1994_04 The Daily Collegian April 1994

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Page 6
Monday, April 11,1994
Riech sets 1994 world best mark in the javelin
Eugene Swift,
JeffWilliams
coast to 1994 na¬
tional best times
in the hurdles and
200-meters
By
THECOLLEGIAN
You could almost sense that
something big was going to happen
as two-time All-American Todd
Riech emerged from the opening
south gate of Ratcliffe Stadium with
the javelin rested against his deter¬
mined eye.
Five weeks to the day; Riech
shocked the few spectators in at¬
tendance at the Fresno State All-
Comers meet, hurling a toss of 257
feet, 9 inches, the farthest throw in
the United States in 1994. One
throw later, Riech barely stepped
over the line, foiling on a toss mat
would have probably surpassed the
280-foot barrier and broken the
American record in the javelin.
Yesterday at the Bob Mathias Fresno
Relays, Riech proved that that in¬
credible performance was no fluke.
The senior's first throw of 258 feet,
6 inches increased his personal best
school record and was the farthest
- toss in the world this year.
"Every once in a while you doubt
yourself, but when you come out,
and throw consistently wel
did today, you have to be happy,"
saidRiech.
Following his astonishing first
throw, Riech continued to awe the
crowd ♦ hurling throws of 257-10
and 2554 in his next two attempts.
"I still need to work on keeping
my arm down and using my body
more,' said Riech. "I know there's
more there.'*
The Bob Mathias Relays, which
featured several of the best high
school, collegiate and world-class
athletes in the world last weekend,
was highlighted by three national
best marks, for this year.  *
In addition to Riech*s perfor¬
mance, Eugene Swift set a 1994
U.S. and world best in the 110-
meter high hurdles, winning in
13.23 seconds. Swift narrowly beat
out Robert Reading and Tony Li,
improving on his previous best of
13.43, which he established just
hours before in the preliminary heat.
Swift's career day came miracu¬
lously in the. process of suffering
from a sore left hamstring.
"I felt my hamstring tightening
up at the end of the race, but I came
to far to give it up," said Swift
"Pain and all, I told my coach I was
going for broke."
The third 1994 national best
performance came from 1991 Pan '
American Games bronze metalist
Jeff Williams, who won the 200
easily in a time of 20.31, breaking
bis 1990 meet record time of 20.82.
"They put the 200-meter race
back into the meet and I had to
'defend my meet record," said Wil¬
liams. "I wasn't about to give it (the
Jeremy CfotKJrThe Coieotan
Senior Todd Riech broke • •even-yoer-okf Bob Mathias Freano
Relays record In the Javelin Saturday.
record) to anybody:*' meet, the Bob Mathias Fresno Re¬
in addition to his blazing 200- lays brought back the race that
meter victory, Williams won the hadn't been ran since 1975, when
meet's-featured event, the 100-yard the existing world record of 9.0
dash. was established.
In an attempt to promote the        No records were broken in the
100-yard dash Saturday, but swirl¬
ing winds were partially to blame^
for that. Williams, from the Reebok
Track Club, won in a time of 9.42,
edging former FSU star Anthony
Barnes (9.49), Rick Carrigan (9.51)
and meet record holder in the 100-
meters, Jeff Laynes (9.53).
"When my friends see this in the
paper tomorrow, they're going to
freak until I tell them it was a yards
race," said Williams.
Another one of the featured
events was the pole vault. Dean
Starkey, a fourth-place finisher in
the 1992 Olympic Trials who.bad
the highest American vault in 1992
at 19-5. topped Saturday's star-stud¬
ded cast with a jump of 18 1/2.
"On my last attempt at 18-6 it
seemed like I was starting to get
that feeling back mat I had in 1992,"
said Stalkey.
The biggest onslaught took place
in the hammer throw. Hungarian
' NCAA champion from USC Simon
Arkell seemed like a man among
boys Saturday, winning the event
with a toss of 72-54. more than 12
feet farther than the next competitor.
The meet actually began Friday
with high school competition, but
it began with a bang. Kingsburg
High's Melissa Price eclipsed the •
girls' national high school mark in
the pole vaul t. that' s right, the pole
vault, with a successful leap of 11-' s
1 in her third and final attempt
"Despite the wind and the cold,
we've had some great marks," said
Olympic gold metalist in the de¬
cathlon and meet host Bob Mathias.
'This was a very successful meet"
Freshmen lead Rainbows over
Fresno State in weekend finale
Diamond Dogs
win two of three
oyer Hawaii
By Chris Cocotai
THECOLLEGIAN
Hawaii baseball coach Les
Murakami turned to his 'kiddie
corps' to deny Fresno State of a
Western Athletic Conference West-
em Division sweep.
The Rainbow Warriors (4-8 ,
WAC, 22-19 overall) started four
freshman, while a fifth presented a
. 4-2 win Sunday afternoon at Beiden
Field. Murakami juggled his lineup
after straggling Hawaii lost the
opening two games of the series. 5-
0 on Friday and 7-3 Saturday.
"I wanted to put the kids in be¬
cause we weren't doing much.
They're hungry and not afraid to *
possibly fail. That's a problem
some of our older players have,"
Murakami said.
The Bulldogs climb back to the
500 mark ended abruptly. FSU
fell to 18-19 overall, but more im¬
portantly, 6-6 in the WAC.
"We were as a flat as a pancake.
We're disappointed with the way
we played on Sunday," FSU coach
Bob Bennett said. 'It's the same
old story. We could not get the key
hits with men on base."
The Rainbows started freshman
Kamuela Binlrie, who threw 6 2/3
effective innings before another
freshman, Mark Johnson, retired
the last seven Bulldogs Ofthe game
to record the save.
"We cudn't know anything about
Binkie (from the Hawaiian island
of Maul). A friend of mine from
Maui told me about him and he just
showed up," Murakami said. "I
like Johnson, he's a special player.
He'11 be one heck of a pitcher by the
'time he leaves here and will go high
in the draft." ' \   *    y^
Johnson entered the game at its
most crucial moment, particularly
for a freshman. James* Borges
singled home Ben Reynoso and cut
the Rainbow leadjo 4-2 in the sev- t
enth. Borges stole second to. put
the tying runs at second and third
with two outs and Kyle Fjelstad at
the plate.
Fjelstad* s bid for a base hit down
the right field line landed barely in
foul territory, and Johnson- then
|FSU tennis teams
continue to .streak
struck him out on a 2-2 pitch that
defused the Bulldogs' final threat
of the game.
"IfFjelstad's ball is fair the game
changes," Bennett said. "(Johnson)
did an outstanding job in relief. He
threw strikes and we couldn't take
pitches because he got the ball
over."
The Rainbows scored single runs
in the first, third, fourth and fifth
innings against FSU starter and fel¬
low freshman Brendan Behn. Scott
Warmembourg took over and threw
three scoreless innings.
NOTES-The Bulldogs received
complete games from seniors
Tommy Minor and Jared Fernandez
to take the first two games of the
series. Minor (6-4) tossed FSU's
second shutout ofthe season, strik¬
ing out eight with just a single walk.
On Saturday, Fernandez (7-3) lim¬
ited the Rainbows to four bits and.
walked one with six strikeouts...
Murakami said Johnson has the
potential to make the Olympic team
by the 1996 Games in Atlanta....
The Bulldogs host Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo on Tuesday night at 7
p.m. Kevin Gunther is expected to
get the starting nod at pitcher for
FSU.
By DavW Mirhadi
THECOLLEGIAN
The FSU tennis teams have
plenty to feel good about follow¬
ing a successful weekend on the
courts.     *"*
On Saturday, the 37th-ranked
women rolled to their seventh vic¬
tory in a row over the Long Beach
State 49ers with a 8-1 drubbing.
They followed that performance
with another win Sunday, sweep¬
ing the Sacramento State Hornets
9-0 to improve to 18-6 in prepara¬
tion for their showdown with 15th-
ranked USC on Wednesday.'
The men were equally impres¬
sive, beating back the advances of
an aggressive UC Irvine team with
a 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon.
The women were led by the
play of No. 1 singles player and
WAC Player of the Week, junior
Amy Gallagher, who won both
hersingles matches in straight sets,
defeating Brandy Cojocannon of
Long Beach 6-1,6-0 and the Hor¬
nets' Jill Butler 6-2,6-0. '
FSU women's head coach Irene
Harris was pleased with her team's
success following the victory over
Long Beach State.
'1 feel real good about this team.
I think that we have some good
experience, and some of our new¬
comers are playing very well. I
think one of the most'important
things we need to do is to stay
focused for the rest of the season."
Harris said.
FSU was also sparked by the
performance of, senior Mary Jo
Fallara. She beat the 49ers* Farah
Tierney 6-4,6-OandKathy O'Daly
of Sacramento State 6-2,6-2. Her
quickness helped spark two victo¬
ries in doubles play with partner
Gallagher as well, while keeping
opponents off balance.
"We work well together,"
Fallarasaidof her partnership with
Gallagher.
"It's always tough to stay fo¬
cused against a team like (Sacra¬
mento State)," she said, noting
that the Hornets came into
Sunday's match* with a record of
9-12 and had lost their last two
matches.
See TENNIS, page 7
, -V