March 6, 2002
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This Week --
Six athletes will represent Arizona State at the 2002 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday, March 8, through Saturday, March 9, hosted by the University of Arkansas at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Competition begins Friday at Noon Central time, and continues Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. CT.
On To Fayetteville --
At the conclusion of the regular indoor season, 12 ASU athletes reached automatic or provisional standards in 12 events, yet when the final NCAA field was announced Monday, only half of that contingent made the final cut. ASU's highest ranked qualifier is junior Lisa Aguilera who owns the nation's third-fastest time in the women's 3,000m with her school record of 9:16.23. Senior Brandon Strong, who became the first Sun Devil to break the four-minute barrier in the indoor mile, ranks fourth nationally in the event with his school record 3:59.59. Freshman Trevell Quinley also holds a fourth-place ranking with his personal-best mark of 25 feet, 10 inches in the men's long jump. In the women's long jump, junior Tiffany Greer ranks fourth with her season-best effort of 20 feet, 9.75 inches. Senior Tony Galaviz owns the fifth-fastest 60m hurdle time in the nation with his personal-best time and ASU record of 7.75 (altitude adjusted, 7.71 at altitude). Finally, senior David Wood ranks 10th in the men's shot put with a personal-best mark of 63 feet, four inches.
NCAA Participants --
Men Event Mark Rank Schedule (All times CST)
Tony Galaviz 60mH 7.75 5th Fri., 4:50 p.m. (prelim), Fri., 7:50 (final)
Trevell Quinley LJ 25-10 4th Fri., 4 p.m. (prelim & final)
Brandon Strong Mile 3:59.59 4th Fri., 6:35 p.m. (prelim), Sat., 6:15 (final)
David Wood SP 63-4 10th Fri., 2:30 p.m. (prelim & final)
Women Event Mark Rank Schedule (All times CST)
Lisa Aguilera 3000m 9:16.23 3rd Sat., 7:25 p.m. (final)
Tiffany Greer LJ 20-9.75 4th Fri., 6 p.m. (prelim and final)
National Rankings --
Neither ASU's men's or women's track squads have been ranked in the Trackwire Top-25 poll during the 2002 indoor season. In the Team-Power Indoor Rankings, the ASU men are 16th and the women are 27th.
Strong Runs First ASU Sub-Four Minute Indoor Mile --
Senior Brandon Strong etched his name in the Sun Devil record books at the Husky Last Chance Qualifier, Saturday, March 2. Strong became the first ASU athlete to run a sub-four minute indoor mile with his personal-best and school record of time of 3:59.59. Strong is the second Sun Devil to break the four-minute barrier either indoors or outdoors, with the only other ASU athlete to do so being Chuck LaBenz who clocked a time of 3:56.90 in the outdoor mile in 1970.
Greer Seeks Fifth Long Jump All-America Honors --
Junior Tiffany Greer is already the most decorated female long jumper in ASU history, having earned four All-America honors in the event both indoors and outdoors, the most in school history. Ranking second behind Greer is Tesra Bester, who earned both indoor and outdoor All-America acclaim in 1992. Greer, who was also the 2000 Pac-10 Champion in the long jump, looks to continue her All-America streak in her third appearance at NCAA Indoors and fifth overall national championship meet this weekend.
Last Week --
Last weekend ASU sent four athletes to the Husky Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle, Wash., March 2, hoping to improve their NCAA qualifying status. Senior Brandon Strong did just that and more, notching an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the mile with a personal-best 3:59.59. With his third place performance, Strong set a new ASU indoor mile record and became the first Sun Devil to break the four-minute barrier indoors. Juniors Fasil Bizuneh and Brianna Torres also improved their 5,000m times. Bizuneh clocked a personal-best and improved his school record with a time of 14:03.06 to place third in the men's 5,000m, while Torres won the women's 5,000m with a season-best time of 16:33.19. Both Bizuneh and Torres both moved up the NCAA qualifying list but did not make the cut for nationals. Sophomore Jodi Smith also attempted to reach an NCAA qualifying mark in the women's high jump. Smith won the event, matching her season best effort of 5-8, but did not pass the provisional standard. Back at home, the rest of the ASU squad opened the outdoor season hosting the Bill Sawyer Invitational March 2. ASU won eight meet titles led by sophomore Seneca Holmes' double win in the 100m and 400m hurdles.
Last Year At the NCAA Indoor Championships --
Last year ASU sent eight individuals and the men's 1600m relay team to the 2001 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., and three Sun Devils came away with All-America honors in their respective events. For the second straight season, Kelly MacDonald captured All-America honors in the women's 5,000m, finishing fifth in a season-best time of 16:20.83. Adrienne Judie came away with her first career All-America honors, placing fourth in the women's weight throw with a personal-best mark of 66 feet, 10 inches. In the women's long jump, Tiffany Greer earned her third All-America honors in the event, finishing 11th with a leap of 20 feet, 4.50 inches. 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. The men's squad failed to score any points in the team race.
ASU Indoor Championship History --
Dating back to 1976, the ASU men have tallied points at 15 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, while the women have done so at 14 championships since 1986. The men's highest national indoor finish was 2000's 10th-place tie, while the women's best showing was in 1990, tying for fourth. In the programs' history, 30 Sun Devil women have earned 55 indoor All-America honors while 24 men have earned 36 honors. Three members of ASU's six-athlete contingent going to this year's indoor championships already have All-America honors under their belt. Tiffany Greer is a two-time All-American in the indoor long jump, having also earned two All-America honors in the outdoor long jump as well. Lisa Aguilera, also an All-American in outdoor track and cross country, earned All-America honors in the mile (2000), while Brandon Strong was a member of ASU's All-American distance medley realy team in 2000.
MPSF Championship Recap --
Led by title-winners Tiffany Greer (long jump), Seneca Holmes (60m hurdles) and David Wood (shot put), ASU's women placed fifth and the men finished sixth at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Track and Field Championships held in Flagstaff Friday, Feb. 22 through Saturday, Feb. 23. The Sun Devil women tallied 51 points, while the men earned 50 points. Wood won the shot put title with a personal best and NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 63 feet, four inches. Greer won the women's long jump with a season-best leap of 20 feet, 9.75 inches, improving her NCAA provisional qualifying status. After clocking the third-fastest prelim time, Holmes took first in the 60m hurdles with a personal best time of 8.40 (at altitude). The women's 4x400m relay team earned runner-up honors with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:40.55, while the team's leadoff leg, Candida Coulson, finished third in the 400m with a NCAA PQ (54.64). Vince Mosca turned in a NCAA provisional mark with a seventh place effort in the shot put (58-4), while Steve Fitch finished third in the 400m with a NCAA PQ (46.98).
Up Next --
Following the NCAA Indoor championships, ASU will return to the outdoor oval, traveling to Tucson, Ariz. for the Willie Williams Invitational hosted by the University of Arizona Friday, March 15, through Saturday, March 16.
Arizona State NCAA Individual Qualifiers --
Lisa Aguilera * Junior * Peoria, Ariz.* 3,000m * PR 9:16.23
Automatic qualifier in the 3000m...ranks third in the nation with personal-best 9:16.23...making second NCAA indoor appearance...earned All-America honors in the indoor mile in 2000 (seventh, 4:48.77)...two-time All-American in cross country (2000, 2001) and 2000 All-American in the outdoor 1500m (eighth in 4:20.67)...ASU record holder in the indoor mile (4:44.44) and indoor 3000m (9:16.23)...2000 West Region and Pac-10 Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year...ASU's 2000-01 Female Student Athlete of the Year...this year broke Kelly MacDonald's 2000 school record (9:34.56) in the 3000m, with second-place finish at the Iowa State Classic (9:16.23)...also won the mile at the Double Dual (4:49.73 alt.adjusted) with Arizona and Northern Arizona.
Tony Galaviz * Senior * San Jose, Calif. * 60m Hurdles * PR 7.71 (at altitude)
Provisional qualifier in the 60m hurdles...ranks fifth in the nation with personal-best time of 7.75 (altitude adjusted)...making first NCAA indoor championship appearance...ASU record holder in the 60m hurdles...competed five times this season in the 60m hurdles, placing first in both the prelims (7.81 alt. adjusted) and finals (7.75 alt. adjusted) at the Mountain T's Invitational and the Double Dual with Arizona and Northern Arizona (7.79 alt. adjusted)...finished seventh at the MPSF Championships (8.18 alt. adjusted) after clocking the second-fastest overall prelim time (7.94 alt. adjusted).
Tiffany Greer * Junior * Powder Springs, Ga. * Long Jump * PR 21-4
Provisional qualifier in the women's long jump, ranking seventh with season-best leap of 20 feet, 9.75 inches...making third NCAA indoor appearance...already a two-time All-American in the indoor long jump, placing eighth as a freshman and 11th as a sophomore...also a two-time All-American in the outdoor long jump...holds ASU indoor long jump record with personal-best set in 2000, 21 feet, four inches...competed four times in the long jump this indoor season, winning the event at the UA/NAU Double Dual and MPSF Championships with NCAA provisional qualifying marks of 20-4.5 and 20-9.75, respectively...also placed third at the Purple Tiger Invitational (19-11.5) and the Mountain T's Invitational (19-0.5).
Trevell Quinley * Freshman * Tracy, Calif. * Long Jump * PR 25-10
Automatic qualifier in the men's long jump with personal-best leap of 25 feet, 10 inches that ranks fourth in the nation...making first NCAA appearance in first collegiate season....has competed four times in the long jump this season...posted the automatic qualifying mark at the Mountain T's Invitational, placing second...also earned a NCAA provisional qualifying mark with second-place finish at the MPSF Championships (24-11)...won the event at the UA/NAU Double Dual (24-5.5) and placed sixth in first collegiate meet at the Purple Tiger Invitational (23-4.75).
Brandon Strong * Senior * Phoenix, Ariz. * Mile * PR 3:59.59
Automatic qualifier in the men's mile...ranks fourth in the nation with personal-best time of 3:59.59...first ASU athlete to run a sub-four minute mile indoors, and second to do so indoors or outdoors...making second NCAA indoor appearance...member of All-American indoor distance medley relay team that finished eighth in 2000...finished third in the men's mile with a school record and NCAA automatic qualifying time at the Husky Last Chance Qualifier (3:59.59)...competed two other times in the mile...won the mile at the UA/NAU Double Dual (4:07.79a)...finished second at the Iowa State Classic with NCAA provisional time of 4:04.04.
David Wood * Senior * Pendleton, Ore. * Shot Put * PR 63-4
Automatic qualifier in the shot put...ranks 10th in the nation with personal-best mark of 63 feet, four inches...making first NCAA indoor championship appearance...posted his personal-best with winning effort at the MPSF Championships, a mark which ranks third all-time in ASU indoor history...also won the shot put at the UA/NAU Double Dual with an NCAA automatic mark of 63-3.25...placed third at the Mountain T's Invitational (61-2.75)...2001 Pac-10 Shot Put Champion...placed 12th in the shot put at 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships (59-8.5).