2009 Championships Preview
FOREST
GROVE, Ore. – Whitworth and Willamette will be gunning to defend their
conference championships Friday and Saturday as the 2009 Northwest Conference
Track And Field Championships take place at Pacific University’s Lincoln
Park Stadium.
The Pirates edged out Linfield for the 2008 men’s title and went on to finish third at the NCAA Division III Championships. Whitworth returns most of its nationals point-scoring, including defending high jump champion Cody Stelzer and defending 800-meter champion Emmanuel Bofa.
Linfield, however, enters the meet with a 21-point lead on the Pirates thanks to a one-two finish in the decathlon by brothers Josh and Jeremy Lovell at last week’s NWC Multi-Event Championships. Both stand to be big point scorers in this weekend’s meet, particularly in the sprints and jumps.
The Willamette women, meanwhile, appear ready to ride their distance corps to a potential eighth straight title. The Bearcats return Jena Winger, who was named the 2008 Female Athlete of the Meet after winning the 1,500 and 5,000-meter races and the steeplechase.
Willamette will face a stiff challenge from George Fox, whose efforts will be bolstered by sprinter Irene Johnson, defending 400-meter champion Lisa Mensonides and long jumper Cindy Walsh.
GEORGE
FOX
Joel Krebs leads the George Fox men’s chances in the point totals. The
senior owns the conference’s best mark in the javelin and the fifth best
mark in the nation at 203 feet, 7 inches. Garrett Blizzard is the defending
NWC champion in the 400-meter hurdles and enters the meet ranked second
in the league.
Nate Dillow will challenge for titles in both hurdles disciplines, ranking second in the 110-meter distance and fourth at 400 meters. Dakarai Kongela enters the meet ranked second at 100 meters.
Mensonides will be the woman to beat once again in the 800 meters. She enters the meet with the conference’s best time by over two seconds. Johnson is the league’s top 100-meter runner to date while Melissa Leighty owns the top time in the 100-meter hurdles and the third best time in the 200 meters. Walsh owned the conference’s best mark in the long jump until last weekend and will compete for the title.
LEWIS
& CLARK
The Pioneers best hopes will come in the sprints and distance events. Hannah
Palmer enters the weekend with the conference’s second best time in the
10,000 meters, while cross country nationals qualifier Tamma Carleton ranks
fifth in the 5,000 meters. Cheyenne Feliz will be a strong candidate for
the finals in both the 200 and 400 meters. She ranks fourth in the one-lap
distance.
On the men’s side, Kevin Carpenter stands to place in both the 100 and
200 meters, ranking sixth in both events. Karl Dickman is ranked No. 3
at 10,000 meters while Kai Watts will likely score points in both the shot
put and discus.
LINFIELD
The Lovell brothers stand to give Whitworth a run for their money just
on their own merits. Josh Lovell became just the 10th athlete in conference
history to score over 7,000 points in the decathlon. He ranks in the conference’s
top-five in the 100 meters, 110-meter hurdles, high jump, pole vault and
long jump.
Jeremy Lovell, meanwhile, will be a serious threat in the field events. He owns the conference’s top mark in the long jump and the third best mark in the triple jump.
Harrier Marci Klimek is a legitimate challenger in the 5,000 meters and
steeplechase. Klimek set a school record in the 5,000 and owns the league’s
second best mark in the steeplechase. Laura Sibley, meanwhile, ranks third
in the 400-meter hurdles.
PACIFIC
The host team’s best scoring chances will come from a pair of defending
champions. Risa Allen is vying for her third consecutive title in the triple
jump with a season best of 37 feet, 1.75 inches, a NCAA provisional qualifier.
Angie Miller won the long jump as a freshman and posted a school record
of 17 feet, 11.75 inches, at last week’s L&C Pioneer Open.
Pacific will also have potential scorers on the women’s side in Rebecca Rafferty in the shot put and discus, Lauren Barnard in the 800 and 1,500 meters and Amanda Basham in the steeplechase.
For the Boxers’ men, Adrian Shipley will be a top contender in the 10,000
meters. He enters with conference’s second best time in the event at 31:40.69.
Murphy Busek enters the meet ranked ninth in the shot put.
PACIFIC
LUTHERAN
It will take a mammoth effort for anyone to knock off Taylor Hacker in
the hammer. The Lute set a new conference record this season with her toss
of 184 feet, 8 inches, and leads the conference by over 20 feet. Hacker
also ranks third in the conference in the shot put and seventh in the discus.
Bolstering the Lutes’ women efforts will be Amy LeBrun, who owns the second best time in the conference in both the 100 and 200 meters. Fayen Araya hopes to end her career on a strong note as one the favorites in both the 100 and 400-meter hurdles.
Isaac Moog ranks in the top four in the 200 meters, 400 meters, long jump
and triple jump and will anchor both PLU relay teams. Conor McNeill figures
to be in the mix in the hammer after establishing a NCAA provisional mark.
PUGET
SOUND
The Loggers will pack some considerable muscle on the women’s side thanks
to Caitlin McGrane and Karen Chase. McGrane won the NWC heptathlon last
week with a school record 4,409 points and will be a favorite in the 100-meter
hurdles. Chase leads the league in the shot put with a mark of 40 feet,
2.75 inches.
Francis Reynolds is a favorite for two men’s titles in the 5,000 and 10,000
meters. The 2008 cross country All-American leads the conference in the
10,000 and ranks fourth in the 5,000. A.J. Middleton enters the meet ranked
in the top-five in both the shot put and hammer.
WHITWORTH
Whitworth’s men’s title chances will hang on the performances of their
defending national champions. Stelzer owns the third best mark in the nation
in the high jump at 6 feet, 10.25 inches. Bofa ranks fifth nationally in
the 800 meters at 1:51.74. He also leads the conference with a time of
49.10 seconds in the 400 meters.
Jeff Kintner finished third at last year’s NCAA Championships in the shot put and owns the best mark in the conference this season by over three feet. The Pirates could also get points from Nicholas Gallagher in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Elizabeth Mattila leads the Whitworth women, ranking second in the 400-meter
hurdles with a nationals provisional qualifier of 1:03.64. Kayla Hughes
ranks second in the high jump and Dana Misterek ranks third in the 800
meters.
WILLAMETTE
Whatever the event, the Bearcat women seem to have someone with a chance
to win. Winger will have a chance to complete her triple once again, but
trails in each of those events behind teammates. Kimber Mattox leads the
conference in the 1,500 meters and the steeplechase while Maddie Coffman
ranks second in the nation in the 5,000 meters. Winger has provisionally
qualified for nationals in the 5,000 meters.
Jennifer Luecht owns the top time in the 200 and 400 meters, while Andrea Richardson will be the favorite in the high jump. Katie Peterson has earned a provisional qualifier in the javelin throw while Christina Edholm ranks second in the shot put.
The usually strong Willamette men’s distance corps is so once again. Kyle Kotaich leads the 1,500 meters with a provisional qualifying time of 3:54.79 and Leo Catillo owns the top mark in the 5,000 meters at 14:47.32. Chris Platano and Nicolas Rebol rank first and second in the steeplechase. In the sprints, Drew Lackman owns the league’s top mark in both hurdle disciplines.
Grant Piros leads the conference in javelin, where he was an All-American in 2008. Jacob Monroe leads the league in the hammer.