Heptathlon, decathlon await ASU

Sun Devil Meet Notes and Statistics/Top Marks (pdf)

The championship season gets underway this weekend for the Arizona State University track and field program as five individuals will travel to Edwards Stadium Berkeley, Calif., to open the 2010 Pac-10 Track & Field Championships with the women's heptathlon and the men's decathlon. The meet, which is being hosted by California, will begin this Saturday and Sunday with the multi-events and conclude next weekend (May 15-16) with all other events.

In the meet
The five Sun Devils set to compete in the multi-events this weekend include two women and three men with all but one of those men making their Pac-10 Championships debut. For the women, rookie Keia Pinnick enters the meet with the second-best score in the Pac-10 with 5,017 points while junior transfer Samantha Henderson heads to Cal with the fifth-best score (4,744 points). Sophomore Jamie Sandys is back in 2010 and will enter the decathlon ranked eighth with 6,357 points, 155 points more than his 12th-place score from last year. He will be joined by a pair of men competing in the Pac-10 meet for the first time, including ninth-ranked Austin Prince (6,309) and 11th-ranked Jeremy Marcinko (6,151).

Meet information: multis
Although held one week prior to the rest of the meet, the heptathlon and decathlon still count as part of the Pac-10 Championships with team points earned this weekend going toward the overall count that will crown team champions next week. This week, the men's decathlon leads off both days with events at 11 a.m., including the 100m dash on Saturday and the 110m hurdles on Sunday. The women start competition with the 100m hurdles at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday and the long jump at 11:35 a.m. on Sunday.

Follow along
Live results for both weekends of the Pac-10 Championships are available on the web by visiting the following site: http://www.sml1.com/recordtiming/cal/pac10_2010/

Nationally known
According to the latest release of the National Top 25 rankings from the USTFCCCA, the Sun Devil men remain part of the Top 10 this week, but slipped to positions to No. 6 while the Arizona State women are not ranked. On the men's side, Texas A&M remains in the top spot with Oregon, Florida and Texas Tech rounding out the Top 4 while the women's Top 4 includes new leader LSU, Texas A&M, Oregon and Oklahoma.

Regionally known
The USTFCCCA also released updated regional rankings this week with the men slipping one position to No. 3 in the West while the women remained at No. 5. Oregon and USC are currently ahead of the men in the region while the remaining teams in the Top 5 include Stanford and UCLA. The women's Top 5 is Oregon, USC, Stanford, Arizona and ASU.

Academic honors
On Wednesday (May 5), the NCAA released the names of 29 men and 29 women that were selected as a 2009-10 Postgraduate Scholarship Awardee with Sun Devils Jason Lewis and Ryan Whiting both being selected for the award. Both men will receive one-time grants to apply toward postgraduate studies. Lewis and Whiting were selected as they are student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Last year, Sarah Stevens earned the same award.

Double dual
The Sun Devils faced their intrastate rivals over the weekend in Tucson and walked away with three wins as the men swept Arizona (115-85) and Northern Arizona (132-47) while the women defeated NAU (127-63) and fell to UA (107-93). The men have now defeated NAU 13 years in a row and are 36-5-1 all-time against the Lumberjacks while the women have won 20 in a row with a 22-2-0 all-time record. Against the Wildcats, the men have defeated their rivals four years in a row and are now trailing 31-32-0 all-time while the women's loss to UA snapped a nine-year winning streak for ASU, but the Sun Devils still lead, 14-12-0.

Hand me a broom
In the men's competition, there were 19 events contested and the Sun Devils won 11 of those events, including a clean sweep of all four throwing events and five of the seven sprint events at 400m or shorter. In the field, Jason Lewis took the top spot in the hammer (66.21m/217-3) and the discus (58.95m/193-5) while Ryan Whiting won the shot put with a Double Dual record toss (21.26m/69-09.00) and freshman Eddie McClain won the javelin with a personal-best toss (62.08m/203-08). On the track, Lawrence Trice won the 100m (10.39) and 200m (21.10), both with personal-best times, while Donald Sanford took the 400m dash (46.73) and Ian Caracciolo won the 400m hurdles (53.98). The final sprint victory came in the 4x400m relay with Justin Kremer, Ray Miller, Sanford and John Kline taking the top spot (3:10.16). Combining the men's wins with some from the women's side, ASU swept three events, including the 100m dash, the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. For the women, Chaney took the 100m (11.76), Dominique' Maloy took the 400m (53.64) and both ran with Kayla Sanchez and Keia Pinnick to win the relay (3:36.47).

More victories
Along with wins mentioned above, ASU also won five other events, including two by the men and three by the women. For the men, Joe Fazio took the pole vault (4.91m/16-01.25) while Mason McHenry won the 800m run (1:48.91). On the women's side, Kauren Tarver won the steeplechase (10:29.36), Christabel Nettey won the long jump (6.28m/20-07.25) and the team of Maloy, Sanchez, Nettey and Cheney won the 4x100m relay (44.96).

Top performer: Lewis
While the men had many strong performances at the Double Dual, Jason Lewis' day stood out as the senior won a pair of events and took second in another with only his own teammate defeating him. On the day, Lewis won the hammer in 66.21m (217-3), which ranks as the third-best mark in the history of the Dual, before winning the discus with a toss of 58.95m (193-5), the fifth-best mark in Dual history. In the shot put, he took second to Ryan Whiting, the world leader in the event, with a personal-best toss of 18.70m (61-04.25), which stands as the ninth-best toss in Dual history.

Top performer: Chaney
Jasmine Chaney had another strong showing for the women over the weekend as she competed in five events on the day, winning three and placing second in the remaining two. Individually, Chaney won the 100m dash in 11.76 and took second in the 100m hurdles (13.38) and 400m hurdles (1:01.17) with her 100m hurdles time ranking as the third-best all-time in the history of the Double Dual. Chaney also was the anchor for both victorious relays, including the 4x100m (Dominique' Maloy, Kayla Sanchez, Christabel Nettey) that ran a season-best 44.96 and the 4x400m (Maloy, Sanchez, Keia Pinnick) that ran a season-best 3:36.47, the third-best time in Dual history.

Top 10 dual marks
Along with marks attained by Lewis, Whiting, Chaney and the relays, five others were recorded that landed ASU on the Double Dual all-time Top 10. For the women, Dominique' Maloy is now 10th in the 400m dash (53.64); Kauren Tarver is fifth in the steeplechase (10:29.36); and Christabel Nettey is tied for eighth in the long jump (6.28m/20-07.25). The men also two more Top 10 marks: Lawrence Trice is third in the 100m dash (10.39) and Mason McHenry is sixth in the 800m run (1:48.91).

ASU Top 10 additions
A pair of throwers also added their names to another Top 10 list and that is the all-time ASU lists. Ashley Lampley recorded a personal-best mark of 51.23m (168-1) in the women's hammer to move onto the list at No. 10 while Jordan Clarke moved onto the men's lists in a pair of events, including sixth in the hammer at 60.81m (199-6) and 10th in the discus at 56.41m (185-1).

Still leading
Two of the top men's shot put athletes in the world opened their outdoor season recently with Ryan Whiting still remaining ahead of them on the world lists in the event. Whiting's toss of 21.71m (71-02.75) at the 31st Sun Angel Track Classic continues to lead all marks recorded this year, is one of only two marks over 70-feet and is one of only four holders of a mark over 21-meters. Christian Cantwell, the 2010 indoor world champion, is just behind Whiting at 21.69m (71-02.00), a mark he attained at the Drake Relays, and Reese Hoffa, a two-time world champion, who is third in 21.14m (69-04.25).

Another lead of sorts
Looking over the NCAA descending order lists in the men's throws, the Sun Devils once again hold a pair of distinctions over the rest of the nation. Following last weekend, seven men currently are ranked in the Top 25 in both the shot put and discus with only five schools represented. While four other schools have one man to join those ranks, the Sun Devils have three as Ryan Whiting (1st SP/11th DT), Jason Lewis (7th/4th) and Jordan Clarke (16th/19th) are all members of the Top 25 based upon their top mark this season. Additionally, Lewis holds a special distinction as he is the only man in the nation that ranks not only the Top 25, but the Top 10 in three throws as he also is 10th in the hammer.

Bethke brings it
At the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., on April 17, Brandon Bethke competed in the invitational section of the men's 5,000m run and took fourth overall behind a trio of professional runners with a time of 13:27.83. That time, which was just 0.04 seconds off the school record he ran last year, remains one of the best in the world as it stands 18th once again this week. His mark also is the second-best time in the collegiate ranks behind only David McNeill of Northern Arizona, meaning the Top 2 times in the nation are from Arizona schools.

Chaney leads the way
At the Sun Devil Open, the women's team was led by another outstanding performance from Jasmine Chaney as the junior posted two individuals victories to sweep the short sprints while also running on both relays. Chaney posted a time of 11.56 in the 100m dash into a slight head wind, missing the Top 10 list at ASU by just 0.03 seconds, before taking the 200m dash in 23.58. In the relays, the Sun Devils ran on their own as the other schools pulled out. Despite that, Chaney and her teammates posted solid times, including a season-best time of 45.61 in the 4x100m relay.

More world marks
Bethke (5,000m) and Whiting (shot put) are not the only athletes with ties to the program that are currently ranked among the Top 20 on the world lists as two former men's and five former women's athletes are the charts following meets held last week. For the men, Dwight Phillips opened his season in the long jump with a mark of 8.32m, which is just one centimeter from the world lead, while Kyle Alcorn won the steeplechase at Stanford in 8:27.95 to record the second-best time in the world this year. On the women's side, Charonda Williams is ranked in two events, including the 100m (t-15th, 11.28) and the 200m (t-12th, 22.97); Latosha Wallace is ninth in the 400m hurdles (56.38); the duo of Desiree Davila (32:06.85) and Amy Hastings (32:28.77) stand seventh and 11th, respectively, in the 10,000m run and Sarah Stevens is 15th in the shot put (18.23m).

In the NCAA Top 10
Six marks currently rank in the Top 10 of the NCAA with all six coming from the men/ On the track, Brandon Bethke ranks second in the 5,000m run (13:27.83) and the 4x400m relay of Justin Kremer, Ray Miller, Donald Sanford and Joel Phillip ranks fifth (3:03.78). In the field, Ryan Whiting leads the nation in the shot put (21.71m) while Jason Lewis is fourth in the discus (59.78m), seventh in the shot put (18.70m) and 10th in the hammer (67.07m).

Leaders of the Pac(-10)
Three marks currently lead the Pac-10 with Bethke (5,000m) and Whiting (shot put) leading individually and the team of Allante Battle, Ray Miller, Lawrence Trice and Michael Stokes leads in the 4x100m relay with a time of 39.60.

Closing in
Seven total marks currently rank second in the Pac-10 with Jason Lewis leading the way as he is ranked second in the shot put, discus and hammer. Also on this list are Donald Sanford in the 400m (45.72) and the 4x400m relay of Sanford, Justin Kremer, Ray Miller and Joel Phillip (3:03.78) for the men. The women's list includes Keia Pinnick in the heptathlon (5,017 points), Constance Ezugha in the long jump (6.28m) and Jasmine Chaney in the 400m hurdles (58.01). Pinnick will compete in the heptathlon this weekend in Berkeley.

Academically sound
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) announced its annual list of MPSF All-Academic honorees for the indoor season with 13 Sun Devil men and eighth women named to the list. The men honored included Brandon Bethke, Ian Caracciolo, Ben Engelhardt, Kyle Fugit, Duggan Grant, Justin Kremer, Jason Lewis, Jeremy Marcinko, Mason McHenry, Jamie Sandys, Michael Stokes, Lawrence Trice and Ryan Whiting while the women's honorees included Courtney Golden, Ashley Lampley, Dominique' Maloy, Cherise McNair, Cj Navarro, Lisa Navarro, Lisa Nelson and Ashley Wimmer.

Sun Angel produces
At the 31st Sun Angel Track Classic, the action was outstanding as 23 different marks recorded in Tempe ranked among the Top 20 on the world lists this season with four of those marks recorded by former Sun Devil women and three total by current Sun Devils. On the track, Charonda Williams ran 11.34 in the 100m dash and 22.97 in the 200m dash to post a pair of Top 10 times, including the 10th-best in the 100m and the second-best in the 200m. Also on the track, meet honoree Desiree Davila clocked a personal-best time of 15:55.81 to run the 15th-best time in the world and also lower the meet and venue record in the 5,000m run. Sarah Stevens improved her standing on the world list to No. 10 in the shot put with her personal-best toss of 18.23m.

Returning champion
Heading into the outdoor season, one Sun Devil returns to competition as the defending national champion and that is Ryan Whiting in the men's shot put. The senior captured his first outdoor title last year in Fayetteville, Ark., and the middle of what is three in a row overall (2009 indoor, 2009 outdoor, 2010 indoor). Whiting won the competition with a heave of 20.11m (65-11.75) and gave him a sweep of the indoor and outdoor crowns, marking the 18th time in the past 45 years a man has accomplished the sweep. He is the 12th different man to do so and the first since 2007.

More on Whitting
With his indoor shot put championship back in March, Ryan Whiting now has four total NCAA titles in the event, including a three-peat in the indoor event and one outdoors. In the history of the shot put at the NCAA meets, Whiting is currently tied for fifth all-time with Carl Myerscough (Nebraska), who won two indoors and two outdoors, and a title outdoors this year for Whiting would move him into a three-way tie for third-most with Hans Hogland (UTEP) and Janus Roberts (SMU). Whiting concluded his indoor campaign with three titles, making him one of four men to win at least three in a career. Should he win the outdoor title this year, his two crowns would tie him 11 other men that won twice and make him the 19th man to win two or more in a career.

Returning All-Americans: men
Three men return for their senior seasons after earning All-America honors outdoors. Ryan Whiting is back to defend his shot put title and improve upon his second-place finish in the discus while Jason Lewis, the only man in the nation last year to qualify for all three weight events outdoors, is back after sixth-place showings in the discus and hammer. Brandon Bethke also is back after taking fourth place in the 5,000m run.

Returning All-Americans: women
Four women that earned All-America honors last year are back this season, including two with individual honors. On the track, the returning All-Americans include Jasmine Chaney (4x100m and 4x400m relay), Dominique' Maloy (200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay) and Kayla Sanchez (4x100m relay) while the lone returning field event All-American is Cj Navarro (discus).

Next time out
The remaining events of the 2010 Pac-10 Track & Field Championships will be held next Saturday and Sunday in Berkeley, Calif. This meet will be the final chance for the Sun Devils to improve their season-best marks to earn a spot in the NCAA Preliminary Round meet in Austin, Texas, at the end of the month. That meet will serve as the opening rounds of the national competition that will conclude in Eugene, Ore., in June.