March 31, 2007

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FRESNO, Calif. - UC Davis' Alex Wilright continued his outstanding freshman season on Saturday afternoon when he captured the 400-meter hurdles at the Cal-Nevada Track and Field State Championships with a school-record time of 51.02 seconds, helping the Aggie men to fourth place in the team standings.

The UC Davis women, paced by fourth-place finishes from Kim Gleeson in the discus and Jackie Turpin in the javelin, scored 35 points and were ninth. The men tallied 79 points. UCLA easily captured the men's team title while San Diego State beat the Bruins for the women's championship.

Wilright, who prepped at Franklin High School in Elk Grove, was the second freshman Aggie in as many years to capture an individual title at the prestigious track and field meet, joining Polly Gnepa who won the 110 high hurdles last year. Wilright, who jumped to No. 2 on the all-time list after his eye-popping time of 51.99 at the Aggie Open three weeks ago, smashed Jon Devine's 20-year-old record of 51.66.

Wilright's time is among the fastest among collegians this season and will likely be in the top five when new top times lists are released next week. Entering this past week, there were only two faster times. Ryan Moore of Fresno State was second to Wilright on Saturday in 51.29 while Adam Moore of Cal Poly Pomona took third in 52.55. Wilright's win earned the Aggies 10 points.

Wiliright helped highlight an Aggie day in which nine men and four women competed in individual event finals. In addition to Wilright, UC Davis received outstanding performances from middle distance runner Ben Johnson who finished second in the 800 in 1:51.17, high jumper Ben Nelson who tied for second at a career-best 2.10 meters (6 feet, 10.75 inches), Jonathan Sees who was third in the 1,500 in 3:58.19, and Jazz Trice who took fourth in the 110 high hurdles in 14.68.

Micah Grant was a double-finalist in the sprints, earning fourth in the 100 in 10.70 and fifth in the 200 at 21.79. Grant's time in the 100 tied his career-best which currently ties him for ninth all-time at UC Davis.

Other placewinners included Jah Bennett who tied for sixth in the high jump at 2.05 meters (6-08.75) and from Chris Chisam who took sixth in the javelin at 58.21 meters (191-0).

Besides Wilright's, three of the Aggie mens' marks dented the all-time leaders list. Nelson's tie for second in the high jump ties him for No. 3 with Dave Kohn, who went 6-10.75 in 1983, while Johnson's time in the 800 propelled him to No. 5. The final came from the 4x400 relay team which was third in 3:13.20, third all-time at UC Davis.

Matt Council also advanced to the 100 final after Friday's prelims, finishing ninth in 11.05.

Gleeson was one of the highlights for the Aggie women, placing in both the discus and the shot put. Her mark of 13.49 meters (44-3.25) in the shot put was a season-best for her while her throw of 48.41 meters (158-10) in the discus earned her a fourth-place finish.

Turpin added fourth-place points for the Aggies in the javelin with her mark of 42.13 meters (138-03). Other UC Davis women who advanced to finals included Nicole Theus in the 200, who was sixth in 12.05, just .02 off her career-best time; and Seante Baker who took ninth in the 400 in 57.49. Tiffany Knox went 11:49.70 in the steeplechase, finishing 16th.

The Aggies' 4x100 relay was fourth in 46.64 while the 4x400 squad was seventh in 3:50.86.

UC Davis also had distance runners competing on Saturday at the Stanford Invitational. Kim Conley finished her section of the 5,000 in 17:37.42, fastest for UC Davis this season. Also, Chris Ferren-Cirino finished his section in 15th place in 14:16.01, moving him from No. 5 to No. 3 on the all-time list at UC Davis. It improved his career-best time in the event by six seconds.

UC Davis will travel to Sacramento State on Friday for the annual Causeway Classic Dual.

UC Davis Aggies Track & Field

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