Long Beach State University Athletics
Track & Field Picked To Finish Second In Big West
3/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
March 5, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - The 2008 Preseason Coaches' polls were announced by the conference office, and both the men's and women's teams were picked to finish second during outdoor season. The men picked up three first place votes finishing just out of first place.
Defending Big West Track Athlete of the Year Brent Gray returns for the men in what was a close race with Cal State Northridge for the top spot. An All-American in the 200m, Gray finished fourth nationally as a junior and returns for his final season at the Beach. Gray also picked up gold at the Big West Conference Championships last year in both the 100m and 200m dashes.
Joining Gray as a returning member for the Beach is highly regarded decathlete Chris Richardson. Richardson spent last season as a redshirt year to train in the difficult event, and is in good position to make a run at becoming Long Beach State's 15th individual NCAA champion.
The 49ers also return the last two discus champions at the conference level. Ed Cornell returns to the team after using a redshirt season in 2007. Cornell remains in the top 10 in the discus in school history. Also in the top ten at no. 7 is Rob Jennings. Jennings took the gold at the conference championships in 2007, so the 49ers have an excellent chance to repeat and possibly go 1-2 in the event.
Long Beach State also looks to showcase an improved sprint squad from last season. Along with the return of Gray, the 49ers welcome back Alex Freitas. Freitas, who had solid times last year before a season-ending injury, posted an NCAA provisional mark in the 800m, running a sub-1:50.00 time. Freitas will also run the 400m as well. He represents a part of an improved sprint squad overall, with the additions of Kelsey Caesar, Richard Crawford and a number of other highly-touted recruits.
Receiving three out of eight first place votes, Long Beach State's men were just outside of the top spot, finishing six points out of first with 54 total points. Long Beach State is in good position to reclaim the team title they last won in 2006.
The women's outdoor team also was slated to finish in second place. The predicted second-place finish is one spot higher than their third place finish at the Big West Championships one year ago. Additionally, the 49ers sent seven women to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and will hope to reach and surpass that mark again.
Out on the field, the 49ers welcome back two outstanding throwers in Katelyn Ciarelli and Kristina Price. Just like the men's discus pair, they have an excellent shot at going 1-2 in the event this season. Ciarelli will also be looking to improve on her LBSU No. 4 mark in the hammer throw, while Price continues to work in the shot put.
Javelin thrower Alex Shaw also returns for the 49ers. While Long Beach State loses the services of All-American Javelin thrower Kim Heinz, The defending Big West Champion, Shaw has an excellent shot to pass the conference and school record throws set by Heinz last season.
Pole Vaulter Jill Reynolds comes back for her senior season with the Beach. The conference champion in the event two years ago, Reynolds is looking to regain that championship form, and reprise her appearance in the NCAAs last season.
The 49ers will also have some excellent runners on the track for the upcoming year. Jessica Branker and Patrice White will both be top runners in their main event, the 200m dash, but will also compete in the 100m dash as well. The duo owns the top returning marks in both events from last season. The 4x100 relay featuring them also made the NCAAs last year and they will attempt to make that trip one more time during the upcoming season.
Outdoor track and field season begins in earnest this week as the 49ers travel to Fullerton to compete in the Ben Brown Invitational. The two-day event begins on March 7.
