Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
Nike Elite Invitational
49ers Add Five More Regional Qualifiers In Sacramento
3/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
March 31, 2008
Sacramento, Calif. - Long Beach State qualified four more individuals for competition at the NCAA Western Regional last weekend, as the Beach participated at the Nike Elite Invitational in Sacramento. Alex Shaw set a lifetime best with a throw of 167'5" to qualify, and Gray won two events to punch two tickets to the NCAA Regionals.
Shaw's throw earned her second place in the event, as the 49ers competed with some of the top teams in the country. Shaw's toss also was good enough for regional qualifying, making her the second woman for the Beach to qualify.
Also earning a trip to Northridge was Jessica Branker. Already qualified for the Big West Championships in five separate events, Branker picked up her first regional qualification this weekend, finishing second in the women's 100m dash with a time of 11.70, her top non-wind aided time and the third-fastest in school history. Branker also finished second in the 200 with a time of 23.99, a season-best.
Among the distance runners, Missy Barclay and Sarah Apgar both posted top 10 times in the 1500, as Barclay came in with a time of 4:30.12 to take second place in the event along with the No. 5 time among LBSU runners, and Apgar's 4:33.99 is the eighth-fastest time.
Out on the field, along with Shaw's marks, Kristina Price had three season-best marks, qualifying for the Big West championships in the shot put and the discus, becoming the first athlete entered for Long Beach State in the shot.
Brent Gray picked up two regional qualifying marks in his top two events. In the 100m dash, Gray ran a 10.41 to easily pass the regional qualifying mark, and also grabbed gold in the 200 with a time of 21.13.
Alex Freitas was also a winner for the men on the day, grabbing the title in the 800 meter run by nearly three full seconds to earn the only regional mark in that event. His time of 1:49.34 is fifth in school history, and passed regional qualifying by nearly a second.
Out on the field, Chris Richardson and Nimrod Piggee both set season highs in the long jump, and David Sampson just missed Regional qualification in his second event, tossing a throw of 54'9.25" in the shot put.
Long Beach State will head back up north once again next weekend for the Stanford Invitational, running from April 4-5.
