March 27, 2011
Final Results
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior Thomas Phillips won the men's 400-meter hurdles title at the Cal-Nevada State Track and Field Championships for the second time in his career - UC Davis' fifth straight in the event overall - while sophomore Ethan Ostrom won the pole vault, as UC Davis finished competition at the meet with two more titles on Sunday.
The Aggie women were led on Sunday by senior Ugo Eke who narrowly missed a school record while earning runner-up honors in the women's 400, helping lead the Aggies to a ninth-place finish. UC Davis scored 49 points in the championships 20 events.
The Aggie men, who also received a third-place finish from senior Eddie Orgon in the shot put, scored 45 points and placed seventh.
UC Davis sent a limited contingent to the Cal-Nevada meet which was hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps while also sending portions of its team to meets at San Francisco State and Stanford this weekend.
The Aggies, however, still had a notable presence at the meet earning three individual titles. Senior Chidinma Onyewuenyi, who was sixth on Sunday in both the discus (150 feet, 0 inches) and the shot put (46-1.25), won top honors in the women's hammer on Friday.
Phillips picked up a championship for UC Davis with his second 400 hurdles win on Sunday. He won the race with a personal-best time of 50.52 seconds, solidifying his No. 2. spot on the Aggies' all-time list and breaking his previous record of 50.96.
His time was barely behind the school record of 50.47 seconds held by teammate Alex Wilright who was bidding for his fourth state title. He finished sixth in 52.82 while sophomore Jeffrey Campbell - in his first final at the Cal-Nevada meet - was ninth in 54.20.
Phillips and Wilright have combined to win the last five 400 hurdles titles at the Cal-Nevada meet which brings together universities and colleges from all divisions from the neighboring states. Wilright won in 2007, 2009 and 2010 while Phillips captured the title in 2008. Phillips was sixth last season.
Ostrom, the Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week on Mar. 16 after clearing 17 feet at the Aggie Open, won the pole vault title at the Cal-Nevada meet after going 16-10.75 to beat runner-up Matt Todd of Cal State Northridge who posted a mark of 16-04.75.
Ostrom's win delivered UC Davis 10 team points while Josh Sandler added six more with his fourth-place finish. Sandler, a junior from Lodi, had a season-best mark of 15-11 during Sunday's final.
Eke was trying for the Aggie women's second state title of the meet and ran a strong 400 final on Sunday, finishing second to winner Ciara Short of Cal State Fullerton who crossed in 53.18. Eke placed solidly in second with a time of 54.61, barely behind her own school record of 54.60 established in 2009. She picked up eight points for UC Davis.
Alana Babers also earned a spot in Sunday's final, earning two points with her eighth-place finish in 57.45.
Eke, who also ran in the 200 final, was one of two Aggies to qualify for a pair of finals on Sunday, joining sophomore Melanise Chapman who was in the 100 and 200. Chapman ran a personal-best 24.48 in the 200 - bettering her No. 2 position on the Aggies' all-time list by .07 - while finishing fifth. Eke was sixth in 24.52.
Chapman, who went a wind-aided 11.74 during the 100 prelims on Saturday, finished sixth in the final with a mark of 12.13. She and Eke combined to score 21 points on Sunday for UC Davis. Onyewuenyi's sixth-place finishes netted eight more points for the Aggies.
UC Davis' final point on the women's side came from its 4x100 relay team which was ninth in 47.80.
The Aggie men scored 15 points on Sunday from its 400 hurdles' crew with Orgon tallying seven more by finishing third in the shot put. He posted a mark of 53-3.75 on his first attempt and came close to that by going 53-1.75 on his third try but could not surpass it during the final rounds.
UC Davis earned its final six points with a fourth-place finish in the 4x400. Freshman Marcus Johnson joined Phillips, Campbell and Wilright to cross in a season-best 3:15.62.
Long Beach State captured the men's team title with 155 points while San Diego State scored 132 to win the women's.
The Aggies will return to action on Saturday when they host rival Sacramento State in the Causeway Dual at Woody Wilson Track.
CAL-NEVADA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Claremont, Calif.
UC Davis results only
All finals
MEN
400H - 1. Thomas Phillips, UC Davis, 50.52... 6. Alex Wilright, 52.82; 9. Jeffrey Campbell, 54.20.
4x400 - 1. Cal Poly Pomona, 3:12.65... 4. UC Davis (Marcus Johnson, Thomas Phillips, Jeffrey Campbell, Alex Wilright), 3:15.61.
PV - 1. Ethan Ostrom, UC Davis, 5.15 (16-10.75)... 4. Josh Sandler, 4.85 (15-11.00); 11. Danie Turvey, 4.70 (15-05.00).
SP - 1. Eric Flores, Cal Lutheran, 16.86 (55-03.75)... 3. Eddie Orgon, 16.25 (53-03.75); 15. Brandon Greenberg, 13.81 (45-03.75).
DT - 1. Cesar Puga, Long Beach St., 54.74 (179-07)... 25. Eddie Orgon, 39.96 (131-01).
WOMEN
100 - 1. Kelly Fogarty, UC San Diego, 11.65... 6. Melanise Chapman, 12.13.
200 - 1. Kelly Fogarty, UC San Diego, 23.63... 5. Melanise Chapman, 24.48; 6. Ugo Eke, 24.52.
400 - 1. Ciara Short, CS Fullerton, 53.18... 2. Ugo Eke, 54.61; 8. Alana Babers, 57.45.
4x100 - 1. Cal State Northridge, 46.47... 9. UC Davis (Kellie Grigg, Melanise Chapman, Leslie Reed, Alana Babers), 47.80.
SP - 1. Whitney Ashley, San Diego St., 15.31 (50-02.75)... 6. Chidinma Onyewuenyi, 14.05 (46-01.25); 24. Hannah Royall, 11.64 (38-02.25).
DT - 1. Whitney Ashley, San Diego St., 49.97 (163-11)... 6. Chidinma Onyewuenyi, 45.71 (150-00).
