Sanford finishes as national runner-up in 400m dash


The third day of action at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships was once again a solid day of competition for the Arizona State University program as a pair of sprint individuals placed among the Top 5 in the nation to lead the Sun Devils at the meet being held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Donald Sanford was the top finisher on the day for ASU as he was the national runner-up in the 400m dash while Jasmine Chaney took fifth in the women’s 400m hurdle final.

With the eight points Sanford earned for the team, the Sun Devil men now have 20 points in the Championships and are tied for fourth overall with host Oregon and LSU. Texas A&M is the overall leader with 36 points and is followed by Florida (28) and USC (26.5). On the women’s side, Chaney’s four points puts the ASU women on the board in a tie for 39th place. The Top 4 in the women’s standings include Oregon (30), Iowa State (28) and both Texas A&M and Southern Illinois (26).

Sanford got out of the blocks well and stayed at the front of the race as they made the final turn toward the finish where he was in second place. Sanford held off late charges from both sides of his position in lane six and clocked in at a personal-best time of 45.21. That time, which also ranks as the ninth-best in school history, put him just behind the winner, Kirani James of Alabama, who ran 45.05, and just ahead of Pac-10 rival Joey Hughes of USC, who was third overall in 45.23. With the placement, Sanford also earned his first All-America honor.

Earlier in the day, Chaney took to the track in the final of the 400m hurdles and continued to climb the national standings. After entering the national meet ranked 17th (out of 24 entries), Chaney was the eighth and final qualifier to the final race where she got off to a strong start in lane one. Chaney continued to make up ground on the leaders and held off some late charges to hold onto the fifth position and earn her first individual All-America honor.

Jason Lewis also was in action for the second time this week as he competed in the hammer. Lewis finished with a toss of 62.91m (206-5) to place 16th overall.

The Sun Devils will have several competitors on the track and in the field on Saturday, including Lewis, Ryan Whiting and Jordan Clarke in the men’s shot put. Sanford also will compete in the 4x400m relay final while Brandon Bethke and Zeke Van Patten will be in the final of the 5,000m run. All the action will be aired live on CBS starting at 10 a.m. PT.


2010 NCAA Championships - Eugene, Ore.
Day 3 Arizona State Results (Friday)
Women’s 400m Hurdles - Final
5. Jasmine Chaney - 57.83 - All-American

Men’s 400m Dash - Final
2. Donald Sanford - 45.21 - All-American

Men’s Hammer - Final
16. Jason Lewis - 62.91m (206-05)