Cal State Northridge Trio Advance in NCAA Track

Cal State Northridge athletes went three for four in the NCAA Division I track and field championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday.

Senior Darcy Arreola placed first in the second heat of the women’s 1,500 meters to qualify for Saturday’s final, and seniors Kevin Hendrix and Tyrone Jeffries advanced to today’s semifinals in the men’s 100-meter dash and 110-meter high hurdles, respectively.

Sophomore Charlotte Vines failed to qualify for the semifinals in the women’s 100, running 11.76 seconds to finish seventh in the third heat.

Arreola, who finished third in the 1,500 in the 1989 Division I meet before redshirting at Northridge last season, won the second heat of the 1,500 in 4 minutes 19.19 seconds, the fastest time of the day.

“It felt really easy,” said Arreola, who set a school record of 4:11.97 in the 1,500 in the Santa Monica Distance Classic on May 17. “That was the easiest 4:19 I’ve ever run.”

Co-favorites Jennifer Lanctot (4:21.02) of Boston University and Maria Akraka (4:21.14) of Sweden and UC Irvine finished one-two in the first heat.

Hendrix, the 1990 Division II champion in the 100, ran a personal best of 10.44 seconds to finish third in the second heat.

The top three finishers in each of the four heats and the next four fastest finishers advanced to the semifinals.

“I felt good and comfortable,” said Hendrix, whose time moved him to third on the all-time Northridge performer list. “I got off to a good start, hit a down part at 30 meters, then turned it on at the 70-meter mark. This was a definite confidence builder. I feel pretty good about running faster (today.)”

Jeffries, a seven-time Division II All-American in the hurdles and relays from 1987-89 before redshirting last season, ran 14.11 to finish seventh in the second heat of the high hurdles and grab the last qualifying berth for the semifinals.

The first four finishers in each of the three heats and the next four fastest finishers advanced to the semifinals.

Jeffries, who has a personal best of 14.07, was battling for third midway through the race but nicked the seventh hurdle and clobbered the eighth. “I just lost my concentration for a split-second,” Jeffries said. “I (was convinced) that I didn’t make the semifinals afterward. But now, I’ve got a second chance. Hopefully, I can take advantage of it.”