Vandrovec, Turner, Golden Lead CSF to BWC Meet
May 9, 2005– Irvine, CA



With three of the top performers in the Big West Conference expected to earn major points at this week's championship meet, the Cal State Fullerton track and field team is looking for extraordinary performances from other athletes to lift the Titans into the middle of the pack at UC Irvine this weekend.

Multiple-event competition runs Wednesday and Thursday. Field events begin at noon on Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday while track events begin at 3 p.m. each day.

The Titans again boast the top-ranked men’s pole vaulter in B. J. Vandrovec, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of two-time Big West champion Giovanni Lanaro. Vandrovec's best this year is 16 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Fullerton also features the top freshmen high jumping tandem in the nation in Matt Turner and Jonathon Golden, each of whom has cleared 7 feet, half an inch for the second-best mark in the Big West. Turner also is a contender in the 110 hurdles and the long jump.

Other top contenders include Kurt Weber, who enters the meet ranked in the top 6 in both the long jump and the 100 meters, and Jason Graney (1:52.90) and Erby Houston (1:53.74), both of whom figure to be a factor in the 800. Jordan
Horn and Nick Arciniaga offer scoring potential in the 5000. Horn set the school record in the 5000 earlier this year and Arciniaga is coming off a 1500 victory at the Cal/Nevada Championships, but has opted to focus on the 5000 at the Big West meet.

Golden, Horn, Turner and Vandrovec already have met the NCAA standard to advance to the NCAA West Region Championships May 27 at Oregon.

The Titan women are led by junior intermediate hurdler Destany Cearley. She is ranked fourth in the conference in the 400 hurdles, which should prove to be one of the most tightly contested running events of this year's championship. Cearley's best time of 60.98 is just off the NCAA regional standard of 60.82 and the CSF school record of 60.70 set by Julie Fricke in 1986.

Lacey Welborn enters the meet ranked sixth in the triple jump. She will also be competing in the long jump and 100 hurdles. Welborn placed seventh in the hurdle event at last year's Big West meet. Christine Ruby, who placed fifth in the 800m at the 2004 championship, looks to be a factor again this year.

The pole vault tandem of senior Jennifer Clarke and freshman Dalya Taman enters the championship meet tied with the second best mark in the conference at 12 feet even. Both have jumped several times at the regional standard of 12' 5 1/2" and look to soar to new heights this weekend.

“Without a lot of depth on this year's squad, our success at this year's championship will weigh heavily on the performance of our top individuals,” said Head Coach John Elders. “We (the coaching staff) feel we have been competing well and improving significantly over the past several weeks, which is a good trend going into the conference meet. Not only do we expect great performances from the aforementioned athletes, we also expect a few surprises.”

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