WALNUT, Calif. – No one can deny that Chico State's distance program is one to be reckoned with, both on the state and national level and Sarah Montez proved it with an exclamation point at the end on Friday night. The Chico State senior took full advantage of her final opportunity in a Chico State uniform, winning the 3,000 meter national championship title at the 2008 NCAA Track & Field Championships on Friday. Montez finished the race in 9:39.00, setting a school record in the process, and beat her nearest competitor by two seconds. The national title is the first ever by a Chico State female distance runner.
Montez used a strong kick in the final lap to overtake Seattle Pacific’s Jane Larson for the win. Larson kept a slim, less than one second lead over Montez throughout the race. Montez trailed Larson by about half a second entering the final lap,but went on to post a 1:09 split for the final 400 meters, compared to 1:12 by Larson. The third place finisher from Adams State was another two seconds behind Larson.
The All-American title is not new to Montez, who earned the honor at last year’s NCAA Championships with a fifth-place finish in the same event, but the National Championship crown certainly is. She also earned cross country All-American honors in the fall.
Montez's time crushed the previous school record of 9:45.05 set by Katie Lee in 2003.
Also on Friday, Robert Nooney made the most of his first trip to the NCAA Championships, earning All-American status in the decathlon. Nooney entered today’s five events in seventh place and held on to capture the final coveted All-American spot, finishing eighth with a total of 6,467 points.
Nooney threw a season best 137-07 in the javelin and shaved eight seconds off his season best 1,500 meter effort in the final event.
Scott Bauhs coasted to a time of 14:43.72 to qualify for the finals in the 5,000 meters, the only event he’s chosen to race in this championships.
Matt Jarvis recorded a season-best 54-04.75 in the shot put final, but it wasn’t enough for a top-eight spot. He finished ninth, missing the final spot by 3.25 inches.
Ryan Bertucci finished tenth in the high jump competition, clearing 6-08.75 in the process.
In the women’s running preliminaries, Lindsey Brown, Alise Fix, and Lindsay Nelson did not advance to the finals. Brown finished 15th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.91, Fix posted a 14.64 in the 100 hurdles to finish 18th overall, and Nelson was 13th in the 5,000 meters at 17:34.92.
Complete NCAA Track & Field Championship Results
Saturday Wildcat Schedule
1:30 Katie Wilson, Sr. – Javelin Throw (FINAL)
4:55 Zach Buchanan, Sr. – Pole Vault (FINAL)
5:15 Tim Tollefson, Sr. - Men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase (FINAL)
6:00 Angel Marquez, Jr. - Men’s 1,500 meter (FINAL)
8:07 Scott Bauhs, Jr. - Men’s 5,000 meter (FINAL)
