this year, good for seventh on ASU's all-time list. In addition, McBride is becoming a solid addition in the triple jump as well, setting a career best at the Sun Angel Classic with a leap of 15.38m.
TRIPLE THE EXCITEMENT
Chris Benard is another one fast making his mark in the ASU record books. Benard soared 16.38m at the Sun Angel Classic for the second-best mark in the nation this far in 2012 and the third-best jump in school history for the ASU All-American. Benard also set a new career best in the long jump with a leap of 7.75m to move right on the cusps of ASU's all-time top-10 list in the process.
IN THE TOP 10 ALL-TIME - OUTDOORS
The Sun Devils are starting to get into the swing of things and, as such, the record book is starting to need some re-writing. Thus far in 2012, four student-athletes have etched their names in the record books for the first time while 10 athletes in 11 events have all improved upon prior record book marks. Derick Hinch, Andrea Crook, Chris Benard and Shelby Houlihan are the newest additions to the list, with Hinch moving to second all-time in the pole vault, Crook seventh in the triple jump, Benard third in the triple jump and Houlihan ninth in the 1,500-meter run and third in the 800m. Christabel Nettey is pacing the way for the returners, as she has improved to second in both the long jump and triple jump. Ryan Milus (100m), Mason McHenry (800m), Bryan McBride (high jump), Shaylah Simpson (pole vault), Linda Kuenzi (pole vault), Jordan Clarke (hammer), Ashley Lampley (hammer) Anna Jelmini (hammer) and Keia Pinnick (heptathlon) have all also improved upon marks they already held within the top 10.