USA TRACK & FIELD   •   PACIFIC ASSOCIATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 27, 2007

Contact: Fred Baer 650-345-4114

 

News briefs from the 2007 USA Track & Field Pacific Association Championships at College of San Mateo -- including regional/local items

 

Items compiled by Jack Salisbury, USATF PA Communications Intern

 

ALDRICH OUTSHINES ACUFF IN HIGH JUMP DUEL OVER THE BAY

Competing at the USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Championships Grand Prix Meet at the College of San Mateo on Sunday, May 27, Erin Aldrich bested her competition with a first place finish in the women’s high jump.

Aldrich’s best jump was 6 feet, 3 1/2 inches (1.92 meters), which she executed on her first attempt at the height. It was the second-best outdoor mark by an American this year, only one centimeter behind fellow Texas Longhorn Destinee Hooker’s mark of 6-4.  Aldrich then had three good shots at the 2007 World and 2008 Olympic “A’ standard of 6-4 3/4  (1.95 meters). 

“I felt OK,” the 2001 Texas graduate said of her performance. “It’s been 2005 since I’ve really jumped. I’m just figuring things out again. I think the 1.95 will come soon. It’s a matter of time.”

Aldrich, the alternate jumper for the U.S. team for the 2004 Athens Olympics after finishing fourth at the U.S. Trials, has spent most of her winter and spring seasons in Italy since then, earning a living playing on the Italian professional women’s volleyball league circuit. 

Although the new San Diego resident missed clearing the 6’4 3/4 bar, she was confident in her abilities.

“If I got 2 or 3 more tries, I really think I would have gotten the 1.95 today,” she said.

 Her biggest competition coming from three-time Olympian and Isleton resident Amy Acuff, Aldrich looked impressive throughout.

As a whole, Aldrich was satisfied with her performance, just a couple of weeks after volleyball circuit at the end of the season.  

“Overall, it was good,” she said of her showing. “I can’t be disappointed.”

--Aldrich is still coached by Stanford’s John Rembao, who was her coach at University of Arizona and at Texas

 

             ACUFF FALLS TO ALDRICH

A three-time Olympian and the USA’s No. 2 all-time high jumper, Amy Acuff of Isleton deferred to San Diego’s Erin Aldrich at USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Championships Grand Prix meet at the College of San Mateo on Sunday, May 27.

Acuff is still working out the kinks with her new jumping routine that includes a shorter approach.

“I’m still working on my approach,” Acuff said. “I went off on a short approach today so it was kind of hard to find my step.”

Acuff’s best jump was 5 feet, 83⁄4 inches. Although she has jumped as high as 6-7 in 2003, Acuff missed three tries at 6’03⁄4.

With the USA Championships in Indianapolis commencing in less than a month, Acuff will look to keep herself busy with an assortment of meets—next week, she will be competing on the campus of Brigham Young University in a USATF high performance meet.

“This was the first meet I’ve had in weeks,” Acuff said. “I’ll ramp it up a little later in summer.”

 

OLYMPIC GYM GOLD MEDALIST AMY CHOW WINS POLE VAULT

Amy Chow showed her athletic versatility at the USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Championships Grand Prix Meet at the College of San Mateo on Sunday. The former Olympic gold-medalist out-jumped opponent Nicola Garoutte the Women’s Pole Vault, clearing the 11 feet, 113⁄4 inches.

Chow bested her only opponent in Garoutte, whose high mark was at 10 feet flat.

Chow, a member of the 1996 USA gold-winning gymnastics team also known as the “Magnificent Seven,” is a graduate of Stanford University. She currently resides in San Jose.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST: JOY MARGERUM BESTS DAUGHTER SUNNY IN LONG JUMP

In an interesting match-up which pitted mother against daughter, Joy Upshaw-Margerum bested daughter Sunny Margerum in the long jump competition at USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Championships Grand Prix Meet at the College of San Mateo on Sunday.

Joy Margerum finished third, jumping 16 feet, 5 1/4 inches.  Her daughter, a freshman at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, jumped 15-8 3/4, a bit below her personal best achieved at Friday’s Central Coast Section High School Championships in Gilroy, where she placed sixth.

More than just pride was on the line in the mother and daughter match-up.

“She [my daughter] knew I was going to jump today. ‘Let’s bet,’ she said,’” Joy Margerum said. The two ended up wagering an iTunes certificate on the race, which the mother Margerum was very happy to claim after her third place finish.

Gluseun Augustus of Tiger Bar Sports won with a jump of 19-1 1/2.

The elder Margerum later competed in the women’s 100 meters, finishing behind winner Jernise Saunders and runner-up Dena Birade.

“It was good for an opener,” Margerum said. “I haven’t raced since the indoors in March. It was a good workout, a chance to work on mechanics.”  (She set American masters’ indoor records that month.)

Finishing her competition for the day, Margerum also raced in the women’s 200 meters, placing third to Jernise Saunders and Natalie Gaerlan.

Aside from her duties as mother, jumper and runner, Margerum also serves as the USA Track & Field Pacific Association Master’s Chair.

She is currently planning the USATF Pacific Association Masters’ Championships, which will be held on June 30 at the same College of San Mateo facility.

BROWN-TRAFTON FALTERS TO WIND AND BARNES; FINISHES IN SECOND

Battling against both the elements and up-and-coming talent, Olympian Stephanie Brown-Trafton of Galt finished second in the discus at Sunday’s USA Track & Field Pacific Association Championships and Prix Meet at the College of San Mateo.

The Cal Poly-SLO alumnus, in her own words, had an off day.  Her longest throw was 188 feet, 8 inches.

“It wasn’t my best performance,” she said. “If I don’t throw 200 [feet] then it’s not a good day.”

Taking first place was Cecilia Barnes at 190-3. Barnes, a 3-time NCAA Division II champion for Cal State Bakersfield (2004-06), is the daughter of Lacy Barnes, the No. 12 all-time American in the event at 206-10.  

Throwing on a windy backdrop overlooking San Francisco Bay, all seven competitors had to deal with the outdoor surroundings.

 “You have to be really skilled or else it [the wind] will kill your flight,” Brown-Trafton said.

Brown-Trafton, a veteran of discus, was interested by the influx of younger throwing talent at Sunday’s event. Aside from Barnes, Sela Paini, a freshman at the host College of San Mateo, placed sixth at 143-0, just an inch behind former CSM thrower Cami Carroll (143-1).  

Strong performances were also churned out by Rachel Varner and Lara Saye. Varner threw 179-2 for third and Saye was fourth at 176-5.

 “I’m really excited about the younger girls getting a chance to compete with the more experienced throwers,” Brown-Trafton said. “They had a good mix today.”

 

CSM THROWERS END YEAR & USATF PA MEET WITH ONE-TWO FINISH IN JAVELIN

Helena Silva of host College of San Mateo won the final event of Sunday’s USA Track & Field Pacific Association Championships, throwing the women’s javelin 113 feet, six inches.  That beat teammate Sela Paini, who placed second at 107-4. 

Paini also threw the discus 143-0 to place sixth.  A week earlier, at the California Community College Championships at CSM, she placed second with the top freshman mark by an American JC thrower this year, 154-8.

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