Track team hits final stretch of season
With only two meets left until the Big West Conference Championships, the Utah State track and field team travels to Eugene, Oregon to compete in the Oregon Invitational Saturday.
The Invitational will include some of top schools from the West, with more than 30 schools represented.
Among those attending are Arizona State, Northern Arizona, Gonzaga, Portland State, Wake Forest, Washington State and host Oregon.
Yet even in a big invitational like Oregon’s, the Aggies will still see some familiar faces as Utah, Weber State and Boise State will also be competing.
For some of USU’s athletes, this meet is going to be a preview of the BWC Championships, said Aggie Neil Warr. Warr, the top javelin thrower in the region, will be competing head-to-head against the No. 2 and No. 3-ranked throwers in the region. But Warr isn’t the only one who will face stiff competition.
“Oregon is a big meet,” said pole vaulter Debra Barker. “Not just anyone can compete. You have to meet a standard to get in, so it’s big.”
One thing that will help the Aggies is the presence of multi-eventers Joel Johnson and Katie Farner, said assistant coach Stan Croft. Earlier this week, he said Johnson and Farner were expecting to be competing at BYU for a decathelon and heptathelon meet. Yet due to the weather and injuries, Johnson and Farner will instead be competing in Oregon.
“All the multi-eventers have had great practices,” Croft said. “We don’t want to go and take a chance getting someone hurt and costing us points at the conference meet or someone the chance to do well at nationals.”
The Aggies are coming off a home meet that led to nine first-place finishes, including one from Johnson in the pole vault.
Other winners were Kelli Burton (shot put and discus), Christi Howell (5,000-meter run), Justin Wickard (long jump and 110-meter hurdles), Josh Sides (shot put), Ryan Bruhn (hammer) and Warr (javelin).
May 2 and 3, the Aggies will travel to Provo to compete in the BYU Invitational – the last meet of the season for the USU.
From May 15 to 18, qualifying athletes will perform at the BWC Championships, followed by the West Region Championships the last two days of May.
Those who make it to the NCAA Track and Field Championship Meet will compete June 11 through June 14 in Sacramento, Calif.
-csmo@cc.usu.edu