May 25, 2008                      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            USA TRACK & FIELD / PACIFIC ASSOCIATION

Contact: Fred Baer   [email protected]    Women’s TF & Media Chair         650-345-4114     (mobile 650-483-3733)
 

WORLD LEADER TRAFTON & AR HOLDER KREINER TAKE USATF PA CHAMPIONSHIPS

                World discus leader Stephanie Brown Trafton and American women’s javelin record holder Kim Kreiner scored impressive victories Sunday at USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Championships at College of San Mateo.
 
                Trafton threw the women’s discus 203 feet, 6 inches to beat current No. 5 USA thrower Cecilia Barnes (179-9) and maintain her lead in the Pacific Association’s $15,000 track and field Grand Prix.  Trafton’s world leading mark is 217-1, set in Salinas on May 7.  “I like to come here to throw,” Trafton said.  “It’s a beautiful view” (over the Bay).
“Next I have IAAF Grand Prix meets coming up, in New York and Eugene (Ore.).”  
 
                Kreiner, who set an American javelin record of 203-10 on the same CSM field at this meet two years ago, reached 183-0 in only her second competition of this Olympic year.  “It’s about 10 months since my Tommy John arm surgery,” she said.  “So I’m around 75 per cent right now.  I should be up to about 85 to 90 per cent by the (Olympic) Trials.” They will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 27-July 6.  Kreiner is one of only two Americans to have achieved the Olympic “A” standard so far.  She got that with her last American record throw of 210-7 in May of 2007, before her throwing arm injury.  
 
                “This is a great place to throw,” Kreiner said after the competition at CSM.  “This is a really good runway, very fast.  It’s the same surface (Mondo) as up in Eugene for the Trials.”  
 
                YOUNG NOTES: College of San Mateo’s freshman thrower Kelly Young was enthralled just to be competing in elite competition for the first time and took second place at 129-6, just a few feet off her personal best.  Young, a Capuchino High grad, won the shot put with a big season best of 42-4 and placed third in the hammer throw (141-10).  “This was a great experience,” she said.  “I’ve never had a chance to see top people before in meets, since I’m usually busy with my competitions.”  Young had thrown 40-4 1/4 the previous week for sixth at the California Community College Championships.  (Her mark Sunday would have taken second at state.)  Young  has completed just her second season of track and field and how has plans for a summer of more learning opportunities with CSM throws coach Mike Lewis.  
 
PA GRAND PRIX SCORERS: Maggie Vessey, one of the USA’s top 800 meter runners this year at 2:03.56, dropped down to the 400 meters and won that race in 54.72.  She is currently second in the PA women’s Grand Prix.  
 
                PA Grand Prix men’s leader Tim Bogdanof won the 110 meter high hurdles in 14.15 seconds, running into a slight wind.  He has run 13.77 this season.  Arend Watkins of San Jose, currently among the top 20 in the world (at 13.41), hit several hurdles and failed to finish.
 
                TOP FIELD MARKS: The highest score, 1122 points, was achieved by men’s hammer thrower Michael Mai of the U.S. Army.  He produced the No. 2 throw by an American this season, 250-7 to defeat Nicholas Welihozkiy (222-7).  (The two athletes received advance permission to submit marks from USATF’s high performance competition at BYU, since an alternate throwing location was needed for competitors capable of reaching those distances.)
                
                In other men’s field events, Daniel Schaarer won the discus (192-4) and Andy Gilmore took the high jump (6-10 3/4).  Additional women’s field event winners included Brittany Grovey in the triple jump (42-1 1/2) and Sabrina Nettey in the long jump (19-4).
 
                Grand Prix points (using the International/IAAF tables) are being doubled for the PA championship meet.  The competition concludes with the Olympic Trials.  Leading PA Championship meet scorers will also be eligible for prize money.  
 

Additional PA T&F Championships Articles

San Francisco Chronicle:
by John Crumpacker
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/26/SP4B10TKAV.DTL

Daily News Group (San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties):
by Vytas Mazeika / Daily News Staff Writer
http://www.dailynewsgroup.com/article/2008-5-26-vytas
(A follow-up local feature is scheduled later in week too.)

More DAILY NEWS PA meet stories plus full AGATE sums of meet:
http://www.sanmateodailynews.com/article/2008-5-27-track

San Mateo Daily Journal story:
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type =sports&id=92476