Titans’ Tansley Tumbles During Steeplechase

As he started his final lap of the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday, Cal State Fullerton’s Mike Tansley glanced over his shoulder for a rear-view perspective of Utah State’s Mike Davidson winning the race.

For Tansley, the defending Big West steeplechase champion, it was just as lonely at the back of the pack as it was at the front.

A fall on the second barrier of the fourth lap cost Tansley a shot at defending his title at the Big West Championships Friday at the UC Irvine track stadium.

Tansley, a junior, was in second and trailing Davidson by about four meters when he hit his right knee on the barrier.

“I guess I just jumped too early,” Tansley said of the fall. “My knee hit the barrier and I flipped. All I remember was seeking the sky.”

Davidson won in 9 minutes 10.46 seconds. Tansley finished last among the 10 runners in 10:51.20.

Tansley, who lay sprawled on the track after the fall, finished despite the sore knee and bruised pride. His reason?

“It’s kind of stupid,” he said. “Steve Frisone, one of my teammates, brags that he always finishes his races. And I always finish my races, too.”

Tansley led early, but Davidson took over at the 800-meter mark. But Tansley stayed right with Davidson, figuring he could outsprint him at the end.

“I was drafting,” Tansley said. “I have a strong kick. I’ve beaten him (Davidson) every time I raced him.”

After Tansley’s fall, Davidson, a sophomore who finished third in the steeplechase last year, ran the final three laps unchallenged.

“I heard Mike fall,” Davidson said. “I was accelerating at that point, and I was forcing him to come with me.”

Davidson wished Tansley had.

“It could have been a real fast race,” Davidson said. “But I think it was better to do it this way (alone).”

With an ice pack on his knee after the race, Tansley said he plans on competing in today’s 5,000-meter race.

Tansley, the 1992 Big West cross country champion, enters the conference championships with the second-fastest 5,000 time (14:27.9) behind UC Irvine’s Mike Nielsen (14:26.36).

Tansley also hasn’t given up on qualifying for the NCAA championships in the steeplechase. His conference-leading time (8:58.09) is only three seconds off the NCAA provisional time of 8:55.0, a mark he hopes to surpass at an all-comers meet in Long Beach at the end of the month.

In other events, UC Irvine’s Jade Preato improved her conference 10,000-meter finish by five places, from last year’s sixth-place finish. She easily won Friday’s race with a time of 36 minutes 58.1 seconds. She finished more than a minute ahead of second-place Jennie Buchanan of Utah State. Cal State Fullerton’s Kristin Peters was fourth in 39:17.8.

Preato, a senior from San Diego, enters today’s 5,000 race with the conference’s top time (17:35.4).

UC Irvine’s Mike Hewitt finished second in the pole vault at 16 feet 1 inch. Utah State’s Lance White won at 16-6 3/4.

Big West notes

UC Irvine sprinter Pam Kurtela qualified for today’s finals in two events, winning her 100-meter heat in 12.17 seconds, the third-fastest qualifying time overall, and finishing second in her 200 heat.

Utah State’s Bode Osagiobare won his qualifying heats in the men’s 100 and 200. Osagiobare, the defending conference 100 and 200 champion and the meet’s top performer last year, had the top 100 qualifying time of 10.42.

Lori Walker of New Mexico State won her second consecutive conference javelin title with a throw of 143-11.