Cal Poly’s Sharon Day finished second Friday in the women’s high jump at the collegiate outdoor track and field national championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
The senior cleared 6 feet, 1 ¬ inches – as did Arizona sophomore Elizabeth Patterson and Auburn junior Raevan Harris – but did so on her second attempt, one fewer than third-place Harris needed yet one more than first-place Patterson.
All three competitors missed three ensuing attempts each at 6-2 ¬.
Day, who also finished second in the event at the 2008 indoor championships, won the 2005 outdoors title. She advanced to Friday’s finals by easily being one of 16 jumpers to surpass the necessary 5-9 _ mark in Wednesday’s preliminaries.
The Costa Mesa native met the Olympic “A” qualifying standard May 17 at the Big West Conference Championships at Cal State Northridge with a leap of 6-4 _, which remains the country’s best collegiate clearance this season.
Day, the sole Mustangs representative at this weekend’s meet, will compete at the Olympic trials from June 27-July 6 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.