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The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

SF State hosts two-day 7th Distance Carnival featuring over 1,000 athletes

Michael+Ramirez+from+Hartnell+College+ran+in+the+third+heat+of+the+mens+5000+meter+run+at+the+SF+State+Distance+Carnival+at+Cox+Stadium+Friday+April+4.+Ramirez+finished+with+a+time+of+14%3A47.+Photo+by+Erica+Marquez%2FSpecial+to+Xpress
Michael Ramirez from Hartnell College ran in the third heat of the mens 5000 meter run at the SF State Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium Friday April 4. Ramirez finished with a time of 14:47. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress

SF State President Leslie E. Wong was just another fan in the crowd Friday until he proudly reached up to ring the bell that echoed across campus as the Gators looped around for their final lap of the steeplechase.

Teams from all corners of the U.S. came together in the Golden State for the largest home meet in the history of SF State track and field. The 7th Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium hosted 1,300 athletes from 150 teams across 24 total states over the weekend.

SF State’s Lea Rocha runs to the finish line in the second heat of the women’s 1 mile run at SF State’s Distance Carnival in Cox Stadium Saturday, April 5. Rocha’s finishing time was 6:05.73.

 

Things have transformed since its early days when there were merely a 100 athletes competing in 2008. But head coach Tom Lyons has worked tirelessly to expand it to include all the championship events and a couple more, pushing it two full days. Not to mention well over 1,000 athletes this time around.

“It was extremely well received,” Lyons said. “I love hosting so many teams from all over the country and seeing it continue to grow.”

Western Oregon’s Kody Rhodes (left), and San Francisco Coyotes’ Emmanuel Atsin jump over hurdles in the first heat of the men’s 110 meter hurdles at SF State’s Distance Carnival in Cox Stadium Saturday, April 5. Rhodes finished with a time of 14.609, and Atsin finished with a time of 14.606. Photo by Gavin McIntyre / Xpress

But Lyons said he is always working to top the last, and make the next year’s meet the ultimate in Gator history. He is already starting on the planning for 2015.

“In the last month (before the meet), I spend every waking hour outside of coaching on getting ready,” he said. “It’s worth it.”

Since the team was coming off of spring break the week before, Lyons said the coaches were expecting the athletes to get back into competition mode without focusing too much on setting top marks.

Michael Ramirez from Hartnell College ran in the third heat of the mens 5000 meter run at the SF State Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium Friday April 4. Ramirez finished with a time of 14:47. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress

 

But Ashley Black had something else in mind for her vacation.

“I didn’t take days off during spring break,” said Black. “(I thought), if my competitor isn’t taking a day off, then I shouldn’t either.” She trained hard, every single day.

Ben Branagh (26) runs in the second heat of the mens 5000 meter race at the SF State Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium Friday April 4. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress.
[/media-credit]Ben Branagh (26) runs in the second heat of the mens 5000 meter race at the SF State Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium Friday April 4. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress.

Black went into this two-day meet with five events, unlike most of her competitors.

“I knew it was going to be stressful,” Black said. “I had to mimic how the heptathlon was going to go and with that in mind I went in with a determined mindset.”

But she overcame the stress and made a lifetime best in the 100m hurdles clocking in at 15.25, .40 faster than her previous time.

And her leap in the long jump at 5.65m tied the school record set by Aziza Bledsoe in 2003.

“I broke a personal record,” she said. “It’s great to see all hard work that I did in practice actually turn out in competitions.”

And now, she said, these results are propelling her forward with newfound confidence for the upcoming conference.

UC Santa Cruz runner Theron Carmichael, Connor Prior from De Anza College, Almaguer (unattached) and Kevin Mangan (unattached) ran in the fourth heat of the mens 5000 meter race at the SF State Distance Carnival, Friday April 4. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress.

Janesha Anthony also had a good day on the track with her second fastest career mark in the 100m sprint at 1.96, .2 off her personal record.

She said she couldn’t have hoped for a better meet to come back on, not to mention she added that their T-shirts almost sold out, an exciting thing for the Gators.

And Kareezia Younger‘s sub-60 4×4 relay split was an impressive way to conclude the meet over the weekend, where the Gators placed fourth overall and beat last year’s record. She placed 5th in the high jump, clearing the bar at 1.53m.

“I would say my performance was pretty hit and miss,” Younger said. “I stayed consistent in my running events but did poorly in my high jump performance.”

USF runner Sarah Pearson rests on the track after running in the third heat of the women’s 5000 meter run at the SF State Distance Carnival at Cox Stadium Friday, April 4. Pearson finished with a time of 17:50. Photo by Erica Marquez/Special to Xpress.

“The mental aspect of high jump is just as important as the physical,” Younger said. “I didn’t have the pressure of being away from my home field.” Surprisingly, she was too comfortable at Cox Stadium and didn’t do her best.

Saturday, April 12, the Gators will travel to Chico for a small meet, and then two more meets the following week as the Conference Championships are fast approaching May 1 to 3 at UCSD.

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SF State hosts two-day 7th Distance Carnival featuring over 1,000 athletes