March 1, 2009
Los Angeles, Calif. -
By Nick Longo
Coach BJ Vandrovec and his Cal State Fullerton pole vaulters set the new season's tone this weekend as the Titans' men's and women's track teams competed at Southern California's Katherine B. Loker Stadium in the Trojan Relays.
Lady Titan vaulter Kelly MacLean (Sr-Huntington Beach) hit two birds with one stone -- a finishing height and a new PR of 12 feet, 7 1/2 inches. It was good enough for first in the competition as well as an early regional qualifying mark, making her the first Titan of the season to qualify for the NCAA Western Regional Championships which is scheduled to take place later this season in Eugene, Oregon.
Following close behind MacLean were conference qualifiers from Alison Stamos (Jr- Escondido) and Susanne Hotchkin (RS Soph. - Mission Viejo). It was a big day for Hotchkin, who returned to the runway after having surgery on both heels in 2007.
"It's good to see Susanne out there...it's been a long road for her. Today she set the stage for some big jumps. I'm excited to see where she takes it this season," said Coach Vandrovec.
Following the women were two more pole vault conference qualifiers from the men -- one from Andrew Sullivan (Soph-San Diego) and the other from Ryan Simioni (Fr- Huntington Beach).
"[It] was a great first meet for the Titan vaulters...Kelly and Susanne demonstrated an awesome effort. We, as a group, got off on the right foot. I'm really happy with my athletes' performance, it's a good feeling to see what we could quite possibly wind up with in May," concluded Vandrovec.
Track highlights were led by a pair of first-place finishes for the men's and women's 4x200 meter relays. The woman's squad consisting of Kristyne Hanberg (Sr-Mission Viejo), Ciara Short (Soph-San Diego), Krizia Apelar (Fr- Long Beach) and Chazz Evans (Jr- Fontana) finished in a time of 1:38.71. The men's squad consisting of Deandrae' Woods (Fr- San Diego), Garrett Myers (Sr-Corona), Bryan Luther (Fr-Victorville) and Aaron Ray (Fr- Visalia) finished in a time of 1:27.71.
Action continues next weekend as the Titans host the Ben Brown Invitational on the newly resurfaced Titan Track. Events are scheduled to begin this Friday and conclude on Saturday evening. Go to www.flashresults.com/flashwest for more information.