BIG WEST TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCI Decathlete Wins; Fresno Takes Titles

When UC Irvine junior Matt Farmer woke up Saturday morning, his left ankle throbbing in pain because of a bone spur, he didn’t think there was any way he could get over 10 hurdles in a race.

A few hours and one cortisone shot later, Farmer cleared those hurdles and a whole lot more, winning the decathlon for the second consecutive year at the Big West Conference Track and Field Championships.

Farmer trailed Fresno State’s Tim Baker by three points going into the final event, the 1,500-meter run. But with darkness falling over UC Irvine’s stadium and three sets of automobile headlights illuminating the track, Farmer outkicked Baker on the final lap to finish third in the 1,500, more than a second ahead of Baker.

Buoyed by lifetime-best marks in the discus (142 feet 7 inches), pole vault (14-5 1/4) and javelin (187-7) Saturday, Farmer accomplished a personal-best decathlon total of 7,441 points, well over the NCAA provisional qualifying standard of 7,200 and five points ahead of Baker, who finished second with 7,436.

“I’ve never outkicked anyone in my whole life,” said Farmer, who trailed Baker by at least 10 meters going around the final turn. “I don’t know where that came from. This whole second day has been unbelievable.”

While Farmer basked in his individual achievement, Baker was able to celebrate with his Fresno State teammates, who dominated the men’s competition to win their ninth consecutive conference title.

The Bulldogs, displaying unmatched depth, won only five events but scored in 19 of 20 events and finished with 184 team points. Irvine was second with 142, followed by Cal State Long Beach (110), Utah State (109), UC Santa Barbara (63), Cal State Fullerton (25) and New Mexico State (18).

The Fresno State women also won the team title, amassing 166 points to edge Irvine (159). Nevada Las Vegas (111) was third, followed by Long Beach (78), Utah State (51), New Mexico State (14), Santa Barbara (9) and Fullerton (1).

The Anteater women might have lost a shot at the title when their favored 4 X 100 relay team failed to negotiate the baton toss between the second (Sjondrala Vaughn) and third (Desiree Bracey) legs and dropped out of the race.

That cost Irvine a possible 10 points. With a victory in that relay, which was held early in the afternoon, the Anteaters would have won their first conference title.

“What a difference a pass makes, huh?” Irvine women’s Coach Danny Williams said. “That was the spread. It was one of those days. I think I’m cursed with seconditis. But I’m proud of the kids. We started 10 points in the hole but kept coming back.”

Bracey more than atoned for the mistake, winning the 100 in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 11.73 seconds, the 200 in 24.14 and running a leg on Irvine’s second-place finishing 4 X 400 relay team.

The Anteaters had one other double winner, junior Maria Akraka, who won the 1,500 in 4:17.64 and the 800 in 2:06.33. Senior Buffy Rabbitt, a double winner last season, won the 3,000 in 9:29.42 and placed second in the 1,500.

UNLV’s Shunta Rose, who won the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet, 10 3/4 inches Saturday after winning the long jump Friday, was named conference female athlete of the year, and Williams was named coach of the year.

On the men’s side, Irvine freshman Dustin James had an outstanding day, winning the 400 in 47.03, placing second in the 200 and running legs on the Anteaters’ winning 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 relay teams.

Irvine junior Sonny Reynolds pulled an upset in the 200, winning with in 21.21, and he and teammate Will Stolpe were also members of the Anteaters’ winning relay teams.

Long Beach senior Derek Pye won the 400 hurdles (51.99) and the 110 hurdles (14.25) and won conference male athlete of the year honors, and Fresno State’s Red Estes was coach of the year.

Santa Barbara’s Colman Conroy cleared 7-3 to win the high jump and break former Long Beach athlete and Olympian Dwight Stones’ 15-year-old conference meet record of 7-2 1/2. Fullerton had two individual winners, Rob Vasquez in the javelin (219-8) and Jesse Henderson in the triple jump (49-4 1/2).