June 2, 1998
This Week
Laiho looking to become 33rd Sun Devil National Champion
Arizona State's five participants in the 1998 NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships travel to Buffalo, N.Y. this June 3-6. The Sun Devils will be represented by Mika Laiho in the men's hammer, Jared Schrieber in the men's javelin, Charity Amama in the women's javelin, Fiona Daly in the women's high jump and Dawnyell Linder in the women's 100. Laiho is the nation's leader in the men's hammer this season and is favored in the competition while Daly ranks fifth among women's high jumpers. ASU's other three competitors are considered long shots.
NCAA Team History
ASU's men and women have placed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in each of the last nine years they were eligible to compete. The last time ASU's men or women didn't place at an NCAA meet they were eligible for was 1985-86. ASU's men have two top 25 finishes in that span (26th in '94 and 23rd in '92). The Sun Devil women have not finished out of the top 25 in an NCAA meet they competed in since a 33rd-place finish in 1987. Since 1980, ASU's women have seven top 10 finishes and 13 top 25 finishes. ASU was ineligible to compete last year.
NCAA Individual History
ASU has 32 individual or relay national champions, 14 men and 18 women, in its history. The last champion was Pal Arne Fagernes in the men's javelin in 1996. ASU's last female individual champion was Maicel Malone in the 400 meters in 1992.
Indoor All-Americans
Fiona Daly and Joronda White earned Indoor All-American honors with their performances in Indianapolis at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships. It was Daly's second All-American honor, making her the eighth Sun Devil female to earn All-American honors multiple times. She joined the elite company of Omalade Akinremi, Omotayo Akinremi, Jacqui Gayle, Kim Toney, Shanequa Campbell, Maicel Malone and Lynda Tolbert--four of whom were Olympians. White's 54.36 in the prelims placed her among the top 8 Americans at the meet, earning her All-American acclaim. Sun Devil women have now earned that honor 36 times.
Kraft-ing ASU's Program
Head coach Greg Kraft brought to ASU a reputation as a tremendous program builder after taking South Carolina's men to unprecedented heights and creating a national power on the women's side during a seven-year stint in Columbia. With its program in need of a major overhaul, there was not a better man for ASU's job than the 1996 SEC Coach of the Year. ASU's eighth head coach, Kraft is in his second season at ASU and is in the process of rebuilding ASU one step at a time. "You need to build it one step at a time," Kraft has said. "When I look at our team, obviously depth is not going to be one of our strengths. What we've tried to do is develop pockets of excellence in one particular area and move on from there."
Quick Facts
The last individual champion for ASU was Pal Arne Fagernes in the men's javelin in 1996.
ASU's men haven't finished in the top 25 since 1992.
ASU's women have finished in the Top 25 8 times since 1990 and in the top 10 three times.
NCAA Championships Schedule