CSUN’s Gill in Fifth Place in Heptathlon : Freshman on Pace for Lifetime Best in Division II Track Finals

HAMPTON, Va. — Competing in her third heptathlon in the past two weeks, Cal State Northridge freshman Lisa Gill overcame fatigue to move into fifth place with a first-day score of 2,973 points in the NCAA Division II track and field championships at Hampton University on Thursday.

Lizz Barringer of Southeast Missouri State, second in last year’s Division II meet, was the first-day leader with 3,216 points, followed by 1988 champion Durelle Schimek of Cal Poly Pomona (3,059) and Seattle Pacific teammates Juli Vanpelt (3,053) and Karen Lauve (3,023).

Gill, a graduate of Alemany High, is 27 points ahead of her pace last weekend when she recorded a personal best of 4,895 points at Cal State Long Beach to qualify for the Division II meet.

Gill was 85 points off that pace after the first two events--the 100-meter low hurdles (15.27 seconds) and the high jump (5-5 3/4)--but tied her heptathlon best in the shotput with a heave of 32-7 1/2 and ran a personal best of 25.71 in the 200 to complete the first day.

The 200 time cut .25 seconds off Gill’s previous best and gives her some needed momentum heading into the today’s events (long jump, javelin, 800 meters).

“The shotput and 200 has her headed in the right direction,” Northridge Coach Don Strametz said.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, paced by the third- and fourth-place efforts of Amanda Marks and Patty Almendariz in the 10,000 meters, led the women’s meet with 12 points after the first day. St. Augustine (Raleigh, N.C.) and Seattle Pacific were tied for second with 10 points each.

Angelo State (San Angelo, Tex.)--led by a 2-3-4-5 finish in the hammer throw--was the leader in the men’s meet with 23 points, followed by North Dakota State and Cal Poly Pomona with 10 each.

Northridge, ninth in last year’s Division II meet, was tied for eighth with three points. Junior Paul Albers accounted for the Matadors’ points with a sixth-place effort in the hammer.

Albers threw 176 feet, 8 inches. Teammate Dave Youngberg placed ninth.

Darcy Arreola, Tina Cheney and Gena Jauregui were all scheduled to run for Northridge in qualifying heats of the women’s 1,500 Thursday but automatically advanced for Saturday’s final because there were only 11 entrants.

CSUN junior Tyrone Jeffries, who has placed sixth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in the past two Division II championships, easily qualified for Saturday’s final in that event, placing fourth in his heat with a 51.99 effort.

Jeffries will compete in a heat of the 110 high hurdles today and join Tyrone Harlow, Melvin Jones and Chris Pippins in the 400 relay.

Finals today include the heptathlon, the women’s 3,000--in which Arreola will defend her title--and the high jump.