SDSU Track and Field Wins Mountain West Championship
The Aztecs won their fourth championship in the last six years.
The San Diego State University Track and Field team captured the Mountain West Outdoor Championship on Saturday.“Being up (on the podium) with my teammates after finishing one, two and three meant so much to me because we've been hoping for this. We knew it could happen.”
The Aztecs, who entered the day in 11th place, dominated every sprinting event to rally and win their fourth championship in the last six years.
"It's very exciting. It's a bittersweet moment for me," Ashley Henderson said after the meet. "Being up (on the podium) with my teammates after finishing one, two and three meant so much to me because we've been hoping for this. We knew it could happen."
Henderson won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, her third time winning both events.
"I hated track when I was younger and now here I am doing some things I never thought possible," Henderson said after winning the 200-meter dash. "It means a lot to me to come home a three-time defending champion and being able to stand up there with my other two teammates."
Lisa-Anne Barrow claimed her first individual conference championship, winning the 400-meter dash (52.11)—the first Aztec to win the 400-meter dash since 2009. Also, her time of 52.11 was the third best in school history and Mountain West Championship history.
The Aztecs also won both relay events, the 4x100-meter relay (44.23) and 4x400-meter relay (3:37.39). The Aztecs won the 4x100-meter relay for the third straight year. The group of Rochene Smith, Simone Glenn, Callista Fletcher and Henderson finished in 44.23, which is the third fastest time in Mountain West Championship history and fifth best in school history.
Henderson was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet, the fifth time she has won this award, extending her Mountain West record. Shelia Burrell was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year, the fourth time she has earned this honor.
The Aztecs showed their strength in the 200-meter dash. The team entered the race having a remarkable five of the nine runners competing and ended up occupying five of the top seven spots, including the top three. Henderson (22.59), Glenn (23.30) and Barrow (23.39) swept the medals, and freshman Jalyn Harris (sixth; 23.82) and Rochene Smith (seventh; 23.95) also picked up crucial points for the Aztecs.
Up next, the Aztecs will be competing at the NCAA preliminaries May 24-26 in Sacramento, California. The top 48 from the region advance and the top 24 relays. Entering the weekend, the Aztecs had nine athletes who would qualify along with their 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays.
