Day-Monroe qualifies for Team USA in heptathlon at Outdoor Championships

SACRAMENTO – Costa Mesa High alumnus Sharon Day-Monroe (Class of 2003) has had an extended run of excellence in track and field.

She turned to the heptathlon in 2009, and success has followed the seven-time All-American from Cal Poly.

Day-Monroe qualified for her fifth IAAF World Championships as a heptathlete by taking third place in the USATF Outdoor Championships at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium.

The third-place showing gave Day-Monroe the final spot for the IAAF World Championships in August. The heptathlon will be contested Aug. 5-6 in London.

Heptathletes must demonstrate skill across seven events. It becomes imperative for the athletes to defend their best event.

Day-Monroe, a former NCAA national champion and Olympian in high jump, took third in the event with a clearance of 6 feet even on Saturday.

She ended the opening day in a position to qualify, as she won the shot put with a mark of 50 feet, 10 inches. Combined with her 100-meter hurdles (13.50 seconds, sixth) and 200 performances (24.94, 10^th), she finished the day in third place overall.

A second victory was added in the javelin throw on Sunday, where Day-Monroe matched her lifetime best by sending the projectile 164 feet, 5 inches. She had previously reached that mark at the Long Beach State Invitational on April 14.

Due to a sizable points lead, Day-Monroe had a 20-second cushion in the 800 to qualify for Team USA. She finished just two seconds behind Alex Gochenour at 2:15.14, booking her trip to London.

Her other result was a 10^th-place showing in the long jump at 19 feet, 4 inches.

Day-Monroe fended off Gochenour, 6,421 points to 6,129. She will be joined by Kendell Williams and Erica Bougard on the Team USA squad.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner