While their classmates were preparing for finals, six members of the UCSB track and field team tested themselves in a different way, participating in the NCAA Championships in Sacramento.

Seniors Stephanie Rothstein and Megan Lewis led the way in the track events, with finishes of fifth and 14th place respectively in the 10,000-meter race. Rothstein finished the run in 33:23.33, almost a full minute ahead of Lewis who came in at 34:20.17. Lewis had come into the event seeded higher, but Rothstein kept up with the lead pack to earn four points for the UCSB women in the team competition. Lewis’ finish did not earn any points for the Gauchos, but she did finish in the top half of the results.

Rothstein, the UCSB and Big West record-holder in the event, finished 15 seconds behind fourth-place finisher Amy Hastings of Arizona State, and almost a half-minute behind NCAA champion Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech, who crossed the finish line in 32:55.71. The strong performance assured Rothstein of All-American honors for the second consecutive year. Junior Bethany Nickless qualified for Nationals after finishing second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA West Regional, but she failed to finish her qualifying heat in Sacramento.

UCSB and Big West record-holder Amy Haapanen gave the women’s team a second All-American, finishing eighth in the hammer throw. The senior’s first attempt was her best, sailing 204’02”. University of Georgia senior Jenny Dahlgren won the competition on her final attempt, with a throw of 232’00”. Haapanen failed to qualify for the finals in her two other events, with a 15th place finish in the shot put prelims and a 19th place finish in the discus prelims. For her performance, the Manteca, Calif. native was named the Golden 1 Credit Union UCSBGauchos.com Female Athlete of the Year. She garnered 55.2 percent of the online votes, beating out teammates Rothstein, Lewis and Nickless among others.

Senior Eugene Bradley led the way on the men’s side with a seventh place finish in the hammer throw. Bradley’s toss of 213’06” established a new UCSB record, eclipsing his previous mark of 212’11”. Junior Jake Dunkleberger of Auburn won the event with a throw of 235’09”. With his seventh place finish, Bradley became the third Gaucho to earn All-American honors at the meet. Senior javelin thrower John Delaney placed 26th in the qualifying round with a throw of 185’2″, which was not good enough for a spot in the finals.

In other track and field news, senior Tetlo Emmen broke the school record in the 800-meters while competing in the Prefontaine Classic on June 10. After failing to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Emmen traveled alone to Eugene, Ore. to take one last shot at qualifying for the USA Track & Field Championships. His time of 1:47.60 was good enough to qualify, and it would have placed him second at the NCAA Championships meet. Racing with Gaucho colors on his chest one last time, Emmen finished 20th in the prelims on June 21. His time of 1:49.04 was not fast enough for a spot in the semifinals.