Chris FrazierTrack
Heidelberg
Last week: Frazier, a sophomore sprinter and long jumper, qualified for the European championships by running a personal-best 11.50 seconds in the 100 meters and clearing 19 feet, 6 inches in the long jump in Heidelberg’s opener Saturday.
“We were surprised he qualified in the 100 so early,” Heidelberg track coach Sharon Brady said. “We knew he’d do well in the jump, but we didn’t expect him to have that kind of speed in the 100 this soon.”
European qualifying marks this season are 11.50 in the 100 and 19-2 in the long jump. Frazier, who didn’t qualify for the Europeans’ 100 as a freshman and managed just over 17-11 in placing 11th in the long jump, was the only athlete to meet the 100 standard on opening day.
Crystal RichardsonTrack
Ramstein
Last week: Richardson, a senior sprinter and team captain, won the 100 and 200 meters Saturday at SHAPE, qualifying for May’s European championships in the 200 with a time of 26.56 seconds that was well under the 27.80 qualifying standard in the event and just .36 seconds slower than last year’s European-winning mark of 26.18 by the graduated Tiffani Thomas of Wiesbaden.
According to Ramstein coach April Noke, the 26.56, which followed a long bus ride to SHAPE and came despite dismal weather conditions, was a personal best for Richardson, sixth in Europe in the 200 last season.
“Crystal ran an excellent race on Saturday,” Noke wrote in an e-mail. “… [I]t is my hope that Crystal will use the results of this race as her inspiration during the rest of the season’s training.”
— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff
