Big news in XC!
In addition to the big track meet coming to Sacramento next June, there is also the NCAA Div I West Regional Cross Country Championships happening on Friday, November 15th, at Haggin Oaks Golf Course.
The event is hosted by CSUS.
In addition to CSUS, NCAA West Region teams also include include Oregon, Stanford, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, UCLA, Cal Poly, and UC Davis, among others.
The CSUS Hornets men’s and women’s track and field teams each defeated UC Davis Aggies Friday night in the annual Causeway Track & Field Meet.
The Hornets’ men’s team won 99-92 while the women earned a 102-86 victory.
Complete results are here.
Nice work!
Lea Wallace earned All American in the 800
Hornets senior Lea Wallace wrapped up her collegiate running career this weekend with a 9th place finish in the 1500, and placing 6th and earning All American in the NCAA Div I Outdoor Championships 800.
In Friday evening’s 800, Wallace finished in 2:04.56 and, according to Sac State, she recorded the highest finish by a Hornet woman since Marisa Avendano placed second in the 10,000 in 1997.
Multiple, lengthy weather delays frustrated the athletes and event organizers this weekend. According to CSUS: (more…)
Lea Wallace at the Big Sky Conference Championships
On Wednesday, we learned that Lea Wallace had won her heat in the NCAA 800 semi-finals.
Today, Wallace came in 6th place in the 2nd heat of the 1500. Fortunately, the 2nd heat was a lot faster than the 1st heat and she advanced on time.
Wallace’s 4:17.65 was the sixth fastest of the semi-finals.
Of Wallace racing in both the 800 and 1500, Hornet’s coach Scott Abbott says, “This is a very tough double and she is finding out how tough it is, but she is handling everything very well.”
Lea Wallace is the first Hornet woman to advance to NCAA finals in two events. Photo from the Big Sky Conference Champs
This weekend, three Hornets earned a trip to the NCAA Finals at Drake University by advancing out of the NCAA West Preliminaries in Eugene.
Senior Ronald Brookins will be making his second appearance at the NCAA finals in the 110 meter hurdles after finishing 2nd in his quarterfinal heat, running the event’s 5th fastest time of 13.47.
Teammate and fellow senior Lea Wallace advanced to the finals in the 800 on Friday, and again in the 1500 meters on Saturday. Friday, Wallace won her 800 heat and posted the fourth fastest time of 2:03.69. Then on Saturday, she took 2nd in her heat in the 1500 to automatically advance to the final, and posted the 7th fastest time of 4:20.38.
Celebrating Hornets
There was wind and there was unseasonably cool temperatures. There were cramps and pulled muscles, and there was the occasional jackrabbit bolting across the track and mid-field. When the all-weather track dust had settled, both the Sac State Men and the Sac State Women had clinched Big Sky Conference outdoor titles.
The Hornet women earned their fourth consecutive team title, with a commanding 236 points. Montana finished second with 133 while Eastern Washington was third at 79.
While the women have been there before, this was the first time the men got to enjoy wearing the outdoor title. The men scored 204.5 points, ahead of Northern Arizona who finished with 167.
Kortnee Burton and Rochelle Kanuho of Northern Arizona battle for 2nd halfway through the women's 10,000 meters.
There has already been plenty of action at Hornet Stadium this week and results are being posted live here.
As of this evening, the Hornets women are in first place over Montana and the Hornets men are in second behind Northern Arizona.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Big Sky Conference Championships and I look forward to seeing you there!
Last weekend, at the 2011 Payton Jordan Invitational, the Hornets’ Lea Wallace ran the second fastest collegiate 1500 meters of the season in 4:11.31.
You can go watch Wallace as she runs the 800 and 1500 meters at this weekend’s Big Sky Conference Championships. (You really should.)
In the meantime, you can check out this Flowtrack Workout Wednesday video of one of Wallace’s last training sessions before Payton Jordan, and see a little of Hornets’ coach Scott Abbott, too!
This week, CSUS will be hosting the Big Sky Conference track and field championships at Hornet Stadium.
Events are already underway, and the Hornets’ Sam Schur has already won the decathlon! Schur is the first Sac State athlete to win this event!
The main body of the meet begins tomorrow and runs through Saturday. This is a great chance to support the local team and check out some of the fastest collegiate runners in the country.
The Hornets women go into the meet with a three-championship streak, so they are clearly the team to beat.
About a month ago, when talking about the Hornets prospects for the rest of the season, distance coach Scott Abbott promised big things for 800 meter runner Lea Wallace. He noted that at the time, “Lea Wallace was the number one ranked half-miler in the nation at 2:03.07.”
Well, Wallace has since improved on that time with a 2:02.95 at the Mondo Mid-Major Challenge, setting a school record in the process. Wallace’s time also maintains her standing the nation’s fastest in the 800, and sets her up as the one to beat at this year’s NCAA Champs.
We’ll be looking forward to seeing what she can do at the NCAA Div I Championships in June.
