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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, March 14, 2009

UH's Kaufman, Wichmann earn All-America honors

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Hawai'i's Amber Kaufman and Annett Wichmann both earned more All-America honors yesterday at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College State, Texas. Kaufman took sixth in the high jump and Wichmann seventh in pentathlon. The top eight finishers are first-team All-Americans.

Wichmann also was an Indoor All-American last year, when she placed fourth. She was sixth in heptathlon at last year's NCAA Outdoors. This was Kaufman's first NCAA Indoors, but she was fifth at the NCAA Outdoors in June and went on to the Olympic Trials.

Kaufman, a junior from San Jose, Calif., was beaten out by another volleyball player yesterday. Texas junior Destinee Hooker, a volleyball All-American who will play against the Rainbow Wahine in the fall, cleared an NCAA-record 6 feet, 6 inches.

Kaufman got over her first three heights (5-7, 5-8.75 and 5-10.75) on her first attempts, but failed to clear 6 feet. She was in a group of 10 that missed that height, but moved to the front because of fewer misses earlier.

"She was a little discouraged about how high she jumped," UH coach Carmyn James said, "but pleased about being sixth."

Kaufman cleared 5-11 1/2 in her first meet this semester.

Wichmann, a senior from Germany, was also somewhat disappointed by her performance, but not her finish. She accumulated 4,118 points in the five events. Brigham Young's Amy Menlove won with 4,365.

Wichmann false-started in the opening event — 60-meter hurdles — and came out cautiously in her second try, tying for last at 9.05 seconds. But she soared from 17th place to seventh when she took third in the high jump, clearing 5-8 3/4 and barely missing the next height. Her season-best jump tied a school multi-event record.

Wichmann won the shot put, her specialty, throwing 45-3 1/2 to move into third — 19 points from first. She set another school pentathlon record with a long jump of 18-3 3/4, but dropped back to ninth when other pentathletes went past her.

She claimed All-America honors by moving up three spots with a 2:21.86 in the 800 meters.

"They were both obviously happy at being All-Americans, but disappointed at not performing at a higher level," James said. "I think that will make them that much hungrier in the outdoor season. There is more to come."

The Rainbow Wahine open the outdoor season a week from today, hosting the Rainbow Relays at Clarence T.C. Ching Field.