BERKELEY, Calif. – San Francisco State's
Keenya McDaniel achieved the second NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark of the weekend for the Gator track and field squad after posting a school-record leap of 41 feet, 2 ¼ inches in the triple jump at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational inside Edwards Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus.
With her career-best performance, McDaniel shattered the SF State standard of 39-07 set by Antonia Diamond in 2006 and now ranks third nationally in the event. The Gator sophomore punched her ticket to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships next month in Pueblo, Colo., joining teammate
Tiana Wills, who secured an automatic berth in the high jump on Friday at the same venue.
"Keenya overcame most of the issues that she was having with her approach, and it paid dividends with her automatic qualifier," said SF State head coach Terry Burke. "She is a great talent and an incredible competitor.
"Having two automatic and seven provisional qualifiers is a sign of how far our team has come in the past few years. Most of all it is testimony to the dedication and hard work of our athletes and I look forward to more great performances at the conference meet next week."
McDaniel also combined with
Alicia Chambers,
Brionne Baucham and
Carrie Thomas on SF State 4x100 relay, which finished third with a time of 47.14 seconds.
Rounding out the light slate of action for the Gators on Saturday was
Cassie Belk, who finished seventh in the javelin with a personal-best mark of 125-05, which ranks seventh on the school's all-time outdoor charts, while teammate
Lexi Rivas placed 11th at 111-10.
SF State will now gear up for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, set for May 3-5 on the campus of Cal State L.A.
Brutus Hamilton Invitational
Berkeley, Calif.
Day Two
SF State Results Only
4x100 Relay
3. (McDaniel, Chambers, Baucham, Thomas), 47.14
Triple Jump
3.
Keenya McDaniel, 41-02.25 (AQ)
Javelin Throw
7.
Cassie Belk, 125-05
11.
Lexi Rivas, 111-10
AQ = Automatic Qualifying Mark
Complete Results
