April 25, 2004
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sophomore Kylie McCuen anchored a thrilling 4x400m relay victory that saved UCSB from defeat to Cal Poly at a dual track & field meet on Saturday at Pauley Track. Sophomore Amy Haapanen sealed the team title for the Gauchos by setting a Big West Conference record to win the hammer. Sophomores Heather Quinn and Lauren Christman set NCAA Regional qualifying marks, as the Gauchos defeated the Mustangs for the second consecutive year 101-95.
Entering the 4x400m relay UCSB trailed Cal Poly by four points. A win by the Mustangs would have given them a nine point lead and the dual meet victory with only the hammer remaining. Freshman Katie Kramer led off for Santa Barbara with a 59 second split, giving the Gauchos a slight lead after the first exchange. Cal Poly took the lead at the end of the second leg, while UCSB lost some valuable ground with the exchange from Lauri Schakett to Lindsay Christman. Cal Poly's Lebren Martin, the top 400m hurdler in the Big West, opened a 30 meter lead by half way through the third leg. Christman closed some ground however with a hard charging final 100 meters, and handed off to McCuen, who trailed Cal Poly's Kathryn Schlegel at the bell by 3 seconds. McCuen flew through the first 200m to close the gap on Schlegel. McCuen took the lead coming off the final curve, but Schlegel battled her all the way the finish. An exhausted McCuen, completing her fourth event of the day found the strength to out lean Schlegel at the tape. The Gauchos ran 3:53.75 to Cal Poly's 3:53.95, and took a one point lead in the meet. McCuen's anchor leg was hand timed in 55.2.
|
|
 |
With only the hammer remaining, the Gauchos needed at least a first and fourth place finish to seal the victory. Haapanen left no doubt after taking the lead on her first throw and going on the crush the Big West Conference record in the event by nearly six feet with a lifetime best 196' 2". The previous conference mark was set by Long Beach State's Stephanie Sampson earlier this year at the Big West Challenge Cup. It was the conclusion of another stellar day for the sophomore from East Union HS, who earlier in afternoon increased her school record in the discus to 169' 1", and won the shot put with a best of 51' 4.5". Haapanen was the only three event winner of the meet.
Sophomore Heather Quinn had a breakthrough day in the throws as well. Finishing second to Haapanen in the both the hammer and discus, Quinn hit the NCAA Regional standards in both events, tossing the discus 155' 4", and hurling the hammer out to 174' 2". Quinn stands second all-time at UCSB in the hammer and fifth in the discus throw.
Sophomores Rebecca Richey (124' 1") and Danielle DeBeaubien (122' 1") finished 1-2 in the javelin and freshman Charlene Heaston finished 4th in the shot put with a lifetime best 44' 10.5" (#2 All-time UCSB). Gaucho throwers out scored their Mustang counterparts 30-14.
On the track sophomore Lauren Christman won the 1,500m in a personal best 4:28.89. Christman finished just under the NCAA Regional time of 4:29.12. Junior Desiree Leek narrowly missed the qualifier finishing second in 4:29.32. The pair now ranks 4th and 5th all-time in the 1,500m at UCSB. Freshman Hadas Moser got the Big West qualifier with a personal best 4:42.90.
Senior Jasmine Washington won the 400m in 53.93, McCuen won the 200m in 24.79 and finished third in the 400m at 55.83. Lindsay Christman won the 800m in 2:13.43, Roseann Peters finished second in a personal best 2:14.17, and Lauren Christman made it a sweep for the Gauchos coming in third at 2:14.20. Freshman Ashlee Drady ran a lifetime best 2:17.23.
Elise Geiger clocked 12.37 to win the 100m for the second straight year of the Cal Poly dual and doubled back to finish second in the 200m (25.28).
Freshman Ashley Coelho leaped to season bests in the long jump (18' 0.5") and triple jump (37' 10.25"), and set a personal best in the 400mH of 65.52. Coelho's long and triple jump marks are Big West qualifiers and her 400mH time lays just .02 short of the conference standard. Gaucho freshmen Lauri Schakett (64.40) and Diana Joyner (68.78) also recorded personal bests in the 400mH.
Freshman pole vaulters Heidi Nyberg and Jessica Horn both cleared a personal best 10' 6".
