March 10, 2006
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The first day of the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships came to a close inside the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday night with the Arizona State University women making history as Amy Hastings won the 5,000m national title while the team accumulated 11 points to sit in eighth place overall, just six points out of a trophy finish (fourth place or better).
Hastings clocked in at 15:51.63 to win the program's first national title in an indoor distance event while also securing the first women's individual NCAA title since Maicel Malone won the 400m dash in 1992. Hastings, the 2004 Pac-10 Conference cross country champion (also a first for ASU), earned the team 10 points while teammate Victoria Jackson finished eighth overall in 16:14.90 to earn one team point. Both women attained All-America honors for their peformances giving Hastings six in her brilliant career and giving Jackson the first of her's. The national title marked just the seventh NCAA crown won indoors (all by the women), the sixth in an individual event and the sixth on the track.
Hastings was in second or third for most of the race, but with nine laps remaining in the 25-lap race, Hastings surged to front to and held off breakaway attempts from other competitors to win the crown. Jackson made a surge of her own in the back, coming from 12th place with one-half of the race gone before picking off runners one at a time to finish eighth.
Joshua Kinnaman, the lone male competitor on the day for the Sun Devils, started the meet off for ASU as he competed in the first four events of the heptathlon to sit sixth overall in the two-day competition. Kinnaman started the day in third place following a run of 7.11 in the 60m dash for 844 points. He then collected 862 points in the long jump with a season-best 7.20m (23-07.50), but slipped to fifth place in the overall standings. In the shot put, his mark of 13.05m (42-09.75) garnered him 670 points as he again fell two places to seventh overall. In the final event of the day, Kinnaman picked up 723 points by clearing 1.91m (6-03.50) in the high jump to bring his one day total to 3,099 points and place him in sixth place overall.
The women opened the day with a trio of field events as Jessica Pressley, Jacquelyn Johnson and Stephanie Garnett competed in the weight throw, high jump and long jump, respectively. Pressley was first up as she finished 10th in the weight with a mark of 19.90m (65-03.25). Johnson cleared 1.76m (5-09.25) before missing three times at the next height to place in a tie for 14th place. Garnett then took to the run way and finished 10th overall, just two places shy of making the finals, with a top leap of 6.15m (20-02.25).
The final event of the day saw the women compete in the distance medley relay as Whitney Hardt, Latosha Wallace, Jessie McLaughlin and Rachel Ellison combined to clock a 11:34.49 to finish in 11th place. The quartet was a last-minute addition to the national meet.
The NCAA Indoor Championships continue Saturday.
2006 NCAA Indoor Championship Results
Arizona State Athletes ONLY
Sun Devil Men:
Heptathlon - Joshua Kinnaman
60m Dash: 7.11 (844 points) - 3rd place (3rd overall)
Long Jump: 7.20m/23-07.50 (862 points) - 4th place (5th overall)
Shot Put: 13.05m/42-09.75 (670 points) - 11th place (7th overall)
High Jump: 1.91m/6-03.50 (723 points) - t-9th place (6th overall)
Day One Total: 3,099 points - 6th overall
Sun Devil Women:
5,000m Run
Amy Hastings - 15:51.63 - NCAA Champion
Victoria Jackson - 16:14.90 - 8th place
Weight Throw - Jessica Pressley
19.90m (65-03.25) - 10th place
Long Jump - Stephanie Garnett
6.15m (20-02.25) - 10th place
Distance Medley Relay - Hardt, Wallace, McLaughlin, Ellison
11:34.49 - 11th place
High Jump - Jacquelyn Johnson
1.76m (5-09.25) - t-14th place