BIG WEST TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Bracey’s 100-Meter Record Is Bittersweet

IRVINE —  Desiree Bracey had just broken a 10-year-old school record, running the 100 meters in 11.83 seconds Friday to win her trial heat during the first day of the Big West Conference Track and Field Championships at UC Irvine.

But while Anteater teammates were patting her on the back, Bracey was kicking herself. Instead of stepping on the accelerator in the final 10 meters, Bracey, with a comfortable lead and a position in today’s finals secured, put it in cruise control.

That decision might have cost the sophomore sprinter a shot at reaching the NCAA provisional qualifying time of 11.75 seconds.

“The last 10 meters, I kind of jogged in,” Bracey said. “I didn’t realize how good my time was. Had I continued to run, I might have qualified for the national meet. It’s disappointing.”

Danny Williams, UCI women’s coach, didn’t give Bracey even a moment to celebrate the record, which surpassed Michele Kelly’s previous mark of 11.97 seconds, set in 1981.

“I jumped on her for shutting it off,” Williams said. “It’s easy to relax when you’re way out in front, but there’s a direct correlation between relaxation and speed. At least that time has pumped her up for tomorrow.”

Williams believes the Anteaters are on pace to challenge Fresno State and three-time defending champion Nevada Las Vegas for the conference title. With four women’s events completed Friday, Irvine was in second place with 30 team points, behind leader Fresno State (48).

Las Vegas was third with 20 points, but the Rebels are strongest in the sprint events, which will be run today.

The Fresno State men’s team, which has won eight consecutive conference championships, took the first-day lead after six events, accumulating 58 points. Utah State (38) was second, followed by UC Santa Barbara (35), Irvine (29) and Cal State Long Beach (23).

The meet concludes today with field events beginning at 12:30 p.m. and finals in running events scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Among Friday’s highlights:

--Irvine junior Matt Farmer, who had a cortisone shot Friday to ease pain from a bone spur in his left ankle, took the first-day lead in the decathlon, racking up 3,792 points after five events.

Farmer, who hasn’t competed in jumping events for five weeks because of the injury, went 23 feet 8 1/4 inches on his decathlon long jump and then placed second in the long jump competition later Friday with a mark of 23-3 1/2.

--UNLV junior Shunta Rose set a conference, conference meet and school record in the long jump, winning with a mark of 21-8. UNLV’s Madette Smith held the previous conference record of 21-6, set in 199. Rose also broke her previous school record of 21-7 1/2, set earlier this year.

--Irvine freshman Dustin James won his trial heats in the 400 (48.30 seconds) and 200 (21.51) to qualify for the finals in both events.

--Irvine sophomore Mike Hewitt (UCI) tied Fresno State’s Jeff Coppock for the top pole vault mark (16- 3/4), but placed second in the event because he had more misses than Coppock.

--Fresno State swept the top three places in the women’s javelin, with Danene Bitter (163-1) winning, Nicole Carroll (158-7) placing second and Birgit Bauer (140-1) placing third.

The biggest upset of the meet was in the men’s hammer throw, in which Utah State’s Craig Carter, the two-time, defending conference champion who placed seventh at last season’s NCAA championships, fouled on his first three attempts and was disqualified.

Santa Barbara’s Andrew Sheaffer won with a throw of 197-10, well short of Carter’s conference-best mark of 212-9.

“I just think I was trying to hard,” said Carter, who already has qualified for the NCAA meet in the hammer. “All three of my throws went out of the left sector, which I never foul on. It was a freak thing.”

It’s been a rough season for Carter, who has competed despite hip and back injuries. Then last week, while Carter was attempting to bench press 350 pounds, he dropped the bar on his face, opening cuts in his mouth and on his chin that required 100 stitches to close.

“I thought all my bad luck was over,” Carter said. “I figured if I didn’t get in a car wreck on the way here, I’d be safe. I was wrong.”