Sari-Bentzur Records NCAA Qualifying Heptathlon Score At Mt. SAC Relays

Junior finished the multi-event competition in fifth place overall.

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April 22, 2002

AZUSA, Calif. - A season-best long jump mark of 20-02.25 propelled Univeristy of New Mexico junior Keren Sari-Bentzur to an NCAA provisional qualifying score of 5,371 on Friday in the second and final day of the heptathlon at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays. Sari- Bentzur finished the multi-event competition in fifth place overall and second among collegiate competitors at Azusa Pacific University Stadium.

After a stellar day one performance in which she tallied 3,228 points, Sari-Bentzur needed to average just 650 points in the long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run on Friday to tally her first NCAA qualifying score. Picking right up where she left off, Sari-Bentzur opened the day with a score of 896 points on the strength of her season-best long jump performance. The two-time Israeli national long jump champion had been struggling in the event, clearing 19-feet just once in three competitions this spring. However, her mark on Friday was over a foot better than her previous best this season and just two inches shy of an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the event.

Despite a season-best throw of 99-10.00 in the javelin, Sari-Bentzur tallied just 485 points in the event, allowing San Diego State\'s Leslie Miller to move past her into fourth. Trailing by just 11 points entering the final event, Sari-Bentzur was unable to move past Miller in the 800, despite another season-best time of 2:24.57. The SDSU junior clocked a 2:17.93 to finish in fourth place overall, leading all collegiate competitors with a score of 5,472.

Over the two-day competition, Sari-Bentzur recorded season-bests in all seven events as she shattered her previous personal-best (5,128 - 2001) by 243 points. Her score was 196 points over the NCAA provisional mark of 5,175, and was just 48 points shy of the 12-year-old UNM record.

Sophomore Mark Johnson's final score from the California Invitational decathlon will be posted when results are available.