Dustin Diaz, Jacob Mills and Tim McGaillan added their names to the list of Hornets on the Big Sky qualifying list after their performances in the fourth annual Brutus Hamilton Memorial Invitational at Cal Berkeley?s Edwards Stadium.

The Hornets? female contingent, meanwhile, ventured south to compete in the All Women?s Invitational at San Diego State University, where they finished third overall with 134.5 points behind Southern Utah University (141) and the triumphant host Aztecs (168).

Utah trailed Sac State with 123.5 points as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas rounded out the group with 83.

“It?s good for the men and women to split up sometimes,” Sac State head coach Joe Neff said. “It lets them establish their own identities, and I felt that both teams acquitted themselves very well.”

At Berkeley, the men?s team finished last out of seven teams, however, the programs that finished ahead of Sac State included Pac-10 powerhouses Stanford, Arizona, USC, and first place Cal. UC Davis and Chico State also competed at the Invitational.

“It didn?t show it in the team standings, but our men?s team had a good meet,” Neff said. “There were some noteworthy performances.”

Diaz qualified for the BSC Championships on Saturday by edging out the league standard of 1:53.65 in the 800-meter run. He clocked in at a season best 1:53.11 for a fifth-place finish.

The junior also paced sophomore teammates Howard Story (sixth) and Stephen Gaitan (eighth) to lifetime best times of 1:54.33 and 1:54.94, respectively. Gaitan surpassed his previous mark despite running with a sore hamstring.

Mills placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:14.30, 11 seconds faster than his previous personal record. McGaillan recorded personal bests in the shot put and the hammer throw, but it was his 162-feet, 11-inch toss in the hammer that clenched him a spot for the BSC meet.

Sophomore sprinter Jonathan Davis battled both strong winds and the competitive Pac-10 field in the 100-meter dash, and was able to finish as the race?s runner up in 10.96.

Rokeem Osby took third in the high jump, leaping a 6-08 3/4. He was named the Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week two weeks ago, one week after fellow teammate Shanita Bryant earned the honor.

Sac State?s women?s team kept up with the eventual winner, San Diego State, in the All-Women?s meet for the most part, but in the end, injuries prevented it from victory.

Neff recently learned that his top distance runners, Melissa Madeson and Annette Corey, will be out for the season due to tendonitis. Their absences, Neff said, definitely hurt the Hornets? chance of claiming Saturday?s contest. Neither Madeson or Corey has raced in an outdoor meet this season.

Fortunately for the Hornets, sophomore Tina Limon has stepped up her abilities in past weeks. She ended up at third in the 1,500 with a 4:40.81 mark, her second fastest in 2001. She also took fourth in the 3,000 in 10:28.69.

“Tina has really come of age this year,” Neff said. “Last year, she discovered how good she could be and this year, she knows it. And that?s been her attitude.”

Anchoring Sac State?s throwing unit, Monica Crawford broke the school?s shot put record with her 45-10 1/2 mark. The previous record was 45-6, set by Linda Mitchell in 1983. In addition, her measurement in the hammer throw, 150-09, puts her at third best in the Sac State record books.

In the pole vault, Tracy Dahl finished third after scoring an 11-06 1/4. Teammates Iran Serrano and Shawna Peterman tied for fourth with 10-06 1/4 vaults.

Karen Trapini did her usual damage in the jump events, nabbing a second-place finish in the triple jump (38-01 1/4) and fourth in the long jump (18-00 1/2). Shanita Bryant joined Trapini in the long-jump pit, taking third with an 18-07 3/4 leap.

Joni David led the charge in the sprints, placing first in the 100 in 12.13 and second in the 200 in 24.97. Bryant followed close behind with fourth-place finishes in the 100 (12.25) and 200 (25.19).

Jennifer Burkhalter took third in the 400 in 55.92, while Renee Warner placed fourth in the 100-meter high hurdles in 14.47. That time put Burkhalter fourth on the all-time Sac State list in the 400.

The women?s 4×100-meter relay team finished in second (46.10), as did the 4-by-400 squad (3:52.10).

Sac State is again expected to split the team in half this upcoming weekend. Some will compete at the Mt. Sac Relays, which begin on Friday in Walnut, and the rest at the Woody Wilson Invitational Saturday in Davis.