Weidler punches her ticket

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

SACRAMENTO — Brianna

Weidler followed her instincts.

That led to the sophomore longdistance runner for the UC Davis track and field team earning a trip to the NCAA Championships.

Competing in the women’s 5,000 meters race at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Fred Anderson Field inside Hornets Stadium on the Sacramento State campus on Saturday night, Weidler, who is the Big West Conference champion, finished the race with a time of 15 minutes, 49.75 seconds to take 12th place.

The top 12 in each running and field events earn a trip to the national championships.

That earned her the final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Austin, Texas from June 6-10.

“My coach told me to stick with the top five as much as I could, and just try to go with any moves that they made,” said Weidler, who is from Temecula.

Weidler and the rest of the women competing in the race ran as a pack for one-fourth of the race.

Then the Aggie and the top runners broke free from the pack.

“I just followed my instincts with those moves,” Weidler said. “I followed them as much as I could.”

Weidler felt she had a strong finish toward the end of the race, reaching the finish line on the home side of the stadium.

“(My coaches) were telling me to stay strong and stick with them (top runners) as much as I could,” Weidler said. “I just went for it.”

Everlyn Kemboi, out of Utah Valley, won the race at 15:30.25.

Now Weidler shifts her focus toward competing against the best in the country in the long-distance event at the NCAA Championships.

“That was an unreal experience,” Weidler said. “It was great to have all of my teammates there with me, supporting me. I was really surprised.

“My coaches told me that I could qualify, and my teammates did too. But I didn’t want to put much pressure on it... I’m really excited.”

Last fall, Weidler, on the UCD women’s cross-country team, took 51st place at the NCAA Championships. She ran the 6k course in a time of 20 minutes, 17.2 seconds.

Other Aggies competing at the four-day meet at Hornets Stadium were freshman Elizabeth Churchill, from Santa Cruz, who placed 38th in the high jump at 5 feet, 5.75 inches.

Kerrington Smith, a junior from Rancho Cucamonga, was 48th in the triple jump with a leap of 38 feet, 1.50 inches.

Sierra Atkins, a junior from Santa Rosa, took 43rd in the 10,000meter with a time of 34 minutes, 39.12 seconds.

For the Aggie men, Corey Moore, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., took 42nd place in the discus with a toss of 171 feet, 4 inches.

— Contact Mike Bush at mike@ davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavisSports.