Phoenix sr Sara Gorton treated the hometown fans to a winning farewell - a runaway 10:23.34 victory in the 3200 meters over a strong field and a swift second leg on the 4x800 relay that brought Arizona from behind.  Sara, who will go to Boulder CO next year to run for C.U., was a picture of precision as she cranked out lap after lap in the 78-79 second range.  Utah so Laura Zeigle  and NM so Felicia Guliford gradually fell back, with Guliford moving strongly into second on the last lap before collapsing just before the finish line and crawling to the white stripe (see below) in 10:52.49.  Zeigle was exhausted at the finish in 11:06.49.  The heat (110 before the sun went down and still sweltering when this race was run) bothered everyone, but Gorton showed it the least.  

Orem UT sr Golden Harper wins 3200 over
Jon Severy of CO in the last steps of a great race.  Severy pulled away from the pack for a huge lead on the fifth lap and threatened to steal the race.  Harper took up the chase and reeled Severy in inch by inch but almost ran out of track.  Severy was holding on grimly as Harper came alongside at the head of the stretch.  Harper put on a furious kick to get take the lead with 40 meters to go and win in 9:11.65, a margin of 0.35 over Severy.  

UT sr Jake Garlick was named most outstanding boy track athlete for his hurdle double (13.80 and 36.98), 10:80 second in the 100m, and leg on Utah's winning 4x400 relay.  Jake will go after the nation's leaders in both the Golden West Invitational and the Foot Locker national outdoor in June.

Texas sr Ben Snell (right) may be a treat for Prairie View A&M next year.  He was a surprise 1:51.69 winner in only his eighth try at this distance.  His Eastwood El Paso coach switched him from the 400 to try for more points in the Texas State Meet, and it worked as Ben got 5th in the 5A class at 1:52.73.  He is still improving.  The race here was billed as a GSW record try by Nebraska sr Brian Turner, whose 1:50 entry time seemed to dominate the event.  Turner sprinted out in 24.9 in the first 200 meters to get out of trouble in the big 18-man field, and may have paid later.  Snell burst on top at the head of the stretch and Turner faded to 6th.

Injuries affect two races

Colorado jr Alexis Joyce, one of the premier sprinters in the US, wins a close 100m in 11.69 and then pulls up in the 200 with a muscle strain in left leg (right).  The trainer said the injury was not serious, but coach Tony Wells said, "Not a good time for this."

New Mexico so Felicia Guliford staggers in stretch and falls across the finish line to hold 2nd in 3200; Felicia has a history of asthma attacks.