PROVO, Utah ? CSUB senior thrower Brian Lopez captured one more event title and finished second in a second to earn Male Athlete of the Meet honors at 2008 National Athletic Conference Championships at Clarence Robison Track on the BYU campus.
Lopez's effort helped the Roadrunner men earn a third?place finish behind host Utah Valley and the University of San Francisco.
Lopez set a personal record in winning the shot put with a toss of 52?8 1/4. He came back to throw 145?3 in the discus, good for a second?place finish behind freshman teammate Derek Johnson's winning mark of 162?7.
“What a well?deserved honor for Brian and what a way for our only senior to finish his career,” said CSUB Head Coach Alan Collatz. “We're so young that maybe the best thing to come out of this meet was the experience we gained and Brain certainly showed our younger athletes how to compete in championship conditions.”
Lopez and Johnson weren't the only 'Runner men to have a big day Saturday. Freshman sprinter Cameron Jost (Liberty HS) set two P.R.s, winning the 400 meters in 48.68 before placing fourth in the 200 in a personal?best 22.34 despite running into a headwind. Jost closed a solid weekend by anchoring CSUB's victorious mile relay team.
On the women's side, sophomore Katina Fruguglietti (Liberty HS) picked up CSUB's lone event win Saturday, taking top honors in the discus at 130?1. Her mark was more than 13 feet better than runner?up Kemry Wells of Utah Valley University.
Behind Fruguglietti's event win, the 'Runner women finished in fourth place behind Utah Valley, USF and Houston Baptist.
The 'Runners also received a couple of impressive results on the track. Sophomore sprinter Sheena Cooper (Liberty HS) finished third in the 100 in a time of 12.47. Meanwhile, freshman Ke'Airra Jones ran a blazing split of 55.8 while anchoring CSUB's mile relay team to a fourth?place finish.
“We had some nice performances on the women's side, but for most of our team, this was the first time competing outdoors at altitude,” said Collatz. “Like the men, our women's team is very young as well, so this experience will help set the foundation for next season.”
The NAC Championship meet was the final athletic competition for all CSUB sports in 2007?08. The 'Runners put the wraps on year two of their four?year transition process to full NCAA Division I status.
