Campbell Gets Jump on Competition

Brandon Campbell’s friends and family in St. Louis can relax.

“They were a little worried about whether I could come out here to California and be successful,’ said Campbell. But Campbell, a freshman on the Cal State Fullerton track team, said he thought he might have put to rest some of that concern Friday when he won the long jump in the Big West Conference meet at Fullerton.

“I wanted to show them I could do it,” Campbell said.

Campbell soared 24 feet 5 3/4 inches to break his school record and set a stadium record. His personal best had been 23 feet 8 3/4. Junior Brandon Boone of Utah State was second with a jump of 23-2 3/4.

Campbell, who came to Fullerton on a basketball scholarship and was a top reserve last season, narrowly missed qualifying for today’s final in the 400 meters.

He finished third in his qualifying heat with a time of 48.50 but was ninth overall, a second off his personal best. Long Beach State’s Tyrone Pearson took the final spot with a time of 48.26. Corey Nelson of Boise State had the top qualifying time of 46.01.

Campbell also is entered in the high jump today, and will run on the Titan 400 and 1600 relay teams. Campbell holds the Titan school record in the high jump at 7- 1/4.

“I think he has to be considered one of the favorites in the high jump,” said Titan assistant coach Ron Kamaka, who coaches the jumping events for Coach John Elders. “I was really pleased with his long jump. He’s learned a lot this season, but his athletic ability is still to be tapped. He’s still so young, and he’s learning some of the technical things. I think he can be a national caliber long jumper.”

Campbell had the best effort in the long jump in the conference heading into the meet, but Boone pushed him with the best jump in the preliminaries.

“I was a little worried at first, but when he passed on his first jump in the finals, I thought I could get him,” Campbell said. Campbell’s top effort came on his final jump.

Campbell fell short of the NCAA automatic and provisional qualifying distances in the long jump, but became the first Titan athlete to win the event.

Borya Celentano, a junior from Long Beach State, won the pole vault for the second consecutive year, clearing 18-4 1/2. He missed twice at 19 feet.

Among the other field event finals completed Friday, James Parker of Utah State won the hammer throw at 223-7 and the discus at 191-4. He made only one throw in the hammer because of an injured back. Travis Armstrong of Boise State won the steeplechase in 8:54.3.

Leslie Price of Boise State won the women’s high jump at 5-11 1/2, Kyla McFarland of Nevada the women’s javelin at 154-1, and Stephanie Brown of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo the women’s shot put at 49-9 1/4.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo sophomore Avery Blackwell won the 10,000 with a time of 31:22.52. Senior Lena Brainard from Boise State won the women’s 10,000 with a time of 35:51.11.

After six events, Utah State leads the men’s competition with 82.33 points and Cal Poly is second with 50. Nevada (57.50) leads the women’s competition with Long Beach State second (42) and Boise State third (40).