May 2, 2001
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This Week --
State bragging rights will be on the line this weekend, as Arizona State track and field hosts the annual double dual meet with rivals Arizona and Northern Arizona, Saturday, May 5 at Sun Angel Stadium. Field events are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., with running events starting at 7 p.m. Arizona's women are the only team appearing in this week's Trackwire.com poll, ranked sixth as of May 1.
The Series --
ASU, Arizona and Northern Arizona meet twice a year in a double dual format, once during the indoor season and once during the outdoor season. Earlier this year indoors at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, the ASU women defeated NAU 91-57, but lost to Arizona by just one point, 79-78. The Wildcat women took care of NAU, 98-54. On the men's side, ASU beat UA 79-76, but fell to NAU 77-76. The Wildcat men defeated NAU, 85-68. Last May in Tucson, the ASU men were edged by UA 108-104, but defeated NAU 111-90. The Sun Devil women met with the same fate, falling to Arizona 103-80, but defeating NAU 105-67. The ASU women's squad has not defeated Arizona in an outdoor dual since 1995 (85-82), while the last time the men defeated the Wildcats outdoors was in 1992 (83.5-74). The Sun Devil men have defeated NAU in seven of the last eight years, while the women have done the same in 10 of the last 11.
National Rankings --
Despite holding top-10 spots in the USTCA Team-Power Rankings, neither ASU's men or women appear in the latest Trackwire.com poll released May 1. The men have been ranked as high as 18th according to Trackwire.com -- tying with George Mason and Texas A&M -- in the March 27 poll. The women have yet to be ranked during the outdoor season. In the USTCA Team Power Rankings (www.team-power.org), ASU's women rank seventh with a score of 353.39, while the men rank 10th with a score of 330.18.
Last Time Out --
Last weekend, ASU had split squads competing at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa and at the Oregon Invitational in Eugene. The men's 1600m relay team of Michael Campbell, Marcus Brunson, Jason Barton and Tony Berrian captured first place among a highly competitive field at the Drake Relays with a NCAA automatic qualifying time and season-best of 3:03.10. The squad crossed the finish line one-tenth of a second faster than its previous season-best, a mark which ranks second in the ASU record-books and fifth in the nation this year. The women's 1600m relay of Courtnie Ratliff, Candida Coulson, Arlaina Davis and Joni Smith also made a strong showing, taking second with a season-best and provisional qualifying time of 3:34.90. In the men's 400, Berrian took second place honors with a PQ of 45.91, followed by Campbell placing fourth in 46.31. The men's 400 relay team of also advanced to the finals but was disqualified due to a false start. At the Oregon Invitational, ASU took home three field event victories, with David Wood winning the men's shot put with a season-best and PQ mark of 61 feet, 11.5 inches, Adrienne Judie winning the women's shot put with a PQ (50-4.25) and Olivia Mazzaglia won the triple jump with a season-best (37-10.75).
Pac-10 Championships Around the Corner --
ASU has qualified 23 men and 21 women for the 2001 Track and Field Pac-10 Championships hosted by Cal at Edwards Stadium and Goldman Field in Berkeley, Calif., beginning next weekend with the decathlon and heptathlon competition. Saturday, May 12, the hep begins at 11 a.m., followed by the dec at 11:30 a.m.. Day two of the multi-event competition continues Sunday, May 13, also at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. PST. The remainder of the conference championships take place Saturday, May 19 through Sunday, May 20.
Pac-10 Leaderboard --
ASU athletes currently sit atop the Pac-10 leaderboard in five events, while many hold high rankings among conference competitors. Senior Marcus Brunson leads the Pac-10 with his season-best time of 10.21 in the 100m and is second in the 200m (20.37). ASU also has three of the top six spots in the men's 400m, led by senior Michael Campbell (45.74), followed by senior Tony Berrian with the second fastest time (45.82) and finally freshman Jason Barton in the sixth spot (46.67). The four aforementioned Sun Devils make up ASU's Pac-10 leading 1600m relay team which clocked the second-best time in school history (3:03.10) at the Drake Relays. On the women's side, sophomore distance standout Lisa Aguilera leads the conference in both the 1500m (4:19.90) and 3000m steeplechase (10:08.85), while senior Kelly MacDonald ranks second in two events - the 1500m (4:22.72) and the mile (4:44.96). Aguilera (16:06.63) and MacDonald (16:14.81) also rank third and fifth, respectively, in the the 5000m . Additional Sun Devils ranking among the top three in their respective events include sophomore Jeremy Rasmussen (3rd - 3000m steeplechase, 9:00.56), junior David Wood (2nd - shot put, 61-11.5), senior Mary Duerbeck (2nd - 10K, 33:53.52), sophomore Tiffany Greer (2nd - long jump, 21-0.5) and the women's 400m relay (3rd - 45.00), the women's 1600m relay (2nd - 3:34.90), men's 1600m relay team (1st - 3:03.10) and men's 400m relay team (3rd - 39.98).
NCAA Qualifiers --
Entering this weekend's meet, the Sun Devils have qualified for nationals in 26 events, including both the men's and women's 400 and 1600m relays. Lisa Aguilera sits atop the group, qualifying in three individual events. She ranks sixth in the women's 3000 steeplechase (automatic), the women's 5000m (automatic) and the 1500 (provisional). Double qualifiers for ASU include Kelly MacDonald, ranking 13th in the 1500m (4:22.72) and 17th in the 5000m (16:14.81), Adrienne Judie, ranking 18th in the shot put (51-2.75) and 22nd in the hammer (190-7), and Marcus Brunson, ranking 12th in the 100 (10.21) and first in the 200 (20.37). Michael Campbell and Tony Berrian rank 12th (45.74) and 13th (45.82), respectively, in the men's 400m, while also making up half of the men's 1600m relay team which ranks fifth nationally. Candida Coulson ranks 17th in the women's 400m hurdles and also runs on the women's 1600m relay team, ranked 14th nationally. To date, ASU has tallied five automatic qualifying times: Aguilera (3K steeplechase, 5000), Fasil Bizuneh (10K), Brunson (200) and the men's 1600m relay team.
Aguilera, MacDonald Awarded Highest ASU Honors --
Lisa Aguilera was named the Female Athlete of the Year, while teammate Kelly MacDonald earned the Heather Farr Award as Arizona State University honored its female student-athletes at the annual Wings of Gold Banquet and Auction held at the Scottsdale Conference Resort April 30.Last fall, Aguilera turned in the best individual performance in ASU cross country history, becoming the third Sun Devil woman to earn All-America honors, while leading the women to their best national finish ever (sixth) with her school-record fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships MacDonald was honored with the Heather Farr award, a distinction given to the ASU female student-athlete who excels in athletics, academics and community service. The honoree must have inspired her teammates by leadership, integrity, courage and dedication.
Brunson, Aguilera Among The World's Elite --
With only four weeks remaining until the NCAA Championships, Marcus Brunson is the collegiate leader in the men's 200 with his personal best time of 20.37 set at the Mt. Sac Relays April 22, a performance which ranks second in the world this year. Lisa Aguilera was this year's world leader and collegiate record holder for 20 days in the women's 3000 steeplechase. Running the race for the very first time, she won the event at the Stanford Invitational March 31 in 10:08.85. Her record was later broken by BYU's Elizabeth Jackson (9:59.50) at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational April 20. Aguilera currently ranks sixth on the collegiate list of NCAA qualifiers.
Double Duty --
ASU football players Shaun McDonald and Emmanuel Franklin are pulling double duty this spring, joining the track and field squad while on hiatus from their time on the gridiron. Both freshman, McDonald and Franklin have competed as the third and fourth legs, respectively, on the men's 400m relay team. This weekend in the Double Dual, they will make their debuts as individuals, as McDonald is entered in the men's 100 and Franklin is entered in the men's 200.
ASU's 45 Second Club --
Only 14 men in ASU track and field history have clocked a 400m time of 45 seconds or less and two of those Sun Devils are seniors Michael Campbell and Tony Berrian. Campbell set a PR at the Sun Angel Classic, a time of 45.74 which ranks 12th all-time in ASU history. Berrian is not far behind Campbell, notching a PR of his own at the Mt. Sac Relays, a time of 45.82 which stands as the 13th fastest 400m time in Sun Devil history.
Sun Devils Assault the Record Books --
With just under a month left of the 2001 season, this year's edition of the Sun Devil track and field squad has already made its mark in the school record books. Lisa Aguilera ran the third-fastest women's 5000m time in ASU history at the Mt. Sac Relays (16:06.63). At the Stanford Invitational, Aguilera set a young school record with her then-world leading time in the women's 3000m steeplechase, while Mary Duerbeck ran the second-fastest women's 10,000m race in school history with her personal best effort of 33:53.52. Aguilera also clocked the second-fastest 1500m time in ASU history at the Sun Angel Classic (4:19.90), followed closely behind by Kelly MacDonald with the fourth-fastest time in ASU history (4:22.72). Also at Stanford, Fasil Bizuneh broke his own school record in the men's 10,000m with a PR of 28:58.61. Adrienne Judie continues to improve her school record in the women's hammer, her latest personal best mark being a throw of 190 feet, seven inches at the Sun Angel Classic. Other notable performances of this year's outdoor season include the men's 1600m relay team of Michael Campbell, Marcus Brunson, Jason Barton and Tony Berrian clocking the second-fastest time in ASU history with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 3:03.10 at the Drake Relays. For a listing of current Sun Devils who rank among the top three all-time in an event, see the sidebar.
Recapping the NCAA Indoor Championships --
ASU sent eight individuals and the men's 1600m relay team to the 2001 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., only to have two Sun Devils come away with All-America honors in their respective events. For the second straight season, senior Kelly MacDonald captured All-America honors in the women's 5000m, finishing fifth in a season-best time of 16:20.83. Last year MacDonald set the school record in the event with a time of 16:13.41. Adrienne Judie came away with her first career All-America honors, placing fourth with personal-best mark of 66 feet, 10 inches in the women's weight-throw. Judie also improved upon her already existing school record in the event by two inches, and was 1.5 inches behind the third-place mark by Clemson's Jamine Moton. With points put on the board by MacDonald and Judie, the ASU women ended indoor nationals tied for 25th with Kansas State with nine points.
Head Coach Greg Kraft --
ASU's eighth director of track and field, Greg Kraft is in his fifth year as head coach of the Sun Devil program. Kraft's tenure has been brief, but his list of successes is far-reaching. Over the past four seasons, Sun Devil track has produced 18 individual All-Americans, four individual NCAA runner-up finishes, 22 first or second-team Pac-10 All-Academic selections, two Academic All-American cross country squads and the first four NCAA appearances by a cross country team in ASU history. Kraft, who coaches ASU's jumpers, is assisted by Walt Drenth (distance), Darryl Anderson (sprints), Dawn Dumble (throws), Corey Ihmels (graduate assistant) and Michelle Borgert (volunteer assistant).
2001 NCAA Championships --
This year's NCAA Track and Field Championships will be held Wednesday, May 30 through Sunday, June 3 at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field in Eugene. For a complete meet schedule and ticket information, go to www.goducks.com.
Up Next --
Sun Devils Kyle Frerichs and Elizabeth Arollo are scheduled to compete in the multi-event portion of the Pac-10 Championships, May 12-13. Originally scheduled to compete in the Cardinal Qualifier, ASU will take the week off to prepare for the Pac-10 Championships, May 19-20.