March 26, 2011

Results (Cal-Nevada) | Results (Stanford)

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior Chidinma Onyewuenyi won the women's hammer throw at the Cal-Nevada State Track and Field Championships on Saturday afternoon in Claremont while Ugo Eke and Melanise Chapman qualified for Sunday's finals in two events each, as UC Davis wrapped up the first day of competition.

Alex Wilright, a three-time winner in the 400-meter hurdles at the state meet, led three Aggies into Sunday's final in that event which will also include senior Thomas Phillips who also has a state title on his resumè. Jeffrey Campbell also moved on in the long hurdles, giving UC Davis a strong corps in its quest to win the hurdles title for the fifth straight year.

The Cal-Nevada State Championships is third of three meets this weekend to which the Aggie men's and women's track and field teams sent separate contingents.

UC Davis had a strong night on Friday at the Stanford Invitational and had a smaller group in action on Saturday. Seniors Ray Green and Igor Seriba finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the triple to jump to highlight the team's presence during the meet's second day.

Onyewuenyi has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2011 outdoor season, twice setting the school's hammer throw record - which she already held entering the year - before adding the shot put mark at the Aggie Open on Mar. 5.

Onyeweunyi advanced to the hammer's final round on her last attempt Saturday with a mark of 169 feet, 5 inches, and then threw a winning effort of 185-6 on her second try in the finals. She won the event by nearly five feet over Danielle Thu of UC San Diego.

Eke and Chapman will look for more individual titles on Sunday after qualifying in two events each, including both in the 200. Eke had the fourth-fastest time in the prelims in 24.26 while Chapman was close behind in 24.31. Both times were faster than Eke's existing school record of 24.41 set in 2007 but were each wind-aided, negating them for record purposes.

Chapman had a similar effort in the 100, going under her Aggie record of 11.84 with her second-place tying prelim time of 11.74 but it too was wind-aided. Still, she will head into Sunday's final looking for a state title after a great race on Saturday.

Eke won her 400 prelim in 56.03 to advance in that event as well, joining teammate Alana Babers who moved on with a third-place finish in her heat. Babers crossed in a season-best time of 57.26.

The Aggie men will have a strong contingent in the 400 hurdles with Wilright, Phillips and Campbell. Wilright has won the event his previous three times competing in the event at the state meet in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and qualified with Saturday's fastest time in 52.41. Phillips, who captured the event in 2008, won his heat in 52.86 to also advance while Campbell earned his first final by taking second in his prelim in 53.86, tying his season-best.

UC Davis picked up its lone team point on Saturday from freshman Sava Boyadjiev who took ninth in the long jump with a wind-aided mark of 22-7.

The Aggie women earned 17 points on Saturday - eighth place heading into Saturday night's final events - picking up 10 from Onyewuenyi and then seven from senior Lauren Radke in the pole vault who took third. Radke cleared 12-5.5 on her second try, barely behind her No. 3 all-time UC Davis mark of 12-6.25.

Emily Bush, who has already gone 11-7.75 this year to jump her to No. 6 on the all-time list, was 12th in the event but had a strong mark of 11-5.75.

Sunday's competition will feature 26 men's and women's finals. Onyewuenyi will compete in the shot put and discus to help highlight the women's field event entries while Ethan Ostrom, Josh Sandler and Daniel Turvey will give the Aggies a strong presence in the pole vault.

At Stanford, Green and Seriba competed in the invitational portion of the triple jump which was won by Nkosinza Balumbu of Mizuno at 52-10.25. Green leaped 48-7.25 on his third attempt to place fifth while Seriba went 42-0 on his second try, placing seventh.

CAL-NEVADA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Claremont, Calif.
UC Davis results only
All finals unless noted

MEN
100 (prelims) - 1. Jordan Taylor, CS Bakersfield, 10.50wa... 18. Marcus Johnson, 10.96wa.
200 (prelims) - 1. Giorgio Bryant, CS Los Angeles, 21.25... 20. Marcus Johnson, 22.37; 22. Hosea Tate, 22.42.
400 (prelims) - 1. Jordan Scott, UCSB, 49.08... 23. Hosea Tate, 51.79.
400H (prelims) - 1. Alex Wilright, UC Davis, 52.41... 3. Thomas Phillips, 52.86; 7. Jeffrey Campbell, 53.86.
LJ - 1. Giorgia Bryant, CS Los Angeles, 7.61wa (24-11.75)... 9. Sava Boyadjiev, 6.88wa (22-07.00); 10. William Guthrie, 6.80wa (22-03.75).
HT - 1. Eric Flores, Cal Lutheran, 68.10 (223-05)... Eddie Orgon, foul.<[>

WOMEN
100 (prelims) - 1. Kelly Fogarty, UC San Diego, 11.52wa... 2. Melanise Chapman, 11.74wa; 14. Leslie Reed, 12.16wa; 16. Kellie Griff, 12.26wa
200 (prelims) - 1. Ciara Short, CS Fullerton, 23.52wa... 5. Ugo Eke, 24.26wa; 6. Melanise Chapman, 24.31wa; 14. Leslie Reed, 25.04wa; 17. Alana Babers, 25.09wa; 21. Kellie Grigg, 25.21wa.
400 (prelims) - 1. Ciara Short, CS Fullerton, 54.80... 4. Ugo Eke, 56.03; 8. Alana Babers, 57.26; 15. Shanie Landen, 58.06.
800 (prelims) - 1. Brett Zorich, UNLV, 2:13.59... 11. Melinda Zavala, 2:19.13.
100H (prelims) - 1. Lauren Williams, CS Fullerton, 13.79... 12. Kayla Carter, 14.47; 22. Suzanne Howard, 14.95.
400H (prelims) - 1. Ericka Nowell, UC Irvine, 1:00.53... 22. Suzanne Howard, 1:06.01.
PV - 1. Ericka Violett, Sac State, 3.95 (12-11.50)... 3. Lauren Radke, 3.80 (12-05.50); 12. Emily Bush, 3.50 (11-05.75).
HT - 1. Chidinma Onyewuenyi, UC Davis, 56.54 (185-06)... 12. Hannah Royall, 45.29 (148-07).

STANFORD INVITATIONAL
Stanford, Calif.
UC Davis results only

WOMEN
800 - 1. Katie Palmer, BYU, 2:05.11... 37. Lauren Wallace, 2:13.37.

MEN
200 (prelims) - 1. Ameer Webb, Cerritos, 20.80... 46. Safa Mannah, 23.86.
800 - 1. David Torrence, Nike, 1:50.47... 24. Kevin Griffith, 1:52.67.
TJ (invitational) - 1. Nkosinza Balumbu, Mizuno, 16.11 (52-10.25)... 5. Ray Green, 14.81 (48-07.25); 7. Igor Seriba, 14.02 (46-00.00).