Two Cougs, four local products advance
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Two Washington State Cougars and a pair of Oregon Ducks from Spokane advanced through preliminaries Wednesday as the NCAA track and field championships opened a four-day run.
In addition, Spokane’s David Pendergrass of Brigham Young was one of 16 high jumpers who cleared 6 feet, 10 3/4 inches and moved on to Friday’s final. Bonners Ferry runner Forest Braden of Boise State made it into the 5,000-meter finals with the day’s fourth-best time – 13 minutes, 57.33 seconds.
WSU discus throwers McKenzie Garberg and Matt Lamb were the only survivors out of seven Cougars who competed at Sacramento State on a day when no finals were contested. Garberg threw the women’s discus 173 feet to rank fifth among the 12 qualifiers. Lamb got off a best of 185-5 on his second attempt, then passed on his third throw and moved into the finals as the 11th of 12 qualifiers. Teammate Drew Ulrick of Spokane threw 180-10 for 18th.
Among the other Cougars, Robert Williams made it through the first round of the 110 hurdles by running a lifetime best 13.94, but was eliminated in the semifinals. Javelin thrower Jon Jeffreys (196-1), long jumper Rickey Moody (23-7 1/2) and sprinter Justin Woods (10.50 in the 100) were eliminated.
The two Ducks, hammer thrower Britney Henry of Lewis and Clark High School and Rebekah Noble of Rogers, both sailed through easily. Noble ran 2:06.05 to win the slowest of four heats in the women’s 800, while Henry’s 204-1 throw was sixth on the day.
Eastern Washington’s David Paul had a rough day in the hammer, his 189-1 throw more than 37 feet off his best and leaving him 25th out of 26 entrants.
LSU sophomore Trindon Holliday emphatically stamped his name on the list of rising young American sprinters with the third-fastest time in the world this year, clocking 10.02 in the semifinals of the 100. Florida State’s Walter Dix, the collegiate record holder and reigning NCAA champ at 200, won his heat at 10.13, easing off at the finish. The two will square off in the finals on Friday.
In the team competition, the favored Arizona State women suffered a major blow when both Sarah Stevens and Jessica Pressley failed to advance past the qualifying round of the discus. Stevens, who had the top mark in the field this season at 189-5, managed only a 159-10 effort, 21st among the competitors and nearly 30 feet shy of her best. Pressley was 14th at 164-6. The top 12 advanced to Friday’s finals.
Holliday’s time was a personal best by .05 seconds and was the fastest by an American this season. The only faster ones this year were 9.97 by world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica and 9.98 by Bahamian Derrick Atkins.
No final events were on the day’s schedule in the meet that features 1,088 athletes from Division I schools.
The championships are ending a three-year run at Sacramento State, which also was the site of the last two Olympic Trials. Next year, the NCAA meet will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.