NCAA Articles

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Two Zips Earn All-America Honors At NCAA Track Championships
Kaufman seventh in the javelin, Russell third in the pole vault

June 11, 2005


SACRAMENTO, Calif. - University of Akron juniors Ashley Kaufman (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area HS) and John Russell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton HS) earned All-America honors Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.

Russell tied for third in the men's pole vault with a height of 17-08.50, earning his third All-America award and his first outdoors. He tied with Georgia's Brad Smith at that height. Russell cleared his previous three heights of 16-10.75, 17-04.50 and 17-08.50 using only four attempts. He had three chances to clear the bar at 18-00.50 but failed to do so. The competition was won by BYU's Robison Pratt who cleared 18-00.50 to earn the victory.

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http://gohuskies.collegesports.com/spor ... 05aaa.html

Kate Soma Wins NCAA Pole Vault Title
Dockendorf sixth; UW finishes NCAAs with four All-Americans.


June 11, 2005 -- UPDATED 9:14 p.m. with final team scores.


SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Husky senior Kate Soma became the most decorated women's track and field athlete in UW history Saturday, winning the NCAA pole vault title at the 2005 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

The Portland, Ore., native is the 24th Washington track and field athlete, and fourth UW woman, to win an NCAA title all-time, and the first Husky to do so outdoors since 1988. Soma is the second Husky athlete to win an NCAA individual title in the past two weeks, joining NCAA men's golf champion James Lepp.

Soma was one of five Huskies to win All-America honors at this year's NCAA meet, which concluded Saturday. Washington's women finished among the top-20 teams for the second-straight year, their 17 points earning a tie for 15th place, its best finish since 1988. Texas captured the women's title with 55 points, while Arkansas won its 11th NCAA men's title since 1992 with 60 points. Washington's men did not score.

Soma led the field through 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches, clearing each of the first four heights on her first attempt. Things nearly turned ugly when Soma's pole snapped in half on her first attempt at 14-5 1/4, her fourth broken pole this year and the fifth of her UW career. Moved to the end of the jumping order as a result of the equipment failure, Soma was able to watch as each of the three remaining competitors missed all three of their attempts, crowning the Husky champion.

Soma says she knew after clearing her second height, 13-6 ¼, that she would win the competition.

"I felt so good going over that bar," she said afterward. "I just knew right then that this was my competition to win."

Dockendorf, meanwhile, moved into the top-10 in Pac-10 history with a third-attempt clearance at 13-9 ¼, before narrow misses on all three attempts at 14-1 1/4. Dockendorf's vault equaled the Pac-10's ninth-best all-time, and was the fifth-best vault ever by a Canadian woman.





"Kate's been runner-up twice, so for her to win at her final meet is just awesome," said vault coach Pat Licari. "It's also exciting to see Carly realizing her potential. This was just a great day all around for us."

Licari has coached at least one UW vaulter to an NCAA title in each of the past three seasons, adding Soma's win Saturday to back-to-back NCAA indoor crowns by Brad Walker in 2003 and 2004.

During Soma's four-year career, Washington's women's vault unit has evolved into the nation's most accomplished. Five Husky vaulters boasted marks over 13 feet in 2005, and four competed at the national championships, both firsts for any NCAA institution.

"We've been blessed to be able to enjoy watching Kate on a daily basis over these past four years," said third-year head coach Greg Metcalf. "We'll hopefully someday have another 14-foot vaulter, and another five-time All-American," Metcalf said. "But we'll be hard-pressed to replace Kate's impact on our program. She's proven that you can become a star at Washington, and that's a legacy that will live on for years to come."

Soma's legacy includes 2005 NCAA, 2004 Pac-10 and 2005 West Regional titles, as well as five All-America honors, the most-ever for a UW woman. Only three UW men have earned more, including Ja'Warren Hooker (10), Scott Neilson (7) and Rick Noji (6).

As Soma made her first attempt at 13-6 ¼, sophomore Amy Lia sprinted past in the finals of the 1,500 meters, The Bothell, Wash., native, making her NCAA Championships debut, placed 12th in the event, crossing the line in 4 minutes, 27.89 seconds. Seeded 18th entering the meet, Lia qualified for Saturday's 12-woman final with a third-place preliminary finish, her time of 4:18.19 a four-second personal best and the third-fastest in Washington history.

The sophomore returned to the track barely two months ago after missing nearly a year due to injury, and has run just 11 1,500-meter races in her collegiate career.

"Amy's overcome a lot of adversity in the last year to put herself in this position, competing in the finals at the NCAA Championships," said Metcalf. "I think this experience has really opened her eyes as to what she's capable of. She'll be back here soon for sure."

A record 16 Huskies competed at this year's NCAA meet, with seven earning top-10 finishes. Soma, Dockendof, hurdler Ashley Lodree and half-miler Ryan Brown all earned All-America honors - UW's most outdoor All-Americans since 2000 - adding to the 10 such honors earned by Husky athletes indoors in March.

"I tell you, it felt great to go into that stadium every night knowing that we had a bunch of folks out there competing, going after All-America honors," Metcalf said. "The past couple of years we've been laying the foundation, and this year we've started to build. Eleven of these 16 folks are coming back next year, and we have a bunch more who feel like they should be here, too. Washington track is again becoming the nationally-renowned name it used to be, and that's a credit to everyone involved in our program."

While the collegiate season is officially concluded, several UW athletes will continue to compete throughout the month of June. Numerous Huskies will be entered in next week's Harry Jerome Classic in Burnaby, B.C., while others are qualified to compete at the U.S. Junior and Senior National Championships, with berths at August's World Championships up for grabs.

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Mickie Rzepka Finishes 10th In Pole Vault At NCAA Championships
Rzepka ties her own school record by clearing 13-5 1/4.


June 11, 2005

Results

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Michigan State redshirt junior Mickie Rzepka (Novi, Mich.) placed 10th in the finals of the pole vault Saturday night at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Rzepka tied her own school record of 13-5 1/4 that she set during Thursday's qualifying round before bowing out.

Fourteen competitors entered the finals, where the opening height was 3.90m (12-9 1/2). Rzepka cleared the bar on her first try, but just one person was eliminated at that height. At 4.00m (13-1 1/2), Rzepka missed on her first try, but was successful on her second attempt. Again, just one other competitors dropped out at that height.

The bar then moved to 4.10m (13-5 1/4), where Rzepka tied her school mark on the first try. Once again, however, only one person was eliminated, leaving a field of 11 remaining. Rzepka was unable to break her record, and was eliminated at 4.20m (13-9 1/4). Only six entrants cleared that height, but three of the five who were eliminated had not missed before that point, meaning that Rzepka's one miss at 4.00m cost her a tie for seventh with those three.

Kate Soma from Washington went on to win the event with a top jump of 4.30m (14-1 1/4).

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http://www.dailyevergreen.com/disp_stor ... ryId=13586

Four Cougars reach top
Quartet earn
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS (Bio)

Eleven WSU athletes competed at the NCAA Division I track and field championships last week in Sacramento, Calif. The top athletes from dozens of schools across the country took part in the championships, which ran from June 8 to 11.
Representing the WSU women’s team at nationals were heptathletes Julie and Diana Pickler, javelin throwers Rachel Bertholf and Jenna Dean, and pole vaulter Tamara Diles.

Traveling to Sacramento for the men’s team were runners James McSwain and Jaycee Robertson, hurdler John Cassleman, pole vaulter Tyson Byers, discus thrower Drew Ulrich, and decathlete Darion Powell.

On the first day of competition, Powell was in 11th place out of 25 competitors after his first two events, but had to retire from the meet after fouling each of his three shot put attempts in the third event of the day. Powell, the Pac-10 decathlon champion, visited nationals in 2003, taking fourth place.

Also Wednesday, McSwain was unable to advance after round one of the 100-meter dash, while Bertholf and Dean both could not advance from the qualifying round. Dean is the current WSU record-holder in the javelin, with a throw of 51.7 meters earlier this season. She threw 44.15 meters at nationals.

Also competing on the first day was sophomore Byers, who advanced from the qualifying round, and ended up taking fifth place in the pole vault Friday, the third day of events. Coming into competition, Byers had a personal record of 17 feet, 6.5 inches, but cleared 17 feet, 8.5 inches at nationals, third-best in school history.

By placing in the top eight scoring positions for his event, Byers earned All-America status.

“I think this was a good step for next year,â€Â

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Balentine, like Henderson, had not met her potential after setting the still-existing state record of 13-8 her senior year at Morro Bay High. It was also her first year of pole vaulting, so it has taken the last three years to build the foundation that she hopes carries her to greater heights.

"I want to be like my hero, Stacy Dragila," said Balentine. "I know I can go higher because I've done it in practice. This is just the start, not the finish."

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Balentine finally delivers

After her meteoric rise from beginner to the best in high school, Shayla Balentine figured her college career would be filled with days like Saturday.

But after the San Diego State senior finished second in the pole vault with a personal-best leap of 14 feet, 11/4 inches, it marked the first time she could break into a wide smile after finishing a college season.

Fourteen months after grabbing a pole vault four years ago, Balentine, then a senior at Morro Bay, won the state title and set a still-standing national record with a vault of 13-8, busting the previous standard by four inches.

Balentine's stunning story seemed to forecast a glory-filled college career, but after three often-arduous years, Balentine ended it in the style she always expected.

Balentine tied Washington's Kate Soma at 14-11/4, but finished second on misses. Her mark broke her own school record of 14-01/2. In addition, she shares the top college mark in the nation this season with

Soma.

"I put so much pressure on myself coming in, it was nothing but pressure," Balentine said. "It did nothing but hold me back. And it took me three long years to figure it out."

Balentine's college career didn't exactly lack for highlights before Saturday. She is, after all, a four-time Mountain West Conference champion.

But her previous-best NCAA finish was 17th place as a freshman and last year her season-best vault was 13-3, a mark five inches short of her high school record.

A year ago, Balentine failed to clear a height at the NCAAs in Austin, Texas. But after inclement weather delayed qualifying she was given another chance when all competitors advanced to the finals. In the finals, she again failed to clear a height.

"I gave up," Balentine said. "My attitude was 'God, I don't even want to be here. I wish the season was over.'"

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Donaldson's teammate Molly Lederman also enjoyed a breakthrough outdoor track season with the Bulldogs.
The Newton native became the first Yale pole-vaulter, male or female, to qualify for the NCAA championships, after finishing second and breaking her own school record with a vault of 13 feet, 3 3/4 inches at last month's NCAA East Regional Championships.
Lederman couldn't keep the momentum going in Sacramento, however, tying for 20th in the preliminary competition and missing a chance to join the top 14 in last Saturday's finals

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Zips junior John Russell also added to his collection of honors. He won his third national award by tying for third in the pole vault with a leap of 17 feet, 8 ½ inches in the finals. Russell, a two-time indoor All-American, won the Mid-East Regional Title in May. Mitchell said Russell aimed to win but dealt with equipment problems, using four different poles on as many jumps.

``He's just at that level now where he can start looking for national titles,'' Mitchell said of Russell. ``This year he finished this season strong. He's a great athlete. He could be one of America's best -- period -- not just in college.''