FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2008
Media Contact: Kyle Trembley (760) 750-7114

Men and Women Both Finish 8th at 2008 NAIA Track & Field National Championships

Coach Steve Scott's track & field team earned a record 12 All-Americans and 2 National Champions at this year's National Championships.  As a team, both the Cougar men and women finished 8th in the country.

Juan Mejia capped off his decorated Cougar career with his first-ever national championship, crossing the finish line first in the marathon.  Mejia ran 2:27:44, more than two minutes clear of his closest competition.  Mejia was ranked #1 in the nation entering the event.

Shortly after, Dallon Williams would join Mejia as a national champion.  Also ranked #1 entering Nationals, Williams didn't disappoint, running 10:18.96 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to win and break the four-year old record time for the event.

Senior Sergio Gonzalez finished his Cougar career in style as well.  A cross-country All-American in the fall, Gonzalez earned the honor not once but twice on Saturday, finishing third in the 10k and fourth in the 5k.  He timed in at 30:43 and 14:39, respectively.

Rounding out the men's side, junior Tony Guadagnini joined his teammates as an All-American.  He ran the 1,500-meter in 3:51, good for fourth place.

On the women's side, Ashleigh Davis just missed becoming the school's third national champion of the year, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.36.

Morgan Sjogren earned All-American status on Thursday with a great performance in the 10k.  Sjogren ran 36-minutes flat, taking fourth place.

And finally, the women's 4x400-meter relay team finished sixth to earn All-American status as well.  The team of Lucia Asbury, Monika Valenzuela, Namadhjlah McIntosh, and Samantha Showns timed in at 3:53 to earn the honor.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic finish to the season for Cougar track & field.  Coach Scott sent a record number of athletes, got a school-record number of All-Americans, got a school-record number of National Champions, and saw both his men's and women's teams finish in the top ten.  Congratulations to Cougar track & field on an outstanding performance!

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