EUGENE, Ore. — Jane Doolittle and Danielle Domenichelli turned in All-American performances at the NCAA Track & Field Championships, held on a windy, rainy day at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Ryan Martin and Julian deRubira also advanced to the 800m and 3000m steeplechase finals, respectively, in one of UCSB’s most memorable days at the NCAA Championships.
Doolittle finished fourth in the women’s high jump, adding All-American honors to her dream season which included a Big West Conference title and a UCSB school record.
After the opening height knocked off about half the field in the women’s high jump, 12 athletes cleared 5’9.25″ (1.76m) to set up a showdown for the eight All-American positions. Only four athletes cleared the next height of 5’10.75″ (1.80m), including Doolittle, who cleared it on her final attempt. Her fourth-place, All-American finish is the best ever by a UCSB high jumper.
Domenichelli finished seventh in the 10,000m to earn All-American honors to top off her season, which included Big West Championships in the 10,000m and 5000m, and a UCSB record in the 5000m.
At one point late in the race, Domenichelli was leading the field and pushing the pace to drop stragglers. But with six to go, Lisa Koll from Iowa State made an aggressive attack that left the rest of the field behind. Domenichelli stayed with a chase group and was able to hold on to an All-American position with a time of 33:32.81.
Domenichelli is only the second Gaucho to earn All-American honors twice (Stephanie Rothstein – 10,000m in 2006 and 2007), and is the first to win All-American honors in two different events. In 2008 Domenichelli was an All-American in the 5000m.
In preliminary round action, Ryan Martin broke the UCSB record in the 800m to become the first Gaucho to clock an official sub-1:47 time. Martin finished second in Heat 2 with a time of 1:46.71, advancing to the final round to be held Friday evening. His time eclipsed the previous UCSB record of 1:47.60, set by Tetlo Emmen in 2007.
Likewise, Julian deRubira qualified for the 3000m steeplechase final with his own UCSB record-breaking performance. deRubira finished third in Heat 1 and fifth overall to advance to the final, which will also be held Friday evening. His time of 8:43.62 broke his own school record of 8:46.48, which he set two weeks ago at the NCAA West Preliminary.
The final UCSB result from Wednesday was Barbara Nwaba’s Day One score in the heptathlon. She is currently in fifth place with 3361 points, with three events remaining. Her highlight from today’s events was a 900-point score in the 100m hurdles, where she clocked a time of 14.49. The heptathlon will conclude tomorrow.
The remaining NCAA Championship itinerary for the Gauchos includes Nwaba finishing the heptathlon tomorrow, Martin competing in the 800m final on Friday, deRubira competing in the steeplechase final on Friday, and Kayla Smith competing in the women’s shot put on Friday.
