After a month of indoor meets the San Diego State women’s trackteam is ready for some fresh air. After all, at this latitude whowants to remain inside?
“This is San Diego; it’s not an indoor track city,” junior LeslieMiller said. “Our team is really pumped up about the outdoor season.”
Nevertheless, the Aztecs turned in a strong performance, finishingsixth with a total of 58.5 points at the Mountain West ConferenceIndoor Championships held Feb. 21-23 at Cadet Fieldhouse on the AirForce Academy campus in Colorado Springs. MWC stalwarts Brigham Youngtook the team title with 175 points.
Millergot SDSU off to a good start on Thursday. Buoyed by second-placeresults in 60-meter hurdles (where she clocked in a personal best of8.95 seconds) and the 800-meter run, she finished fifth in thepentathlon, with total of 3,902 points.
Friday, the Aztecs’ pole vaulters continued their early-season hotstreak. This time it was freshman Shayla Balentine who set a MWCrecord with her vault of 3.84 meters. Senior Tricia Gutierrez andjunior Jesika Englebretson came in fourth and fifth, both with a markof 3.69 meters. Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista was particularlyimpressed with Englebretson.
“She came out of nowhere to clear her personal record,” Nanistasaid.
The final day of the competition saw junior runner Melinda Smeadlyfinish fourth in both the 60 meters and the 200 meter dash, withtimes of 7.66 and 24.54 respectively. In the 400 meters, Jini Hoggcame in fourth, while Jennifer Stakiw chimed in with a seventh placeresult in the 800 meters.
In the high jump, Alica Lasswell cleared 1.67 meters, good enoughfor a tie for fourth place.
“She’s improved in each meet,” Nanista said.
Nanista also spoke highly of Candice Hill, who came in twelfth inthe shot put, with distance of 13.01 meters.
“Although she didn’t score, she set a personal record by fivefeet” She said.
Into the great wide open
Like the rest of the team, head coach Rahn Sheffield is lookingforward to the start of the outdoor portion of the season, which getsunder way this weekend at the Southern California Invitational, atUSC.
“You know, indoors is nice, fine and dandy, but outdoor isbragging rights only: You either have it or you don’t,” Sheffieldsaid. “It’s the real deal.”
The Aztecs’ main theme for the season — the mental aspect ofcompeting — is now going to be put to the test. Sheffieldacknowledges that it is something that the team must improve upon.
“We need work,” he said. “We know it, and we’ve identified it.We’ve taken steps to address it. The athletes have to know that thereis a team behind the team. We need to turn the key and get thingsstarted.”
Now that the meat of the season is upon them, the squad’spractices have become more intense, something that athletesthemselves have initiated.
“They have changed the tone of practice,” Nanista said. “They aremore focused and more serious about what they are doing.”
