Replay Turns Victory To Defeat High-Tech Review Drops Zackula

Ryan Zackula was certain he had won the 800 meters at Saturday’s Big Sky Conference track and field championships, and so the Eastern Washington senior reveled in the applause of an appreciative Woodward Stadium crowd.

Rob Christensen was nearly as certain he had lost, having appeared to yield under Zackula’s late charge, and so the Weber State senior instinctively resigned himself to yet another second-place finish.

Then came the news that would rearrange each man’s emotions: Video replay showed Christensen finishing first.

And so Christensen, five times a runner-up in the 800 at Big Sky indoor and outdoor championships, was finally crowned champion.

“Relief, happiness, gratitude,” Christensen managed. “I thought he had gotten me.”

Both men were credited with a time of 1 minute, 53.63 seconds.

“I feel like a jerk - I put my arms up because I honestly thought I won,” Zackula said. “I mean, it’s one thing when you know you lost - you can kind of accept it. But when you honestly think you won a race … “

The photo finish was one of several highlights during the meet’s second and final day, although it figured little in team scoring.

The Northern Arizona men edged Weber State 126-123, with EWU scoring 78 points to finish fifth. The women’s title went to Big Sky newcomer Cal State-Northridge, which outscored Weber State 133-116. EWU took seventh with 41 points - one behind Sacramento State, the Big Sky’s other newcomer.

This was the first Big Sky meet since Idaho and Boise State switched to the Big West Conference, leaving Northridge and Sac State to fill the void.

Northridge proved particularly strong.

“They’re a little more diverse than the Idaho and Boise teams except for their distances aren’t quite as talented,” EWU coach Stan Kerr said. “They bring strong hurdle, sprints and throws, which gives the whole conference more depth.”

EWU, meanwhile, finished about where Kerr expected.

“We’re moving forward,” he said. “A lot of freshmen and sophomores turned in some dandy performances and we had some upperclassmen who lived up to their reputation - you know, Seville running a terrific solo race again.”

Seville Broussard only seems like an upperclassman. A sophomore in eligibility after suffering a serious knee injury two years ago, Broussard won the 400 hurdles in 59.88 seconds, a gaudy 1.3 seconds faster than her nearest competitor.

She also took third in the 100 hurdles, using a strong tailwind to clock a personal-record 13.94, even though she stumbled on the second-to-last hurdle. Northridge, led by Elinor Tolson’s 13.77, finished 1-2.

Eastern junior Taneka Sauls took second in the triple jump at 37-9-1/2.

EWU senior Justin Baerlocher ended his career with a strong showing in the 1,600, stubbornly holding off NAU’s Jim Cera to finish third in 3:54.89.

With roughly 200 meters to go, Baerlocher charged briefly into second behind winner Miguel Galeana (3:53.42) of Montana State.

“It was my last real college race, so I needed to give it everything I had,” Baerlocher said. “He just had too much.”

EWU sophomore Mike Dwyer was third in the 110 hurdles (14.42). Marquis Jones of Northridge won in 13.87, breaking the meet record of 13.92, set by NAU’s Ted Zakoscienly in 1982.

The most impressive performance may have belonged to Sac State senior Justin Carvalho, whose 211-foot, 7-inch hammer throw broke meet (203-0) and conference (210-7) records held by Nevada’s Kim Johannson.

Carvalho had struggled since throwing 210 and 205 in consecutive meets early in the season.

“I threw 193 at Modesto (two weeks ago) - terrible,” he said, although 193 would have been good for third here. “I got here Thursday, practice didn’t feel good.

“Yesterday, throwing out of this ring for the first time, I started feeling better, and today I was just in the zone.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 Color)