 "Photo: Courtesy of Stan Liu / SDSU Athletics")
When the finish line is in sight, a runner has two options - keep the pace she's been running or dig deeper and find that extra something that lets her break the tape first.
Almost every time the San Diego State track team closed a race this weekend, it managed to pull off the latter.
SDSU took first place in the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut much in part by winning the 4x100-meter team relay, the 200-meter sprint and gaining five additional NCAA regional qualifying marks.
"To win the team championship was big for us," assistant coach Jennifer Nanista said. "We did well and are hitting our stride right when we should. With about two months left, it was real promising to get a win here."
The winning relay team - juniors Shana Solomon and Decontee Kaye, and seniors Sherraine Pencil and Alicia Lowery - took the race at a regional qualifying and season-best time of 45.38 seconds.
Solomon also shined by herself, winning the 200-meter with a season-best time of 23.81 seconds, qualifying her for the regional meet. Solomon also competed in the Olympic Development section of the 100-meter and grabbed another regional-qualifying time of 11.59 seconds, finishing in second place.
"Shana was great," Nanista said. "She showed a lot of leadership and took advantage of her opportunities in this meet. She showed a lot of heart."
Kaye topped all Division I competitors in the triple jump, leaping 42 feet, 9 1/2 inches, good for another qualifying mark at ninth overall. Kaye also participated with junior Shana Watson in the long jump. Kaye posted a 19-0 jump, while Watson took third place with a leap of 19-4.75.
In the 400-meter hurdles, junior Kristin Olafsdottir exceeded the regional-qualifying mark for a third time, taking third place with a time of 1:00.81. Olafsdottir also competed in the 100-meter hurdles and finished with a time of 14.50.
Pencil and senior classmate Mandy Upuu recorded season-bests in their own events. In the 400-meter, Pencil posted a time of 54.87 to finish in fourth place, and competed in the Olympic Development section of the 200-meter to finish in seventh with a time of 24.46. Upuu competed in the 800-meter and finished with a time of 2:11.45.
Also posting a season-best was freshman Jessika Hornsby, who ran the 100-meter and finished with a time of 11.99.
"We have a lot of youth on this team and we just need to continue to gain experience and battle till the very end," Nanista said, "This team is so exciting to watch, with so many great performers, I know we'll be contenders till the very end."
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