14 Aggies going to NCAA Regionals
Utah State will send 14 student-athletes to compete in 16 events at the NCAA West Regional track and field meet hosted by the University of Oregon at Hayward Field on Friday and Saturday, May 25-26.
The NCAA West Region is one of four that will be held around the country this weekend, as the top five finishers from each event automatically advance to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., June 6-9. In addition, five to eight athletes per event could be selected on an at-large basis on Monday, May 28.
“Our goal every year is to get as many student-athletes as we can to qualify for the regional meet,” said veteran Utah State head coach Gregg Gensel. “Along with the 14 student-athletes that qualified for the regional meet this year, we had a lot that barely missed out, so that tells me we have the program going in the right direction.”
Among those competing for Utah State will be nine men and five women who won a combined seven Western Athletic Conference titles this spring. Of the 14 USU student-athletes who will compete in the regional meet this weekend, seven will be participating for the second time, while two are competing for the third time.
“At this level experience is everything. If you’ve been there before you don’t have to worry about all newness of it,” added Gensel. Utah State returns one individual champion from last year’s NCAA West Region competition in Jennifer Twitchell who claimed top honors in the 1,500-meters with a school record time of 4:24.08. Twitchell, who currently ranks 28th in the 1,500-meters, will also participate in the 800-meters for USU as she ranks 31st in that event.
Joining Twitchell in multiple events for Utah State will be Amber Peterson who won WAC titles in both the 100 and 400-meter hurdles two weekends ago. Peterson currently ranks seventh in the West Region in both hurdle events with times of 13.56 and 58.55 respectively, and finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2006 NCAA West Region with a time of 59.79.
Other Aggie women who enter the regional meet after winning WAC titles this spring include Amy Egan in the 800-meters and Stacie Lifferth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Egan currently ranks 21st in the West Region in the 800-meters with a time of 2:09.20,
while Lifferth ranks fifth in the steeplechase with a school record time of 10:18.89. Lifferth finished sixth in the event at last year’s regional meet and was seventh in 2005, while Egan placed 12th in the 1,500-meters at the 2005 NCAA West Region.
Another Aggie woman who will be looking to improve on last year’s regional performance is Kat Duhadway who placed 13th in the pole vault with a height of 12’6″. Duhadway currently ranks 12th in the West Region in that event this year with a height of 13’1.5″. Leading the way for the Aggie men will be DJ Smith who ranks third in the West Region in the 100-meters with a school record time of 10.31, and Vance Twitchell who ranks eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:54.16. Smith placed second in the 100-meters at the 2007 WAC Championships, while Twitchell won the WAC title in the steeplechase for the second consecutive year. At last year’s regional meet, Smith finished third in the 100-meters with a time of 10.38, while Twitchell placed fourth in the steeplechase with a time of 9:02.19.
Other Aggie men who have regional meet experience include Scott Bell and Kevin Liu. Bell currently ranks ninth in the West Region in the 400 hurdles with a time of 51.56, while Liu ranks 26th in the hammer with a distance of 190’1.5″. During the 2006 NCAA West Region meet, Bell placed 13th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.95, while Liu placed 21st in the hammer with a toss of 171’5″.
Utah State men who will be competing in their first regional meet include Dasheek Akwenye, Tony Jones, Nick Karren, Casey Parker and Chase Taylor. Akwenye currently ranks fifth in the West Region in the 400-meters with a time of 46.79, and is coming off a second-place finish in that event at the 2007 WAC Championships. Jones ranks 23rd in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:45.33, and placed fourth in that event at this year’s league championships. Karren ranks eighth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.56, which was the winning time at the WAC Championships this spring. Parker, who won the 2007 WAC title in the high jump with a personal best height of 6’10.75″, currently ranks 14th in the West Region in that event. And Taylor ranks 15th in the javelin with a toss of 208’5″, after placing third in that event at this year’s league championships. Utah State’s men won the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships this spring, which is its eighth team championship, while the Aggie women placed fifth. At last year’s NCAA West Region meet in Provo, Utah, the Aggie women finished in eighth-place with 28 team points, while the men finished 12th with 16 team points.
INFORMATION ON UTAH STATE QUALIFIERS -WOMEN’S BIOS
Kathryn Duhadway – Sr. – Logan, Utah (Logan HS)Pole Vault – Saturday, 1:45 p.m.
Ranks 12th in the West Region and 27th in the NCAA in the pole vault with aheight of 13’1.5″ (4.00m)… Finished second in the pole vault at the 2007 WACOutdoor Championships with a height of 13’1.5″, which is a personal best andthe second best in school history… Finished 13th in the pole vault at the2006 NCAA West Region meet with a mark of 12’6″ (3.81m).
Amy Egan – Sr. – Latrobe, Pa. (Greater Latrobe HS)800-meters – Friday, 6:30 p.m. (Prelims)
One of two USU qualifiers in the 800 (Jennifer Twitchell)… Ranks 21st in theWest Region and 91st in the NCAA in the 800-meters with a time of 2:09.20,which is the second-fastest time in school history… Won the 800-meters atthe 2007 WAC Championships with a time of 2:09.22… Competed in the1500-meters at the 2005 NCAA West Region and finished 12th with a time of4:34.70.
Stacie Lifferth – Jr. – Layton, Utah (Northridge HS)3,000-meter steeplechase – Saturday, 5:10 p.m.
Ranks fifth in the West Region and 16th in the NCAA in the 3,000-metersteeplechase with a school record time of 10:18.89… Won the steeplechase atthe 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 10:40.04… Also placedsixth at the WAC Championships in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:41.51…Finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2006 NCAA West Regionwith a time of 10:37.41, and was seventh in the event at the 2005 NCAA WestRegion with a time of 10:28.63.
Amber Peterson – Sr. – Midvale, Utah (Hillcrest HS)100-hurdles – Friday, 4:55 p.m. (Prelims); 400-hurdles – Friday, 7:10 p.m.(Prelims)
One of two USU qualifiers who will compete in two events (JenniferTwitchell)… Ranks seventh in the West Region and 42nd in the NCAA in the100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.56, and seventh in the West Region and23rd in the NCAA in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.55… Ranks secondall-time in school history in the 400 hurdles and is fourth all-time in the100 hurdles… Won WAC titles in both hurdles at the 2007 Championships withtimes of 13.56 and 58.55… Placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2006NCAA West Region with a time of 59.79, followed by a 26th-place finish atthe NCAA Championships with a time of 1:01.33… Finished in eighth-place inthe 400-meter hurdles at the 2005 NCAA West Region with a time of 1:02.49.
Jennifer Twitchell – Sr. – Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS/Utah)1,500-meters – Friday, 4:15 p.m. (Prelims); 800-meters – Friday, 6:30 p.m.(Prelims)
One of two USU qualifiers who will compete in two events (Amber Peterson),and one of two USU qualifiers in the 800 (Amy Egan)… Ranks 31st in the WestRegion and 110th in the NCAA in the 800-meters with a time of 2:09.70… Ranks28th in the West Region and 116th in the NCAA in the 1,500-meters with atime of 4:27.12… Finished in fourth-place at the 2007 WAC Championships inthe 1,500-meters with a time of 4:33.91… Earned All-America honors at the2007 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as she placed fifth in themile with a time of 4:47.09… Won the 1,500-m
eters at the 2006 NCAA WestRegion meet hosted by Brigham Young with a school record time of 4:24.08…Placed 25th at the NCAA Championships in the 1,5000-meters with a time of4:27.07.
MEN’S BIOS
Dasheek Akwenye – Sr. – Windhoek, Namibia (Centaurus HS)400-meters – Friday, 5:45 p.m. (Prelims)
Ranks fifth in the West Region and 57th in the NCAA in the 400-meters with atime of 46.79, which ranks fifth all-time in school history… Placed secondin the 400-meters at the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships with a time of47.14… Was also sixth in the 200-meters at the league meet with a time of21.88.
Scott Bell – Sr. – Layton, Utah (Layton HS)400 hurdles – Friday, 6:50 p.m. (Prelims)
One of two USU qualifiers who will compete in the 400-meter hurdles (NickKarren)… Ranks ninth in the West Region and 45th in the NCAA in the400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.56… Finished second in the 400-meterhurdles at the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 51.56, and wasthird in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.37… Placed 13th at the 2006NCAA West Region in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.95… Owns thefourth fastest time in school history in the event at 50.87.
Tony Jones – Fr. – Toquerville, Utah (Hurricane HS)1,500-meters – Friday, 4:00 p.m. (Prelims)
Ranks 23rd in the West Region and 66th in the NCAA in the 1,500-meters witha time of 3:45.33, which ranks fifth in school history… Finished fourth atthe 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships in the 5,000-meters and seventh in the1,500-meters with times of 15:01.80 and 3:57.60 respectively.
Nick Karren – So. – Duchane, Utah (Duchane HS)400 hurdles – Friday, 6:50 p.m. (Prelims)
One of two USU qualifiers who will compete in the 400-meter hurdles (ScottBell)… Ranks eighth in the West Region and 44th in the NCAA in the 400-meterhurdles with a time of 51.56… Won the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships in the400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.56, and finished fourth in the400-meters with a time of 47.94.
Kevin Liu – Sr. – Idaho Falls, Idaho (Idaho Falls HS)Hammer – Friday, 2:20 p.m.
Ranks 26th in the West Region and 88th in the NCAA in the hammer throw witha mark of 190’1.5″ (57.95m)… Placed second in the discus, fourth in the shotput, and eighth in the hammer at the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships withmarks of 161’3″ (49.14m), 53’1.75″ (16.20m), and 178’11” (54.54m)respectively… Placed 21st in the hammer at the 2006 NCAA West Region with atoss of 171’5″ (52.26m).
Casey Parker – Fr. – McMinnville, Ore. (McMinnville HS)High Jump – Saturday, 3:07 p.m.
Ranks 14th in the West Region and 77th in the NCAA in the high jump with amark of 6’10.75″ (2.10m)… Won the high jump at the 2007 WAC OutdoorChampionships with a height of 6’10.75″.
DJ Smith – Sr. – Pleasanton, Calif. (Foothill HS)100-meters – Friday, 5:15 p.m. (Prelims)
Ranks third in the West Region and 19th in the NCAA in the 100 meters with aschool record time of 10.31… Finished second in the 100 and fourth in the200-meters at the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships with times of 10.34 and21.63 respectively… Finished third in the 100-meters at the 2006 NCAA WestRegion with a time of 10.38 and then placed 23rd in the event at the NCAAChampionships with a time of 10.61… Also placed 10th in the 200-meters atthe 2006 NCAA West Region with a time of 21.28.
Chase Taylor – Jr. – Woods Cross, Utah (Woods Cross HS)Javelin – Saturday, 12:00 p.m.
Ranks 15th in the West Region and 63rd in the NCAA in the javelin with adistance of 208’5″ (63.52m), which ranks seventh in school history… Placedthird in the javelin at the 2007 WAC Outdoor Championships with a mark of206’00”.
Vance Twitchell – Sr. – Helena, Mont. (Capital HS/Utah)3,000-meter steeplechase – Saturday, 4:45 p.m.
Ranks eighth in the West Region and 31st in the NCAA in the 3,000-metersteeplechase with a time of 8:54.16, which is the fourth-best time in schoolhistory… Is the two-time defending WAC champion in the steeplechase with awinning time of 9:06.48 at the 2006 Championships and a winning time of8:54.46 at the 2007 Championships… Placed fourth in the event at the 2006NCAA West Region with a time of 9:02.19, followed by a 21st-place finish atthe 2006 NCAA Championships with a time of 8:57.74.