94 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/22/13 12:41am)
The ASU track and field team was in a much different position last year heading into its first championship meet.
The men were ranked No. 7, and the women weren’t ranked at all.
This year is a different story, and the potential for success may be at an all-time high for both men and women when they compete in the MPSF Championships in Seattle.
The women’s team has moved from being unranked at the beginning of the indoor season to being No. 8 in the country.
Senior multi-competitor Keia Pinnick has been a key factor in the women’s success and has admired her team's effort so far this season.
“I am so proud of the girls,” Pinnick said. “I’m really excited to be experiencing this success with them. We have risen high numbers, but as a whole, (we) don’t plan on settling until we get to the top.”
Pinnick, who’s ranked No. 16 in the 60-meter hurdles, will attempt to defend her MPSF championship. Her score of 3,975 put her in the top spot for the pentathlon, which she ranks No. 2 in currently. However, Pinnick wants to win the 60-meter hurdles this season after finishing in second last season.
“(Our) main goal is to come out with a MPSF championship and help lead to that win,” she said. “We are making a name for ourselves, and this weekend will be the first big showing of what we really are trying to prove.”
While Pinnick competed in the 800-meter last season with a second place finish, sophomore distance runner Shelby Houlihan will also look to come away with the top title.
“I feel very prepared for this race, and I know I’m in better shape now than I was last year at this time,” she said. “I also have a little more confidence.”
She’ll look to improve as much as possible on her already impressive No. 7 ranking in 800-meter, but she also will be having trying something different in Seattle.
“I feel excited and a little nervous going into this championship meet, because I’m running the mile for the first time this season,” Houlihan said. “To be able to win the mile, I’m going to need to stay focused throughout the race and stay up near the front.”
Men get back on track
After starting the season at No. 6 in the rankings, the ASU men’s team has fluctuated meet by meet.
The Sun Devils broke the top five for three weeks before falling eight spots last week to No. 13, where they sit currently.
Redshirt junior sprinter Ryan Milus was among the top in the country in the 60-meter for weeks before dropping to No. 21 recently.
However, Milus hasn’t been completely healthy during the last few meets according to coach Greg Kraft. Milus will attempt to climb back into the top 10 or better with an elite performance in Seattle.
Redshirt senior distance runner Nick Happe will run with his No. 10 ranking in the 3000-meter and No. 39 in the mile to the first championship. Happe placed sixth last season in the 3000-meter, but an improvement is expected as he has already outdone his time that he recorded at last year’s meet.
In the pole vault, No. 8 redshirt junior Derick Hinch is another competitor that the men’s team will lean on moving forward. Hinch will look to improve on his fifth place finish from last year’s championship meet.
Kraft expects big things from both the men and women’s teams in their first championship meet. He stated the men need to find the groove they were on early in the season, while the women should continue their recent success.Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu
(02/21/13 1:00am)
While football was the main focus of National Signing Day, there was another ASU sport bringing in major recruiting talent.
(02/17/13 7:47pm)
ASU track coach Greg Kraft emphasized how important the end of the season was going into championships and nationals, and the ASU track and field team is transferring its coaches philosophy into its meets.
(02/10/13 9:35pm)
The ASU track and field team participated in its busiest weekend of the season so far.
(02/08/13 12:27am)
Both ASU men and women’s track and field teams will take their national rankings into the Husky and Kirby Invitationals.
(02/06/13 1:00am)
When teams start the season ranked in the top 10, they typically come out of the gate running, winning their first meets without a hiccup.The No. 4 ASU men’s indoor track and field have done just that. The track team has won its first three meets to continually climb the national ladder of the polls.After starting the season ranked at No. 6, coach Greg Kraft’s men’s team broke the top five a week after its domination of NAU in Flagstaff on Jan. 12.The rise of redshirt junior sprinter Ryan Milus has added another factor to the men’s team. Milus won his first two meets at NAU and Texas A&M.; While Milus did finish second in the Sun Devils’ third meet, he has still continued to improve his times each and every race thus far.Milus is also currently ranked No. 2 in the country in the 60-meter.Returning national champ redshirt senior thrower Jordan Clarke, however, is still the pride of the men’s track and field team. Clarke hopes to get back to helping the squad after sitting out the past two meets with a hand injury.Senior Nick Happe, senior Chris Benard and redshirt junior Derick Hinch are also beginning to dominate their respective events, taking pressure off of the rest of the competitors to carry the team.Redshirt freshman sprinter Devan Spann is slowly coming into his own, turning his talents as a football player into a top-notch runner. Spann is filling the shoes of senior Rashad Ross, who turned his focus to the NFL Draft.Women on the riseSenior multi-competitor Keia Pinnick continues to crush the competition, winning the majority of her events, including the pentathlon at Texas A&M.;Pinnick currently ranks No. 21 in the 60-meter hurdles and No. 2 in the pentathlon.“I’m happy with my performances so far, but not content nor settling,” Pinnick said. “I have so much more room to build and improve that I hardly want to even linger on what I have done so far. My expectations are high.”While remaining on top is important to Pinnick, nothing means more than winning a national championship.“The team is expecting to get to nationals and gradually show what we can actually do throughout the indoor season,” Pinnick said. “Our women need to continue supporting one another, work harder, build strong mindsets and continue competing to win everything and every event we compete in.”The women’s team began the season unranked and expected to experience a successful, rebuilding season. That expectation is already beginning to be exceeded and the women’s team has climbed 14 spots to No. 17 in the country.Sophomores Brianna Tate and Shelby Houlihan, juniors Anna Jelmini and Christabel Nettey and senior Chelsea Cassulo are recording great times and throws to move the Sun Devil women up the rankings.The return of junior pole-vaulter Shaylah Simpson could be ASU’s athlete that is overlooked. If Simpson can continue to rack up victories and high-quality jumps, the Sun Devils could see themselves within the top 10 in no time.“We aren’t at our full potential yet, so there’s still technical errors and still strength to be built within our team,” Pinnick said.Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu
(02/03/13 7:17pm)
After its third match, ASU track and field found its groove and is firing on all cylinders.
(02/01/13 1:00am)
After a successful meet at Texas A&M, the ASU track and field team will travel north to Flagstaff for the second time in three weeks.
(01/28/13 1:00am)
During the 1969-70 season, 41 years ago, the Phoenix Suns started off 15-23 under coach Johnny “Red” Kerr.
(01/27/13 8:11pm)
ASU coach Greg Kraft had high expectations for his team going into the Texas A&M Mondo Challenge on Jan. 25 and 26.
(01/24/13 1:00am)
Finding a college coach that is dedicated to a university long-term is a rarity.
(01/23/13 11:19pm)
After dominating its first meet of the year in Flagstaff, the ASU track and field team shifts its focus to its next meet that features much tougher opponents.
(01/13/13 12:17am)
Tune-up games in sports have become a commonality in preparation for a team’s regular season. It involves a high-caliber team scheduling a matchup suited for a sure win.
(01/11/13 2:15am)
With three national champions since 2007, indoor and outdoor track and field has become a sport to watch in the spring.
(01/06/13 10:50pm)
As Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis's Hall of Fame career comes to an end, it is easy to picture yourself as a fan of one the league's best defensive players.
(12/30/12 6:59am)
The newly named Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium provided for the exact type of game anticipated between the Big 12 and the Big Ten opponents.
(12/11/12 12:48am)
“Johnny Heisman” is the new face of college football.
(12/10/12 11:02pm)
In sports, the close-game losses hurt the most.
(12/10/12 10:04pm)
It’s that time of the year when fantasy football leagues are entering the playoffs.
(12/06/12 1:39am)
After qualifying eight of its teams into bowl games — including two BCS berths — the Pac-12 is once again turning heads in the college football world.