May 9, 2003
Results
MODESTO, Calif. --- Sarah Chan and Carolyn Sheldon successfully defended their titles in the women's triple jump and hepthatlon, while Temo Trujillo and Jak Kuehn both reclaimed titles won in 2001 as both the UC Davis men's and women's teams captured respective California Collegiate Athletic Association championships.
For the women, the win is the fifth title in the five years UC Davis has been a member of conference, and the 12th straight overall. The Aggies scored a total of 220.5 points for the win. The men regained their team title after relinquishing it to Chico State in 2002. The UC Davis men scored 237.5 for the meet, more than 82 points ahead of the Wildcats' 155-point total. This is the final year the Aggies will compete for the CCAA title, as the school announced in March that it has joined the Big West Conference.
Jon and Deanne Vochatzer each won respective CCAA Coach of the Year honors.
"Last year when we lost to Chico, our main job was to get it back," said Jon Vochatzer. "I told the team I wanted them to leave a huge imprint. I wanted to league to remember that UC Davis left this conference as a dominant force. Everbody did a fantastic job. Every person counts. They were very focused. They laid it on the line. This meet is not about qualifying for nationals, it's about winning a championship."
"This is what you call the `ugly way' to win," said Deanne Vochatzer. "We were snake-bit with drama this year -- injuries and other mishaps. We have 75 points sitting at home. Four nationally ranked kids. So we knew we didn't have it up front. We didn't have the first-place power that we've had in the past. We had to do this with thirds, fourths, fifths and sixth-place."
"We told people that they had to make the final. Not only do you score points, you displace someone else from scoring points. Every person on the women's team made a final. That's pretty amazing."
Kuehn won the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:53.17, winning a tough battle with Chico State's Steven Springhorn on the home stretch. He had won the conference 1,500 in 2001, then redshirted the 2002 season. Trujillo, who similarly captured the conference 800 in 2001 then sat out the 2002 campaign, won the 800 final in 1:53.62. And like Kuehn, he also won after a dramatic home stretch, battling with teammate Kyle Dunst and Chico's Tony Martinellli.
"I thought about how this wasn't just another race. It's the championships," said Trujillo, of his finish in the 800. "It's not the time to not have any guts at the end. It feels really good to come here and take it back in our last year in the CCAA."
Matt Chisam won the 110 hurdles in 14.65 to lead a 21-point boost in that event and Katie Nash captured the women's 200 with a winning time of 24.70. The 4x400 relay team of Amber Taylor, Mary Jo Alexander, Rochelle Carter and Katie Nash finished the day with UC Davis' seventh title, posting a time of 3:49.79. Alexander had the most dramatic leg of the relay as Chico's Abbey Butler passed her on the backstretch. But the Aggie junior regained the lead a mere 30 meters before her exchange to Carter.
Sheldon became the first back-to-back conference heptathlon winner in school history with her career-high total of 4,807 points. Remarkably, she set her PR despite a relatively low 16-1.75 mark in the day's first event, the long jump. Sheldon had posted a lifetime-best 17-2.5 just one week ago at Sacramento State.
However, that setback only reinforced in Sheldon the possibility of a 5,000-point day at the national meet. "It feels pretty real to me," she said. "My javelin and 800 are still slacking a little bit, but if I just do the exact same thing and jump farther, I'm right there. And there are some areas like the high jump and shot put where I can gain more points."
In addition to UC Davis' seven individual conference titles on Friday, Jeff Billing won the long jump championship and Chloe Glare won the 10,000 in Thursday's action.
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