NCAA Track & Field Championships - Day Two Recap

SACRAMENTO -- Following is an event-by-event recap of the Cougars' results on day two of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

800m (Men) -- SIMKINS EARNS ALL-AMERICA CITATION

Ranked 25th out of 26 competitors in the men's 800-meter competition, many lesser competitors would have been happy just to have the opportunity of being invited to the NCAA National Championships. Not BYU's Chad Simkins.

With a 12th-place overall finish in the 800m (the seventh-ranked American competitor), Simkins earned All-America honors on Thursday.

"I didn't look at any of their times," Simkins said. "I came here with the attitude that as long as I hung with the pack, I could compete with any of these guys. I really wasn't intimidated by their times. That stuff really doesn't matter when the gun goes off."

Simkins, a native of Marysville, Wash., became the only competitor from the West region to advance to today's semi-finals after setting a personal best mark on Wednesday during the qualifying round of competition.

"The guys from the East seem to dominate this event," Simkins said. "I wanted to make a statement for the West Region, and for BYU."

On Thursday, Simkins again proved he deserved recognition as one of the top 800-meter runners in the country. However, his bid to reach the finals came up less than one second short. Simkins, who turned in yet another personal-best (1:48.74), finished sixth in the second of two heats, and finished 12th overall in the competition.

"I was ranked 25th coming in," Simkins said. "Finishing 12th isn't bad, but it really gives me the incentive to come back next year and make a bigger impact."

800m (Women) -- LEMIESZ ADVANCES TO FINALS

Exactly 24 hours after setting a new personal-best in the 800 meters, earning one of 16 positions in the semifinal round, junior Aneta Lemiesz did it again. Lemiesz, a native of Lodzki, Poland, finished third in the first of two semi-final heats in the event to earn an automatic bid to Saturday's finals with a time of 2:04.49. Again, it was all part of the pre-race strategy.

"I knew I would have to run a 2:04.50 in order to advance to the finals," Lemiesz said. "So, I ran a 2:04.49. Close enough."

Thursday's performance clipped yet another second off her personal-best, marking the third fastest 800-meter time in school history. In her last four performances, Lemiesz has continued to improve on her personal-best in the event.

"Early on I had problems with my back, then my foot," Lemiesz said. "I've just had to work on getting better. I know I can run faster. I have the speed and power, but I have had to work on my endurance. I know I can get 2:03.00, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Lemiesz found herself in sixth place after the first 400 meters, completing the first lap in just over 60 seconds. On the back stretch, Lemiesz had to step out of the pack and make her move. With 150 meters remaining, Lemiesz sprinted to the lead. Knowing she had enough to qualify, Lemiesz took her foot off the gas and coasted to a third-place finish.

"I think I had enough speed to win the heat, but I wanted to save some power for the finals," Lemiesz said. "Since the finals aren't until Saturday evening, it's almost like I have two days to rest. I'm so excited."

Lemiesz, who is assured of an All-American citation, will have Friday off to recover and prepare for Saturday's final, which is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. (PDT).

"She did it, but she did it the hard way," BYU head women's coach Craig Pool said. "She is a heck of a competitor, and we're proud of her. As a 400-meter specialist, advancing to the finals in the 800 meters, that tells you a lot about her."

200m (Men) -- NIELSEN'S CAREER ENDS BY FOUR-TENTHS OF A SECOND

Senior sprinter Matt Nielsen's career at BYU officially came to an end on Thursday after missing out on the preliminary round by just four-tenths of a second. Nielsen finished sixth in the fourth of four heats, completing the event in a time of 21.81.

"I didn't have a very good race," Nielsen said. "The times were a little slower than I expected. I just didn't run very well today."

Nielsen finished 24th overall, finishing four-tenths of a second out of 18th place--the final qualifying time.

DECATHLON

In the opening event of the day, decathlete Curtis Pugsley finished third in the second of six heats in the 110-meter hurdles. Pugsley turned in a time of 15.56 to pick up 783 points, good for a 15th overall finish. With his performance, Pugsley dropped from 9th to 10th in the overall standings of the decathlon with 4,632 points.

In the second event of the day, Pugsley recorded a throw of 120-00 in the discuss, earning 595 points. With a 17th-place finish in the event, Pugsley dropped from 10th to 11th place in the overall standings. After seven events, Pugsley garnered 5,227 points and remained less than 100 points from that all-important eighth-place position.

In the pole vault, usually one of his stronger events, Pugsley cleared his opening height of 14-01.25 on his second attempt. After passing at 14-05.25, Pugsley rejoined the competition at 14-09.00. He failed to clear the height in three straight attempts, finishing tied for 11th in the competition. Pugsley picked up 702 points and dropped from 11th to 12th in the overall standings.

Pugsley finished 16th in the javelin with a best mark of 165-01. With 593 points in the event, Pugsley remained in 12th place with one event remaining.

In the final event of the 10-event competition, Pugsley finished the 1,500 meters in a time of 4:59.68 to gather only 562 points.

Overall, Pugsley, who started the competition ranked 26th, ended with 7,084 points and a 15th place finish.

10,000m (Women) -- OGDEN INJURED; WITHDRAWS FROM COMPETITION - Updated; 3:50 p.m.

Senior Kristen Ogden did not compete in the 10,000m final on Thursday after suffering from pain and swelling associated with a week-long ankle injury.

According to team trainer Kevin Morris, Ogden injured her ankle a week ago during practice. Since then, she has indicated pin-point pain in her lower right leg, and has had continual swelling and discomfort.

"After talking to Dr. [Kirt] Kimball, our team orthopedic specialist, we made the decision this morning to keep her out of the competition to prevent further injury," Morris said. "Earlier x-rays appeared normal, but because of the swelling, we had some suspicions there might be more to the injury."

Thursday afternoon, Morris said he took Ogden in for another series of x-rays. He said the images revealed what they had suspected for the past couple days. X-rays confirmed a complete fracture of the distal region in the right fibula.

HIGH JUMP (Women) - METCALF ADVANCES TO FINAL ROUND

Sophomore Lindsey Metcalf advanced to Saturday's final round in the high jump after qualifying with a clearance of 5-10.50. Metcalf cleared a total of three different heights in just five jumps, including two attempts at the opening height of 5-07.25, one attempt at 5-08.75 and two attempts at the concluding height of 5-10.50.

TRIPLE JUMP (Men) - SZMUDA FAILS TO ADVANCE

After failing to record a legal mark in the triple jump, senior Aron Szmuda ended his collegiate career on Thursday in the opening round of the event. Szmuda, who was ranked 16th entering the triple jump competition, failed to record a legal jump in three different attempts.

"We're a little disappointed with the outcome," Robison said. "We were thinking Aron would be able to advance, but it didn't turn out that way. Obviously, that is something we weren't expecting, and consequently, are a little disappointed."

1,500m (Women) -- COTTLES SHAVES FIVE SECONDS OFF PERSONAL BEST

After recording the second fastest time in school history, in addition to shaving five seconds off her personal-best, senior Jaime Cottle earned one of eight automatic bids to the final round of competition in the 1,500 meters. Cottle, a native of Howell, Mich., turned in a time of 4:13.62 in the event.

"I've been waiting for this to happen," Cottle said. "The race went out a little fast, but was pretty much what I expected. Coach Shane has been telling me I have the ability to break the school record. He said I just need the right race. Today, I was in the right race."

1,500m (Men) -- ROBISON, KANGOGO COME UP SHORT

Sophomore Nathan Robison and Kip Kangogo came up a bit short in the preliminary round of the 1,500 meters. Robison recorded a 3:46.50 in the first heat, while Kangogo was clocked at 3:46.95 to finish 10th in the second heat.

"The pace was really fast," Robison said. "I was really prepared, and though I ran a smart race. I was in good position, but I was not able to run the final 200 meters. That's usually the strong part of my race, but for some reason, I was flat. It's a let-down. I just couldn't get it done."

In the second heat, Kangogo was forced to take the lead after the pack started out at a very slow pace.

"Kip had to take the lead because no one else would," Coach Robison said. "The pace was so slow, someone had to pick it up. He really never looked comfortable out there. He didn't want to take the lead because you kind of feel like a sacrificial lamb. Everyone tucked in behind him, then they just hammered him. It's hard to when no one wants to take the lead like that."

2003 NCAA Track & Field Championships
Sacramento, Calif.
EVENT                ATHLETE                  RESULTS
10,000m (Women)      Kristen Ogden            DNF - Injured
800m (Women)         Aneta Lemiesz            3rd, Heat 1 (2:04.49*) - Advanced
800m (Men)           Chad Simkins             6th, Heat 2 (1:48.74*~)
200m (Men)           Matt Nielsen             6th, Heat 4 (21.81)
1,500m (Women)       Jamie Cottle             4th, Heat 2 (4:13.62*)
1,500m (Men)         Kip Kangogo              10th, Heat 2 (3:46.95)
                     Nathan Robison           8th, Heat 1 (3:46.50)
High Jump (Women)    Lindsey Metcalf          1st-T, Flight 1 (5-10.50) - Advanced
Triple Jump (Men)    Aron Szmuda              No Distance Recorded
Decathlon            Curtis Pugsley           7,084 pts. (Overall finish: 15th)
* - Personal Best
~ - All-America Citation