The San Diego State track and field team was represented in two different states this past weekend. Three Aztecs were at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, while the rest of the No.14 ranked team was across town at University of California, San Diego for the Triton Invitational.
Senior triple jump specialist Shanieka Thomas finished first at the Drake Relays on Saturday with a leap of 13.51 meters. It was only the second time Thomas has competed in the triple jump since winning the event at the Indoor Track and Field Championships in March.
Thomas was joined by junior Kristen Brown and senior Allison Reaser in Iowa. A collegiate best time of 13.50 seconds from Brown in the 100-meter prelims put her fourth going into the finals. In Saturday’s finals, Brown finished sixth.
Reaser joined Brown in the 100-meter hurdles prelims, finishing 20th in 13.94. She also competed in the 400-meter hurdles finishing eighth and had an 11th place finish in the long jump.
In La Jolla, the rest of the Aztecs combined for 13 top ten finishes during the two days. Redshirt junior Meritzer Williams, sophomore Rachel Roesgen and junior Dynasty Gammage all had second place finishes. Williams was runner up in the 200-meter dash (24.35), Roesgen in the 3,000-meters (10 minutes, 15.90 seconds) and Gammage in the 800-meters (2:09.13).
Earlier in the day, Roesgen also ran half the distance, finishing seventh in a time of 4:39.00 in the 1,500 meters. Williams finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in 11.90 seconds.
On the field, redshirt junior Jasmine Burrell led the throwers, finishing third in the shot put, 13th in the hammer and 15th in the discus. Former Aztec Whitney Ashley won the discus with a throw of 68.78 meters.
Despite the rain, Roesgen said the Aztecs made sure that they were always on the track to cheer on their teammates.
“We always create an atmosphere of supporting and encouraging one another,” Roesgen said.
The Aztecs have one more meet before they try to defend their Mountain West outdoor title. Roesgen said that this meet is the “last chance meet.”
“It is where we each focus in on our potential conference scoring events and the coaches make their final decisions on which athletes to bring,” Roesgen said.
The Aztecs head to Azusa, California for the “last chance meet” on May 10 before the conference showdown from May 14 to 17.
Photo by Jordan Owen, Senior Staff Photographer.
