UCI’s Tozier Caught, Knocked Out in 800

It was overcast most of the day at the California/Nevada Track and Field Championships Saturday, and it appeared the clouds were darker over host UC Irvine.

The Anteaters’ Darrell Tozier was leading going into the last turn of the fourth and final 800-meter heat, but slowed and was overtaken by Temo Trujillo of UC Davis and Nick Thorton of UCLA to finish third, and ninth overall.

The top two finishers in each 800 heat advanced to the final, so Tozier didn’t qualify for the final, even though his time of 1 minute 51.95 seconds was better than five qualifiers who finished first or second in their heats.

“It’s just too bad,” UC Irvine Coach Vince O’Boyle said, “Every other race takes the winner, then the four top times after that. The NCAA should address that.”

After Tozier’s bad luck, teammate Joe Rodan, who was one of the 110 hurdle favorites, was disqualified for a false start.

The day wasn’t a total loss for the Anteaters, who qualified three runners for the women’s 1,500 final, including Jenny Liou, who finished first overall in the prelims with a time of 4:33.42.

“Liou hit her lifetime best today, and I was real pleased with the way our other runners [Tessa Cendejas and Amanda Armstrong] performed,” O’Boyle said. “Armstrong broke her lifetime best and Cendejas was close to hers.”

Cal State Fullerton’s Nick McCullum and Richard Adams each qualified for the finals in three events today. McCullum qualified first overall in the 200 (21.53), second overall in the 100 (10.75) and was part on the Titans’ 400 relay team that finished seventh overall.

“I’m seriously dead right now,” McCullum said, “but I’ll be all right [today]. I just wanted to qualify, and had to push it a little in the 200.”

Adams qualified as part of the 400 and 1,600 relay teams, and also finished first overall in the 400 hurdles (52.55).

Cal State Fullerton’s Derek Brown and Genia Daniels also qualified, Brown in the men’s 400 (48.10) and Daniels in the women’s 100 (12.05).

Scott Moser, who attended Huntington Beach High, led a 1-2-3 sweep for UCLA in the discus with a throw of 197-5. The sweep helped the Bruins build a 4 1/3-point lead over California. Cal leads the women’s competition, holding a 29 2/3-17 2/3 edge over UCLA.

The meet concludes today with field events starting at 9 a.m. and running events beginning at 1 p.m.