Weber State University Athletics
Weber State Outdoor Track & Field Teams At Clarence Robison Invitational
4/22/2009 2:45:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
W O M E N
Coach Jim Blaisdell's team is coming off one of it's best weekly performances in many years. His goal now is to keep the train moving forward.
"We have just about everyone competing this week, 23 in all, so I am looking forward to getting some conference qualifiers this week," said Blaisdell. "We will be moving our distance runners up and down this week in order for them to get some distance and speed training. Cassie Olson, Laken Skidmore and Loren Storey will each be running the 800 meters this week, while Natalie Haws is moving up to run the 5,000 meters."
The Wildcat women now have 16 athletes qualified for the Big Sky Conference meet in 22 events. Still, Blaisdell says he need three or four more this weekend to feel comfortable.
"Brittany Webb and Michaela North are right on the edge in qualifying for the Long Jump," said Blaisdell. "Brittany just missed it by one inch last week and Michaela is just eight inches away. If they have good weather this weekend, they both have a chance. Ally Dean in the 400 meter hurdles and Lindsey Spencer in the discus, are each just a hair away from NCAA Regional qualifying, so it would be nice to see them each get there this week."
On Wednesday and Thursday, Holly North and her sister-in-law, Michaela North, are participating in the Heptathlon. Michaela has already qualified for the Big Sky outdoor meet with 4,258 points. This will be Holly's first Heptathlon attempt in 2009. She finished second in the 2009 Big Sky Indoor Pentathlon with a school record 3,589 points. North's career best is 4,553 which ranks as the seventh best Heptathlon in WSU history.
"Holly has been injured the past couple weeks and she missed the Heptathlon at Idaho State two weeks ago," Blaisdell said. "She's ready and anxious to get going. I am sure she will make the conference qualifying mark (4,100 points) this week. I look for Michaela to make an improvement as well."
LAST WEEK
The Wildcat women had a tremendous outing last week. Three Wildcats established 2009 NCAA Regional qualifying times and marks. At the Mount Sac Relays, NATALIE HAWS (Fr.-Kaysville, Utah) set a WSU women's freshman record in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase in a time of 10:22.69. It was her first collegiate steeplechase race and is the 7th fastest time in Weber State history. The old freshman record was set in 2007 by Katie Bowen (10:24.15). Haws was running the Invitational Race which was won by former WSU standout Lindsey Anderson who ran the fastest time in the world thus far in 2009 winning the race in 9:46.56. . . . CASSIE OLSON (Jr.-West Haven, Utah) posted a career best time of 10:49.81 in the Olympic Development Race. . . . In Saturday's Mark Faldmo Invitational in Logan, Utah, ALANA FAAGAI (Jr.-San Pedro, California) threw a season best 158-03.00 in the Discus to qualify for regionals. That is the third best toss in WSU school history. LINDSEY SPENCER (So.-Farr West, Utah) had a career best of 148-01.00 in the Hammer Throw. That is the ninth best throw in Wildcat women's track and field history.
"Last week was as good a week as we have had in a long time in terms of conference and regional qualifying marks," said Blaisdell. "Natalie and Cassie each ran extremely well, as did Kristin Billings, La Tia Hatcher, Maria North, Ally Dean and Laken Skidmore. Alana and Lindsey keep improving with each week. I hope we can keep this momentum rolling forward."
M E N
Coach Dan Walker's men now have 16 athletes qualified in 13 events for the 2009 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 13-16 in Missoula, Montana. The Wildcat men also had three NCAA Regional qualifiers last week.
"I was pleased, to say the least, with our performances in California and in Logan last week," said Walker. "Our guys took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather in both locations. It showed what we are capable of doing. Now we need to keep focused and keep on improving each of the next two weeks before conference."
Walker says this week is crucial for at least four of his athletes to achieve conference qualifying standards and for others to qualify in a second event.
"T.J. Fox (Long Jump), Cylor Morgan (400 Meters), Dustin Durfee (400 Meters) and Kyle Cockayne (100 / 400 hurdles) are each right at the cusp on qualifying," said Walker. "I need them to make the leap, or run, of faith this week. If those four make it, we will be in really good shape heading into the conference meet. We will be taking two or three of our distance runners and putting them into the 800 meters to see if they can qualify in a second event and make them versatile runners and to pick up possible points in the conference meet."
ANDY HEATON (Soph.-Kanab, Utah) will be competing in the Decathlon on Wednesday and Thursday. Heaton scored 6,054 points at the Idaho State Decathlon Meet on April 9-10 and qualified for the Big Sky outdoor meet.
DAVID OLSON (Jr.-Colorado Springs, Colorado) won't be in Provo this weekend. Olson is running at the University of California Meet on Friday, April 24 in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase seeking an improvement on his time of 8:54.14 at the Mount SAC Relays last week. Olson has a personal best of 8:38.02 which he ran two years ago. That is the 6th best time in WSU's prestigious Steeplechase history.
LAST WEEK
JACE NYE (Jr.-Kaysville, Utah), DAVID OLSON and BRETT HALES (So.-Ogden, Utah) each posted NCAA Regional qualifying times in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase. Both Nye and Olson were entered into the Invitational Race where the best runners in the meet were entered both amateur and professional. Nye ran a career best 8:53.96 while Olson was right behind in 8:54.15. ... Hales ran in the Open Race and ran a personal best 9:04.50 making the regional qualifying time by just over two seconds. ... For Nye, it was his second NCAA Regional qualifying event. On April 11 he qualified in the 1,500 Meter run as well in a time of 3:47.62. . . . TAYLOR PEBLEY (Jr.-West Haven, Utah) ran the 4th fastest 400 Meter Intermediate Hurdle time in Weber State school history with a 52.40 clocking at the Mount SAC Relays. That is an NCAA Regional qualifying time as well.
"Jace and David just keep chasing and pushing each other," said Walker. "They make each other better each time they race in practice or in a meet. They in turn have pushed Brett whose had made rapid improvement since returning from his two year mission last Fall. Taylor had another standout race and another personal best in back to back meets."
The 4x400 Meter Relay team of Tyler McBee (48.8), Cylor Morgan (47.9), Brock Rose (47.7) and Taylor Pebley (47.4) ran the fastest time in the Big Sky Conference this season with a solid time of 3:11.80 at the Relays.
BRYANT JENSEN (Sr.-Farr West, Utah) posted a career best time of 29:38.98 in the 10,000 Meter Run at the Mount SAC Relays. That is the 7th fastest time in Weber State history and a conference qualifying time by almost two and a half minutes.
At the Mark Faldmo Invitational, CHRIS STRUCKMAN (Fr.-Portland, Oregon) jumped a career best 22-07.25 in the Long Jump and qualifying for the conference meet in a second event. He has already qualified for the high jump. ... ZACK PARRY (So.-Taylorsville, Utah) threw a career best in both the Shot Put (48-02.00) and the Hammer Throw (169-10.00). His hammer throw was a four foot improvement.
JOHN COYLE (Fr.-Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) nearly had an NCAA Regional qualifying time in the 1,500 meters. His time of 3:53.52 in Logan translates into an altitude adjusted time of 3:48.39. The regional qualifying time is 3:47.80. That is also his career best time in the event.
