May 30, 2009
NCAA Div. I West Region Championship Results
EUGENE, Ore. -- Jazz Trice and Polly Gnepa became the first two UC Davis track and field athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championship finals since the program move to Division I last year, advancing in the 110-meter high hurdles at the West Regional at the University of Oregon on Saturday.
Trice and Gnepa finished third and fifth, respectively, in the high hurdles, garnering a top-five finish which guaranteed them a berth in the national championships at the University of Arkansas on June 10-14.
Trice was timed in 13.57 seconds while Gnepa crossed in 13.75 during the wind-aided race. Myles Bradley of Stanford took regional honors with a winning time of 13.53.
The national championship meet is another milestone for Trice who has already claimed Cal-Nevada and Big West Conference championships this season and holds the school record at 13.73 seconds set on Friday. Gnepa, who has also held the UC Davis record in his career, ran a wind-aided, career-best 13.69 seconds during Friday's prelims.
UC Davis coach Deanne Vochatzer said Trice and Gnepa were in adjacent lanes during a race that featured hurdles being knocked around throughout. She said they did well to keep their focus.
"They punched their ticket (to nationals)," she said. "They ran well. It was a messy race on either side of them."
Trice and Gnepa were two of four UC Davis hurdlers that qualified for regional finals at Oregon with hopes of moving onto nationals.. Sirena Williams, who lowered her school record in the 100 hurdles to 13.50 on Friday, ran another great race on Saturday, finishing in 13.59. She just missed a top-five finish, though, earning seventh in a high-powered race that was won by Shalina Clarke of USC in 13.17 seconds.
Alex Wilright was hoping to advance to the national finals in the 400 hurdles after qualifying for the final on Friday in 50.95 seconds. However, he was disqualified during Saturday's final for a hurdles violation.
Russell Pfaff, who narrowly missed breaking a 38-year-old school record in the steeplechase earlier this season before capturing the Big West title two weeks ago, finished 19th in a fast field at Oregon on Saturday in 9:16.50.
The Aggies had three competitors in field events, including Chidinma Onyewuenyi in the shot put and pole-vaulters Ethan Ostrom and Jamie Feaster. Onyewuenyi finished 14th at 44 feet, 8.75 inches while Feaster and Ostrom finished tied for 17th and tied for 23rd, respectively, in their event.
Feaster's mark of 16-7.25 was a career-best that put him in fourth place alone on the Aggies' all-time list. Ostrom had a solid effort as well, clearing 16-1.25.
Ben Nelson, who was sixth in the high jump on Friday, is among three Aggies hoping for at-large bids to the NCAA Championships. Thomas Phillips, who was 11th in the 400 hurdles prelims, will join Williams as other Aggies hoping for an invitation when they are announced early next week.
Vochatzer said the 14-member Aggie contingent that competed this weekend did a good job. The total number of qualifiers was nearly double the eight the men's and women's teams combined for last year.
"They represented (the program) well," she said.
NCAA DIVISION I WEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eugene, Ore. (Univ. of Oregon)
All Finals
UC Davis results only
MEN
110HH - 1. Myles Bradley, Stanford, 13.53... 3. Jazz Trice, 13.57; 5. Polly Gnepa, 13.75.
400H - 1 Jeshua Anderson, Wash. St., 50.31... Alex Wilright, DQ.
Steeplechase - 1. Richard Nelson, BYU, 8:47.98... 19. Russell Pfaff, 9:16.50.
PV - 1. Scott Roth, Washington, 5.46 (17-11.00).... T17. Jamie Feaster, 5.06 (16-07.25); T23. Ethan Ostrom, 4.91 (16-01.25).
WOMEN
100H - 1. Shalina Clarke, USC, 13.17... 7. Sirena Williams, 13.59.
SP - 1. Sarah Stevens, Ariz. St., 17.01 (55-09.75)... 15. Chidinma Onyewuenyi, 13.63 (44-08.75).
