Weber State University Athletics
Track and field head to Big Sky Championships
5/14/2015 10:53:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State men's and women's track and field teams will head to Eastern Washington to take part in the 2015 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Both teams were picked sixth in the preseason poll.
Women's Preview
Sprints
Emily Morgan and Alex Van Halder have been two of the fastest sprinters in the conference this spring. Morgan, who broke the freshmen record earlier this year comes in with the fifth-fastest 100-meter time in the conference. While Van Halder has the eight-fastest time in both the 100 and 200-meters in the conference.
Amanda Alston and Katherine Wishmeyer will look to pick up valuable points in the 400-meters. Wishmeyer enters the event having won her past two races and ranked sixth in the conference.
Kiersten Watkins is hoping to end her career on a high note in the 400-meter hurdles. She ran the 10th fastest time in school history earlier this year and is ranked seventh in the conference.
Distance
Jamie Stokes, 2015 Big Sky Indoor Mile Champion, will look to add more titles to her trophy case as she is entered in the mile and 800-meters. Last year, Stokes placed INSERT in those events last season. After a slow start to the season, she has found her form as she ran the third-fastest time in school history two weeks ago. She will see competition from Katie Nicholls of Idaho State in both events.
Ellie Child will enter the 3,000 meter steeplechase final having run the fifth-fastest time in the conference. Child will look to build on her second place at the indoor championships in the 3,000 meters. Hailey Whetten and Amanda Ward will be the lone Wildcats in the 10,000 meters. Whetten ran the eighth fastest time in school history at the Mt. Sac Relays in 35:23.44.
Field
Jazmin Porter and Natasha Powell will lead the Wildcats in the throwing events. Porter is entered in the hammer throw, shot put and discus while Powell is just entered in the hammer throw and shot put. Powell has been coming on strong, especially in the shot put where threw a personal best mark of 47-04.50. That is the fifth-best mark in school history.
School record holder Elisa Isakson will look to contend in the pole vault. She broke her own school record at the twilight meet the Wildcats held last week.
Paige Cooper will look to build on her All-Conference performance in the high jump during the indoor season. She will be joined by Desirae Cruse and Lindsey Larsen.
Men's Preview
Sprints
Tony Osheku Jr. will look to do some damage in the 100 and 200-meters as he comes in ranked high in both events. His time of 21.52 is the fifth-fastest time in the conference.
Isaac Akers and Dustin Durfee will enter the meet having run the third and fourth fastest times in the conference. They should contend for the title but it will be Joey Czellecz and Ryan Carlson that could steal points away from other teams. Carlson and Czellecz are both entered in the 110-meter hurdles. Carlson is ranked sixth with a time of 14.97.
Distance
The 3,000-meter steeplechase will feature two past champions, Mike Hardy (2012) and Trevor Ricks (2013). The last time Ricks ran this event at a conference meet, he beat out a talented field winning his only individual titile. Hardy enters the meet with the fastest time in the conference having run 8:41.44. at Payton Jordan two weeks ago.
Ricks is also entered in the 1,500 meters and will look to upset All-American Cristian Soratos of Montana State. Josh Hartford will also have an opportunity to upset Soratos but in the 800-meters. His time of 1:51.07 is the second-fastest time in the conference. The Wildcats will have three others who could contend with Joe Maloney, Zach Schweinsberg and Stetson Smith looking to qualify for the final on Saturday.Hardy will lead Jason Kearns, Preston Johnson and Alex Sorensen in the 5,000 meters. Johnson, Kearns Derek Day and Tyler Robinson will look to pick up valuable points in the 10,000 meters. Johnson's time of 30:45.53 at the UNLV Spring Classic is the eighth-fastest time in the conference.
Field
Anthony Gregory will look to pick up his first ever Big Sky title in the high jump. Gregory has earned All-Conference honors in all three of the championships that he has competed in. His mark of 6-10.75 is the second-best in the conference.
Nathan Dunivan and Adam Lewis will take part in the discus. Dunivan's freshmen year has been one of the best in recent memory highlighted with the INSERT best mark in school history. He is also entered in the weight throw with Justin Herbert. Herbert who took a surprising seventh in the weight throw at the indoor championship will look to replicate that performance.
CJ Deters is entered in the shot put with a seasonal-best mark of 52-00.00.
The throwing events will begin on Friday at 10 am with the Men's Hammer. The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase will be the first track event at 2:10 pm.
Players Mentioned
