May 25, 2001
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This Week --
Arizona State track and field will send 14 individuals (six men and eight women) and two relay teams to the 2001 NCAA Championships hosted by the University of Oregon at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Wednesday, May 30 through Saturday, June 2.
ASU's NCAA Championships Participants --
Men
Tony Berrian, Sr. 400m
Fasil Bizuneh, So. 10K
Marcus Brunson, Sr. 100m
Marcus Brunson, Sr. 200m
Michael Campbell, Sr. 400m
Brandon Strong, Jr. 1500m
David Wood, Jr. SP
Men's 4x400 Relay
Women
Lisa Aguilera, So. 3K SC
Candida Coulson, Jr. 400mH
Mary Duerbeck, Sr. 10K
Tiffany Greer, So. LJ
Adrienne Judie, Sr. SP
Kelly MacDonald , Sr. 3K SC
Kelly MacDonald, Sr. 5000m
Sharesa Turner, Sr. LJ
Valerie Williams, Sr. LJ
Women's 4x400 Relay
2001 Pac-10 Championship - Men's Results --
The ASU men placed fourth at this year's Pac-10 Championships hosted by the University of California-Berkeley. They dropped one position from last year's third-place standing, but notched their second-highest Pac-10 finish since 1983 when they tied for second. The men posted 109.50 points, second best in ASU history only to the 1981 Pac-10 Championship team that finished with 133 points. Leading the way for the Sun Devils were Marcus Brunson (sweeping both the 100m and 200m races), Tony Berrian (400m champion), and David Wood (shot put champion). Brunson's winning time in the 100m (10.21) set an Edwards Stadium record. The men's 4x400 relay team of Michael Campbell, Brunson, Jason Barton and Berrian also captured a Pac-10 title. As evidenced by winning the 1600m-relay title, ASU's men dominated the individual 400m with Campbell finishing third behind Berrian and Barton taking fourth. Anthony Galaviz took third in the men's 110 hurdles, while Wood took third in the men's discus with a personal best 187 feet, one inch. Defending champion Jeremy Rasmussen held the lead in the 3000m steeplechase with one barrier to clear, but fell and finished second. Fasil Bizuneh also finished second in the 10,000m.
2001 Pac-10 Championship - Women's Results --
The ASU women placed fifth at this year's Pac-10 Championships with 89 points. For the second-straight season, the Sun Devil women recorded a fifth-place team finish at the conference meet, the highest since their last fifth-place finish in 1995. With 89 points, the Sun Devil women earned their highest point total since 1994 (96 points). Kelly MacDonald provided ASU with the necessary fire-power, winning the 3000m steeplechase with a personal-best and school record 10:03.20, before claiming her second consecutive 5000m title. ASU's women dominated the first-ever Pac-10 steeplechase, as Lisa Aguilera took third and Cody Sohn finished fifth. In the women's
400m, Joni Smith placed second with a personal-best time of 53.34, followed by senior Arlaina Davis in third. The women's 1600m-relay team earned runner-up honors, recording a season-best time of 3:33.96. In the field, ASU's highest female place-winner was senior Valerie Williams, taking fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 40-7.75.
ASU Men's NCAA History --
Dating back to 1942, ASU's men have captured one national team title (1977), 13 individual titles and one relay title, while 114 Sun Devils have earned outdoor All-America honors. The last Sun Devil man to win a national title was Pal Arne Fagernes (javelin) in 1996. ASU's men have tallied 16 top-20 finishes, six top-10 finishes and five top-five finishes. Their last top-10 finish was fourth-place in 1981. Under head coach Greg Kraft, the men have steadily increased their national team finishes, from 38th in 1998, to 18th in 1999, to tying for 17th in 2000. Last year's team performance was the best for an ASU men's squad since a 16th-place finish in 1983. The Sun Devils were led last year by Dwight Phillips, earning All-America honors in the men's long jump and as a member of the 400m relay team. Also on that relay team were Marcus Brunson, Jim McGee and LaVell Robinson-Blanchard.
ASU Women's NCAA History --
Last year the ASU women scored at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1996, tying for 38th-place. Since 1982, they have turned in eight top-20 finishes and five top-10 finishes. The women's school-record national finish includes back-to-back fourth-place finishes in 1988 and 1989. Eighteen Sun Devil national champions have been crowned, including four relay teams, while 75 have earned All-America distinction. ASU's last female outdoor national champion was Maicel Malone, winning the 400m in 1991. Last year, Lisa Aguilera earned All-America honors in the 1500m and Tiffany Greer did the same in the long jump.
National Rankings --
According to the latest Trackwire.com poll released May 25, ASU's men moved up to 12th from 14th. The women fell out of the polls this week after being ranked 21st in the May 15 poll. In the latest USTCA Team-Power Rankings (May 25), ASU's women are sixth with 375.27 points and the men are ninth with 348.78 points.
Brunson Named West Region Male Athlete of the Year --
ASU senior sprinter Marcus Brunson was selected by Division I coaches as the 2001 West Region Male Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, the United States Track Coaches Association announced May 22. Brunson will be given his award at the coaches' banquet in Eugene, Ore., Tuesday, May 29, one day prior to the start of the NCAA Championships. Brunson, a four-time All-American, begins his quest for national titles in the 100m and 200m when the Sun Devils head to Eugene. The Pac-10 Champion in both events, Brunson ranks second nationally in the 100m and fourth in the 200m going into the NCAA Championships. A native of Tempe, Ariz., Brunson is also a member of ASU's Pac-10 Champion 4x400 meter relay team ranked fourth in the nation. This is the second time during the 2000-01 track and field/cross country season that ASU has garnered a West Region Athlete of the Year award. Lisa Aguilera was selected the women's West Region Athlete of the Year for cross country this past fall, while Walt Drenth was named the West Region Women's Coach of the Year.
Sun Devils Assault the Record Books --
With only a few weeks left in 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. Most recently, Kelly MacDonald broke her own 3000m steeplechase record, winning the Pac-10 title in 10:03.20. Lisa Aguilera ran the third-fastest women's 5000m time in ASU history at the Mt. Sac Relays (16:06.63). Aguilera also clocked the second-fastest 1500m time in ASU history at the Sun Angel Classic (4:19.90), followed closely by MacDonald with the fourth-fastest time in ASU history (4:22.72). At the Stanford Invitational Mary Duerbeck ran the second-fastest women's 10,000m race in school history with her personal best effort of 33:53.52. 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 on page 3.
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).
Complete bios on ASU's participants in the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are available by downloading the PDF release at the top of the page.