Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Mountain West Conference
CSU's Godell defends Mountain West hammer title
5/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Outdoor Track & Field
May 15, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - Junior Alex Godell recorded his second consecutive Mountain West title in the hammer throw. His effort highlighted Day 2 of Colorado State's performances at the outdoor conference championships at TCU's Lowdon Track and Field Complex.
"He did what he was supposed to do," said Head Coach Brian Bedard. "He got off to a rough start. I would've liked to have seen him start a little bit stronger, but he did what he was supposed to do for the team and that's what's important right now."
On Godell's best of his six throws, he launched the hammer 200 feet, 10 inches, to win the event. Senior Jason Schutz (195-00) finished third behind BYU's Leif Arrhenius (198-02).
Meanwhile, after a solid start Wednesday, senior Emily Pearson fell just 36 points shy of the individual Mountain West title in the heptathlon, finishing second to New Mexico's Sandy Fortner (5,641). Pearson, who led following the first day of competition, won the javelin on Thursday with a throw of 139-11.00. She currently sits at No. 7 overall in the NCAA this season.
CSU's Katie Lloyd (5,398) was third in the heptathlon. On the strength of Pearson and Lloyd's combined efforts, the Rams' women led the conference team standings for a second straight day.
"It was really three very good heptathletes competing for two days," Bedard said. "And it was just fun to see. They have a good relationship with each other. They kind of encourage each other. They were competing, but also supporting each other. They had great energy. I think they really helped push each other to those great performances.
"I really don't think that if the other one wasn't there, if Sandy wasn't there or if Emily wasn't there, they wouldn't have done as well as they did. That's a big personal best for Emily Pearson."
It also marked an automatic qualifying mark for nationals.
"We just had a good day all around in the heptathlon," Bedard said.
Johnson lost for championships: In literally the first few strides of the first event of the men's conference championships, the 100 meters Wednesday, the Rams lost defending Mountain West champion Kevin Johnson. The senior from Overland High School in Aurora, Colo., had been battling a hamstring issue for the past week, and aggravated the injury out of the blocks Wednesday as the conference launched the decathlon competition.
Bedard said the loss not only cost the Rams an estimated 25-30 team points, it also robbed them of one of their most inspirational competitors.
"To give you an idea of what kind of guy he is," Bedard said, "there were several officials and other coaches who were pulling for him. He's a guy who has great character, one of the nicest and most humble athletes we have. It was a big loss for the Mountain West, not just us."
The goal now is to rest Johnson, who already has provisionally qualified for next month's NCAA championships based on his 7,332-point effort April 25 at the Glenn Morris Invitational in Fort Collins.
Looking ahead: Friday's action begins early, at 6:30 a.m. MDT, with the finals in the women's 10,000 meters. Bedard feels good about the Rams' chances.
"That's a big event for us," he said. "We have a good group of athletes in that event, and if they can place well, that would be a good kickoff to our day."
Friday also includes a host of finals in field events, including most of the rest of the throws, as well as the men's 10,000 meters, the men's and women's steeplechase, and a wide assortment of qualifying distance and middle-distance events that will consume the entire day. CSU's goals are simple heading into Day 3.
"Just to keep the momentum going that our ladies started in the heptathlon," Bedard said. "They got us off to a great start and we need to build on that.
"I don't think I have to have a rah-rah speech when I talk to the team. This team is experienced. They have great leadership and they know what they have to do. It's just going to be, `Continue what you've been doing all year and if everybody does their job, we can come out with a conference championship.'"
Final Heptathlon Results:
1. Sandy Fortner, UNM - 5,641; 2. Emily Pearson, CSU - 5,605; 3. Katie Lloyd, CSU - 5,398; 4. Kristin Olafsdottir, SDSU - 5,342; 5. Shana Watson, SDSU - 5,050; 6. Meaghan Peoples, TCU - 4,974; 7. Chelsi Petersen, BYU - 4,883; 8. Kristen Kugler, CSU - 4,751; 9. Danielle McCarty, AF - 4,411; DNF - Mindy Robins, BYU
Final Decathlon Results:
1. Justin Palmer, BYU - 7,054; 2. Chase Dalton, BYU - 6,982; 3. Jordan Calderwood, BYU - 6,650; 4. Skylar Morgan, AF - 6,557; 5. Noah Palicia, AF - 6,452; 6. Matt Gensic, AF - 6,339; 7. Jay Petsch, WY - 6,092; 8. Chad Gibson, CSU - 5,730; DNF - Kevin Johnson, CSU
