May 15, 2005
IRVINE, Calif. - In a magical weekend for the Gauchos, the UCSB Women took home the team Big West Track & Field Championship for the first time in school history out lasting Cal St. Northridge. Never finishing higher than 3rd place since the sport was added to the Big West in 1984, the Gauchos catapulted themselves to first with an unbelievable team effort.
In a sport where the team is often lost amongst individuals, anybody who was there to witness the unbelievable week walked away with an incredible sense of joy and excitement not only for the Gauchos but also for Big West Track & Field. A strong Big West Conference in all events culminated in non-stop energy that filled the fourth and final day for the team championship.
After finishing 4th a year ago, UCSB put up 179 points to Northridge's 156 points to take home the title. Rounding out the top three, Long Beach St. finished 3rd with 138 points. The Gauchos, always the underdogs traveled a full squad of Thirty-two members this year to UC Irvine. It took the will of all thirty-two, their coaches, and the loud and spirited contingent of friends and family to pull off the Championship.
Leaving the Big West Championships in first place after Day 3 it was known that it would still take a strong effort to hold off Cal St. Northridge, team Champions in 2004 and 2002. Rebecca Richey (Jr.) is credited for setting the tone for the day beginning with the Javelin Throw.
At 11am the day began for the Gauchos. Richey, the School Record holder in the Javelin came in ranked 8th with a seasonal best of 130-03.25 feet, well off her record set last year at 146-11. With a crowd of fans pumping her up around the runway, Richey launched a seasonal best throw of 141-07 to put her well into scoring position only to better her mark on her third throw to 141-10 putting her in 5th entering the finals.
Then, on her final throw of the day, still in 5th place, Richey bombed it 150-00 feet thrusting herself into second where she would remain, gaining All-Conference honors. Her mark not only raises her own school record but also for the second year in a row qualifies her for the Regional Championships in two weeks. The Gauchos were now up fourteen points to Northridge after eight out of twenty-one events to be scored.
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At 3pm, the Track events started with the 4x100m relay. The Gauchos with a seasonal best 47.90 entered the competition ranked eighth. Elise Geiger (Jr.) would anchor this relay after sitting out all of April with an injury sustained in late March. Getting the baton around successfully, Geiger hammered down the homestretch finishing in 6th with UCSB getting a seasonal best 47.87, the 8th fastest school All-Time mark.
Next out in the field came the Women's Pole Vault at noon. Ranked 9th with vaults of 11-05.75 in 2005, Heidi Nyberg (So.) and Jessica Horn (So.) used the Gaucho's energy to put together a great competition. After clearing 11-00 feet, both Gauchos went on to clear a pivotal height of 11-05.75 on their first attempt to place them in a good position to score in the top eight.
At the next height, Nyberg cleared a personal best 11-11.75 along with three other competitors. Horn would not clear but with the first attempt clearance at the height below, she would finish in sixth ahead of three others who had more misses at that height. Nyberg would miss at 12-05.50 but nonetheless finished 4th with a personal best as UCSB's 2nd highest vaulter all-time. Horn is currently 3rd All-Time. The Gauchos (80pts.) had now built a seventeen-point cushion on Northridge (63 pts.) after ten scored events while Long Beach St. moved into second (64 pts.).
The 1500m final featured some of the fastest women in NCAA Division I and it indeed turned into a barn burner. Lauren Christman (Jr.), school record holder for UCSB was the favorite with a 4:20.90, ranked 12th in the nation. Battling strep throat throughout the week she fought hard as Palacio (Sr.) from Northridge set a blazing early pace. Kamau of Idaho also joined the two in the front pack. Lindsay Christman (Jr.) and Cosette Smith (Sr.) were a few steps behind attempting to cover fourth and fifth places, securing big team points.
Up front, Kamau broke away with 400m to go running a personal best 4:20.02 while La. Christman came across the line just ahead of Palacio in 4:22.29. Smith was 4th in a personal best 4:26.07, while Li. Christman fought off a Utah St. runner for 5th, finishing in 4:26.32. Smith's time moved her up to sixth All-Time for UCSB. The Gauchos were now up 97-69 to Northridge.
Approximately half an hour later, Kylie McCuen (Jr.) began her domination of the sprints, entering the blocks for the 400m dash. Ranked 2nd in the Big West in 2005, McCuen's main competition would come from Tillman of Riverside. Getting out fast in lane three, she would control the race coming across the line in a personal best 54.52 for the title. Kerry Gamble (Fr.), fighting off a kidney infection, came up for fifth in a time of 57.02. After thirteen events the Gauchos remained on top 111-85.
On going throughout these track events were the Triple Jump and Shot Put competition. In the Triple, the Gauchos were not predicted to finish in the top eight. Throwing the predictions aside, Ashley Coelho (So.) set things off jumping a school record and seasonal best 38-09.00 on her first jump. She had only previously jumped 37-05.50 in 2005. Chelsea Haverty (Fr.) in flight two who came in with a seasonal best of 36-10.50 also went huge outdistancing Coelho with a new school record leap of 39-01.25 on her second attempt.
With both jumpers moving onto finals both Coelho and Haverty would again improve upon their marks. Coelho jumping ahead of Haverty in the finals again upped the school record to 39-03, her best of the day. Then on Haverty's last jump of the finals she would go 39-08.75, moving all the way up to fourth. Coelho would go onto finish seventh with the 2nd All-Time UCSB mark.
In the Shot Put, Amy Haapanen (Jr.) and Heather Quinn (Jr.) were ranked second and third respectively behind Dixon of Riverside. Haapanen after winning the Hammer Throw on Friday still had to bounce back when she failed to qualify for finals in the Discus. Getting on the board, Haapanen would throw 46-07.50 on her second throw to grab a pivotal third place for the Gauchos.
Up front, Quinn and Dixon battled with Dixon tossing one 46-09.00 out of the first flight. Quinn, winning the Discus on Friday was hungry for another victory and did just that with a throw of 47-07.00 on her second attempt in the second flight just two inches off her personal best. Her second win of the meet, Quinn contributed a total of twenty-five points to the Gaucho cause.
Next on the track, McCuen again was set to roll in the 200m Dash. The Conference leader from Northridge had false started in the prelims taking her out of the finals and opening it up not only for McCuen but also for the Gauchos in the team scoring. Sprinting to her second victory she ran a lifetime best 23.88 lowering her own school record that she set two weeks ago and assuring her the Female Track Athlete of the Year. On the team front however, the Matadors had picked up major points in the hurdles, 100m dash and a second place in the triple jump, putting them ahead even after McCuen's 200m victory. With two events to go, Northridge was up by two points 146-144.
It was now up to the strength of the UCSB Distance squad to attempt to seal the deal in the Big West team Championship standings in the 5,000m finals. The Gauchos held the top three times of 2005 going into this event, as well as the fifth (La. Christman, Smith, Li. Christman, Lewis). UCSB fans had lined the track now chanting "U.C.S.B." and "Ole's" as the gun went off. A slow pace of 84's and 85's kept the race field intact through six laps. Steadily picking up the pace at 7 laps, a group of six broke away from the rest of the field. The four Gauchos mentioned above, Ripplinger of Utah St. and Kramon of Long Beach St. composed this pack. Hadas Moser (So.) was a little further back in eighth place maintaining a good pace.
With two laps to go and the UCSB fans in a frenzy, the group of four Gauchos got away from Kramon and was wearing down Ripplinger. A furious last lap by Smith broke not only Ripplinger but also her own teammates as she came home the 5,000m Big West Champion in a time of 17:06.32. Right behind her the other three Gauchos had also got ahead of Utah St. sweeping the top four spots (La. Christman - 17:06.84; Lewis - 17:07.89; Li. Christman - 17:11.23). A little further back, Moser came in for seventh. Picking up thirty-one points in a single event, the distance squad put the Gauchos in the lead for good with a twenty-nine point lead with only the 4x400m relay remaining.
In the 4x400m event, Cal St. Northridge pulled up for the win with the Gauchos racing to a fifth place finish. Going in as the seventh seed, the UCSB women's relay of Gamble, McCuen, Joyner and Geiger ran a seasonal best 3:47.02, the 3rd fastest UCSB All-Time mark.
The Gauchos' storybook finish ended with the UCSB team and fans in attendance rushing the infield continuing to chant "Ole, Ole, Ole...Gauchos, Gauchos"; a cheer that has become a staple at all UCSB Athletics events, especially surrounding Big West Championship Titles. UCSB next travels to Eugene, OR in two weeks for the NCAA West Regional Championships. The women have qualified nine athletes who will fight for the top five automatic spots to the National Championships in Sacramento, CA.
