May 26, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas - California added to its roster for the NCAA Championships Saturday with three more Golden Bears qualifying for the national meet. On the final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, high jumpers Harrison Steed and Brian Carmichael, as well as 5000-meter runner Chelsea Reilly, joined the list to give Cal a total of seven representatives

Based on results from Thursday and Friday, the Bears had four others advance to the NCAA meet to be held June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa: Deborah Maier (women's 10,000 meters), Chase Wheeler (men's long jump), Chad Jones (men's triple jump) and Scott Esparza (men's hammer).

The preliminary rounds features student-athletes from 25 states in the West, The top 12 in each event earned berths to the NCAA Championships.

Steed, a redshirt-freshman, was clean on through his first four attempts in the high jump and didn't miss until the bar was placed at 7-2.50. By then, he was in sixth place and over at 7-1.50, which set a Cal PR. He posted a lifetime best of 7-2.50 as a high school senior in 2010.

Carmichael also finished at 7-1.50, but finished 10th due to more misses at lower heights. He took three tries to get over at 6-11.75, then cleared 7-1.50 on his second jump.

With both Steed and Carmichael going to NCAAs, the Bears will have two high jumpers at nationals for the first time since Teak Wilburn and David Glasgow advanced in 2003.

Reilly, the last Bear to hit the track, used a kick down the homestretch to move from seventh to fifth place in her heat, crossing the line in 16:15.89, just ahead of Boise State's Emma Bates (16:16.74) and Oregon's Allison Woodward (16:17.38). The top five times in each of the two heats automatically advanced, along with the next two fastest times.

The first event to finish on the day was the men's discus, where Derek White placed 16th with a best effort of 179-3. The 2012 Pac-12 runner-up, White topped 177 feet on four of his five legal throws, but didn't have the big one to put him into the top 12 and a berth at national meet.

Taylor Bryson just missed advancing to the NCAA Championships with a time of 4:23.93 in the women's 1500 meters. With the top five from each of two heats plus the next two fastest times qualifying, Bryson was eighth in her race and 13th overall.

Linda Oseso also nearly made her first trip to nationals in the women's hammer, finishing 14th with a lifetime best of 199-6. Oseso surpassed her previous PR on four of her six attempts Saturday. The result kept her third on Cal's all-time performer list and extended her own Kenyan national record.

Women's triple jumpers Aziza Baker and Amanda Hunter saw their season come to an end, as Baker finished 19th (41-3.00) and Hunter 33rd (40-2.75). Maxime Chevee also placed 43rd in the men's 5000 meters in 15:09.07.

NCAA West Preliminary Rounds
Austin, Texas

Complete Results

California Results
Men
5000m - 43. Maxime Chevee 15:09.07

High Jump - 6. Harrison Steed 7-1.50 (2.17m)Q; 10. Brian Carmichael 7-1.50 (2.17m)Q; 33. Nick Ridge 6-8.00 (2.03m)

Discus - 16. Derek White 179-3 (54.65)

Women
1500m - 13. Taylor Bryson 4:23.93

5000m - 9. Chelsea Reilly 16:15.89Q

4x100m Relay - Carisma Lyday, Charnell Price, Angelica Weaver, Alima Kamara DNF

Triple Jump - 19. Aziza Baker 41-3.00 (12.57m); 33. Amanda Hunter 40-2.75 (12.26m)

Hammer - 14. Linda Oseso 199-6 (60.80m)

Q - qualified for NCAA Championships