Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Gear Up for Championships
5/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
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49er Men Look to Defend Their Big West Title LONG BEACH, CA-- The Long Beach State men's track and field team will look to defend their Big West title when both the men's and women's programs participate at the Big West Championships over the next two weekends. Jackie Taylor and Katie Black began competition in the hepthathlon on May 4 and 5, before the rest of the squad enters the meet on May 11 and 12 in Northridge. Currently, the 49ers have seven marks that lead the Big West, led by junior transfer Brent Gray in the 100 and 200 meter races and two-time defending champion Kim Heinz in the javelin. Heinz is looking to become just the second 49er either, on either the men's or women's side to win a title three-straight years, joining four-time high jump champion Tayyiba Haneef (1998-2001). Haneef, an All-American in track and volleyball, won three-straight outdoor titles and another on the indoor circuit in 2001. Gray holds the school-record in the 100-meter race, while Heinz is the current record holder in her event. Other leading marks this season include: Alex Freitas (800m), Robert Jennings (discus), Jill Reynolds (pole vault), and Jennifer Onyeagbako (discus). Additionally, Ezra Kwong (discus) and all-conference Alex Shaw (javelin) are runners-up to their teammates. The men and women each return seven all-conference performers, as the men won the team title last year. The women currently have 12 athletes ranked in the top-three in the conference (which would earn them all-BWC certificates if the meet was held today), while the men have nine ranked in the the top-three. Defending champions include: Mario Cobian (800m), Reynolds (pole vault) and Heinz (twice-javelin). The 4x400-meter men's relay team also returns as defending champions. Nationally, LBSU has 10 marks ranked in the national top-50. Gray ranks 11th and 16th respectively in the 100 and 200 disciplines, and leads the West Region with a school-record time of 10.29. Jennings ranks 22nd in the discus and 45th in the hammer, as the only other 49er to rank in the national top-50 in two events. Heinz ranks 16th nationally and fifth in the West with a school-record 166'6" total, while Onyeagbako is 18th in the discus and eighth in the region. Shaw is close behind Heinz with the 26th-best national mark and eighth-best regional mark (158'4"). She is also third all-time at LBSU. Reynolds is 15th nationally in the pole vault with the second-best mark.Amongst others ranking nationally, Freitas is 49th (800m) and Kwong is 38th (shot). Seven women's marks and six men's marks have already qualified for regionals, with any additional conference champions getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional in Eugene, OR starting on May 25. |
