SAN ANGELO, Tex. – This time, Ryan Bertucci and Matt Jarvis are coming home All-Americans. They each missed that goal – a top eight finish - by a matter of inches last year, finishing 10th and ninth, respectively. Friday, exactly one year later, Bertucci finished fourth in the high jump and Jarvis fifth in the shot put on the second day of the NCAA Track & Field National Championships to earn that honorable distinction.
Bertucci entered the event with the 10th seed, but the junior matched his best effort of the season, 6-feet-10¾ along with three other competitors. He was awarded a fourth-place tie because of tiebreaker procedures.
Ryan Bertucci finished fourth in the nation in the high jump.
Jarvis missed earning All-America honors by three inches last year. But the senior from Redding was not to be denied this time around. His third throw went 58-feet-1, putting him into third place until the final round of throws in which he fell to fifth. Jarvis’ effort was only two inches shorter than his career best, which ranks third on Chico State’s all-time list.
Meanwhile, on the oval, the Wildcats’ Michael Wickman took another step toward his quest for at least one National Title by advancing to the finals of the 800-meters by winning his heat in 1:50.02. He’ll toe the line for the 1,500-meter final Saturday at 6:15 with the second fastest qualifying time and then double back for the 800-meter final at 7:46 with the fastest qualifying time.
Unfortunately for Chico State fans, that was the last bit of real good news Friday. Wickman’s teammates in the 800-meters – David Wellman and Clinton Hayes – each failed to advance to the finals. Wellman missed a spot in the finals by just one place (one-tenth of a second).
Kara Lubieniecki failed to advance through the 5,000-meter qualifying heats, clocking a disappointing time of 17:56 (nearly a minute slower than her personal best). That was the 15th fastest mark of the day, but only 12 runners advanced to Saturday’s finals.
The men’s 5K preliminaries were equally frustrating to the Wildcats faithful as Tim Cannon and last year’s 1,500-meter National Championship runner-up Angel Marquez each missing out on a trip to the final. They were the final two finishers in the first heat and finished 15th and 17th, respectively.
Sophomore Kelly Clancey finished 15th in the heptathlon, while decathlete Jake Nelson was forced to sit out the final half of that competition with a pulled hamstring.
The Chico State men enter Saturday’s action in eighth place overall with 8.5 points, while the Chico State women currently sit in 14th place with eight points. They have a chance to move up in those standings Saturday. Shannon McVannel will take part in the women’s steeplechase final at 5:10 p.m., and Beau Rogers will race in the men’s steeplechase final at 5:25.
Wickman will put the finishing touches on Chico State’s 2009 campaign, and hopes to bring home the Wildcats’ fifth National Title in the last three years.
Overall Results