Menlove, Rohatinsky Earn All-America Honors
SACRAMENTO -- Sophomores Amy Menlove and Josh Rohatinsky earned All-America honors on Thursday, finishing fourth in the long jump and seventh in the 10,000 meters, respectively. In other qualifying action, five more BYU athletes qualified for finals in their respective events at the 2005 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
After two days of competition, the BYU women are in fourth place, while the men are tied for 17th in the team competition.
Women's Long Jump
After finishing 11th as a true freshman last season, sophomore Amy Menlove finished fourth in the long jump this year to earn her first outdoor All-America citation. Menlove finished the competition with a mark of 21'00.00".
Amy Menlove
Men's 10,000 meters
Sophomore Josh Rohatinsky earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 10,000 meters. Rohatinsky, who earned indoor All-America honors in the 3,000 meters earlier this season, finished with a time of 28:54.70. Arizona's Robert Cheseret won the event with a time of 28:20.11.
Josh Rohatinsky
Women's High Jump
Lindsay Metcalf became the eighth BYU athlete to qualify for further competition at the NCAA Championships after clearing a height of 5'10.75" in the high jump on Thursday. Metcalf, a former member of the BYU women's volleyball team, will be one of 15 athletes competing for a national title in the event on Saturday.
Lindsay Metcalf
Men's Discus
Sophomore Niklas Arrhenius also advanced to the finals, finishing fifth in the qualifying round of the men's discus on Thursday. After a first-round toss of over 184 feet, Arrhenius threw 191'10.00" on his third and final attempt to finish third in the third and final heat.
Men's 400-meter Hurdles
In the men's 400-meter hurdles, junior Ben Gardner finished fifth in the first of five heats with a time of 51.72. Gardner finished 21st overall -- four-tenths of a second out of the 16th and final qualifying position. Sophomore Jacob Garlick finished fifth in the fourth heat (26th overall) with a time of 53.24, while freshman Bryan Payne finished sixth in the third heat (27th overall) with a time of 53.35.
Women's 800 meters
Senior Aneta Lemiesz ran away from the field in the first of two heats in the 800-meter semifinals. Lemiesz, who won the NCAA West Regional title two weeks ago, won the semifinal heat in a time of 2:04.82.
"This was a crazy race, Lemiesz said. " The first 400 meters was super slow--it was perfect for me. I had to finish in the top two, so I just wanted to control the race."
Lemiesz, who earned All-America honors in the event in 2003, sprinted to the lead after turning in a time of 61.74 over the first 400-meters. With 200 meters to go, Lemiesz had complete control of the race. Lemiesz will take Friday off and enter Saturday's final as one of the pre-race favorites.
"I know I'm the most prepared I have ever been in my life, but it's good to have a day off," Lemiesz said. "We'll just have to see how things turn out. I'm not going to predict anything, but I know I am prepared."
Aneta Lemiesz
Men's 1,500 meters
With 100 meters to go, senior Bryan Lindsay found himself in fifth place in the first of only two heats in the 800 meters. After a slow first 400 meters, Lindsay knew he had to finish in the top four in order to advance to Saturday's final.
"After the first lap, I knew I had to finish in the top-four, or there wouldn't be a Saturday," Lindsay said. "With 100 meters to go, I was fifth and I knew that wasn't going to be good enough. It pays to be aware of your surroundings in a race like this."
Lindsay used his excellent speed down the homestretch to reel in the competition and finish third with a time of 3:47.27. An indoor All-American in the mile, Lindsay will compete on Saturday in the finals of the 1,500 meters.
"Coming to the track, I told Coach that I wanted to finish third," Lindsay said. "Everything went according to plan. Watching Josh [McAdams] yesterday gave me a lot of confidence. It's fun to be part of such a great team. It gives you a lot of confidence watching your teammates do so well."
Bryan Lindsay
Women's 1,500 meters
Making her first appearance at the National Championships, freshman Heidi Magill finished fourth in the first heat of the 1,500 meters to earn an automatic qualifying spot in Saturday's final.
"I've been in some big meets in high school," Magill said. "Sometimes I forget that I'm just a freshman, I try not to get too overwhelmed."
Magill led the race early, but surrendered the lead and kept pace with the leaders to finish in a time of 4:18.30.
"I just wanted to make sure I got into the finals," she said.
Heidi Magill