The 2011 Big West track & field season had plenty of high points, highlighted by record-setting performances, All-American efforts and plenty of accolades around the league.
LBSU Men, CSUN Women Claim 2011 Big West Track & Field Crowns: The Long Beach State men and Cal State Northridge women proved to be too tough for the competition as the two clubs took home their respective 2011 Big West track & field titles. The Championships were being held at Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine.
The 49ers won the league meet for the first time since 2008 and won their sixth title overall. LBSU amassed 177.50 points for the championship, outdistancing UC Davis which had 156 points. Cal Poly was third with 131 points, while UC Santa Barbara stands in fourth with 116.5 points. Fifth belongs to Cal State Northridge with 80 points, with host UC Irvine (79), UC Riverside (54) and Cal State Fullerton (25) complete the men's standings.
The Matadors claimed their sixth consecutive championship and now own a league-record eight overall. CSUN's championship defense had it post 165.5 points, with UC Santa Barbara coming in second with 126 tallies. UC Davis was third with 105 points, while Long Beach State (98.5), UC Riverside (97) and Cal Poly (88) are bunched in fourth through sixth. UC Irvine's 75 points and Cal State Fullerton’s 61 points wrap up the women’s standings.
Eleven Big West Athletes Claim All-America Accolades: Eleven Big West athletes gained entry to the 2011 NCAA Championships, earning various All-America mentions.
On the women's side, Cal State Fullerton's Ciara Short (400), Cal Poly's Jasmine Pickett (triple jump) and Long Beach State's Randi Hicks (javelin) all earned first team All-America honors for their top eight finishes in their respective events. UC Riverside's Allison Wilder (triple jump) and Cal State Northridge's Sherrina Lofton (heptathlon) each gained second team honors for their ninth and 16th place finishes in their events, respectively.
The remaining six honors were grabbed by the Big West men's athletes in competition. Long Beach State’s Colin Dunbar gained two honors as he was an second teamer in the hammer and honorable mention recipient in the discus. The UC Davis 400 hurdles duo of Thomas Phillips and Alex Wilright earned second team All-America status for their efforts, while the league claimed a pair of first teamers in the 800. UC Irvine's Charles Jock and UC Santa Barbara's Ryan Martin earned the top honors after finishing first and eighth, respectively.
Record-Setting Athletes: Three Big West athletes rose above the competition to set three league records this season. On the women’s side, UC Santa Barbara’s Amanda Moreno established a new women’s 5000-meter run mark with a time of 15:58.02 at the Mt. SAC meet in April. A month later, fellow UCSB athlete Ryan Martin broke the 800-meter record at the Big West Championships in 1:45.34. Fast forward one more month and UC Irvine’s Charles Jock set the league record in the 800 in the final of the NCAA Championships, finishing in 1:44.75.
Short Does It Again: Cal State Fullerton's Ciara Short had a spectacular season in her final go-round for the Titans. Short posted the top times in the 100 (11.58), 200 (23.20) and 400 (51.85), won the 200 and 400 at the Big West Championships and was named Big West Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.
UCR Field Women Break Through At Big West Meet: UC Riverside women's field events participants had arguably their best effort at the Big West Championships this year. The Highlander women took home the top spot in the triple jump (Allison Wilder), discus (Nikki James), javelin (Ashley Gatewood) and hammer (Megan McFarland). The success of the UCR women was also rewarded as Ashley Gatewood was named the Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and Danielle Littleton earned Big West Women’s Freshman of the Year.
LBSU's Dunbar Earns Two All-America Honors: Long Beach State's Colin Dunbar wrapped up his senior season in style as he earned two All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Dunbar, the 2011 Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Year, was named a second team All-America in the hammer and an honorable mention in the discus. He was the only athlete in the Big West to participate in two events at the national meet and won both of those events at the Big West Championships a month earlier.
CSUN's Strametz Set To Retire: Cal State Northridge head track & field coach Don Strametz, who has guided the Matador men's and women's track & field programs to unprecedented success, has announced his retirement from coaching effective at the conclusion of the 2011 outdoor season.
Strametz’s retirement marks the end of a glorious 31-year reign with the Matador women's team and a 26-year run with the Northridge men's team. It also marks the completion of an association with the University that spans over three decades. A 1968 graduate of Cal State Los Angeles, Strametz has led the Matadors to 20 conference outdoor championships, two conference indoor championships and has amassed 30 Coach of the Year honors. The Matador women have captured six consecutive Big West Conference outdoor titles heading into the 2011 season while the Northridge men have claimed the last two of the last three Big West outdoor championships.