April 19, 2002
CLAREMONT/WALNUT, Calif. - Arizona State senior Brandon Strong won the men's 1500-meter race with a meet and track record time of 3:41.42 to lead the Sun Devil track and field contingent at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., Friday.
Strong's winning time, the second-fastest in ASU history and an NCAA automatic qualifying effort, broke the previous meet and Strehle Track record of 3:42.46 set by Clyde Colenso from Southern Methodist University in 1997. Colenso, competing unattached, finished second to Strong in 3:41.78. The ASU best is 3:40.7 established by Chuck LaBenz in 1970.
ASU also had four runners competing in the distance carnival portion of the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., Friday evening. All four clocked NCAA qualifying times, led by junior Lisa Aguilera's automatic qualifying effort of 15:57.37 in the women's 5000m. Aguilera's personal-best stands as the second-fastest in ASU history. Not far behind her was junior Brianna Torres, who also recorded a personal-best, 16:13.79, a NCAA provisional qualifying time. Torres' effort stands as the fourth fastest in the Sun Devil record books.
Competing in the men's 5000m at Mt. Sac, junior Fasil Bizuneh and freshman Juan Reyes both turned in NCAA provisional qualifying times and personal-bests of 13:51.88 and 13:54.92, to place 20th and 22nd, respectively. Bizuneh's time is the second-best in ASU history (0.4 tenths of a second short of the school record), while Reyes' time ranks fifth all-time.
Additional Sun Devils competing at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational were freshman Mandi Fitz-Gustafson in the women's 3000m steeplechase (fifth, 10:59.85), senior Kyle Morgan in the men's 3000m steeplechase (sixth, 9:25.43, seventh, 9:25.62, respectively), senior Aaron White in the men's pole vault (tied for sixth, 14-9) and senior Karl Atkinson in the men's hammer (tied for 15th, 173-4).
For complete results of the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, go to http://www.physical-education.pomona.edu/xc&track/02ppinv.htm.
The rest of the ASU track and field squad continues competition at the Mt. Sac Relays Saturday and Sunday.