Lumberjacks Look to Repeat at Big Sky Indoor Championships
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The
Northern Arizona track and field team will be looking to defend
their 2009 indoor titles when they head to Bozeman, Mont., to
compete in the Big Sky Indoor Championships Friday and Saturday.
Both squads will have a target on their backs as teams look to
dethrone the reigning champions.
Each event at the conference championships is so vital to a
team’s chances of winning the title. Here is how the
Lumberjacks stack up in Bozeman…
Distance
Interim Director of Track and Field
& Cross Country Eric Heins heads to Bozeman knowing that the
hard work during the season is going to pay dividends in the
conference meet.
“The competition in Bozeman is going to be really tight on
the women’s side,” Heins said. “If you look at
our times, they have been consistently dropping over the past two
weeks, and I think we are just hitting our stride right
now.”
“Looking at the men’s team, every week we have gotten
better with our training and that is going to pay off at the Big
Sky Championships,” Heins said. “The team is more then
ready to give it their all in Bozeman.”
It has been quite a season for senior David McNeill. The
Australian native managed to break two school records, and two
conference records in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter events, on his way
to leading the Big Sky, and the nation, in those same races. He won
the 3k at the Husky Classic in a time of 7:47.52, and returned to
Flagstaff to break the 5k record the following Friday (13:39.32@).
This will be the first Big Sky Indoor Championships for McNeill as
he has had to deal with injuries the two previous years.
His teammates have been no slouch either this year. Nine other
distance runners aside from McNeill are ranked in the top 10 of
their respective events going into the championship meet.
The men’s 800-meter run proves to be exciting as Jordan
Chipangama heads into the event as the conference leader. The
Central Arizona transfer collected a NCAA provisional mark of
1:50.08 at the Friday Night Challenge. Sophomores John Yatsko and
Darius Terry will join Chipangama in the event.
Haley Lawrence will be the lone member of the women’s squad
to take part in the mile as the men’s team has four members
in the event. McNeill leads the Lumberjacks in the event and is
followed closely by Chipangama. Yatsko and Terry will also compete
in the mile.
Nine Lumberjacks will compete in the 3k with senior Nell Rojas
leading the women’s squad in the event. She ranks fourth in
the conference with a time of 9:46.80 that she collected at the
Husky Classic. Junior Astrid Leutert, and sophomores Kortnee Burton
and Lawrence look to provide the women with crucial points. Five
members of the men’s squad including McNeill, junior Ben
Ashkettle, sophomores Andrew Belus and Ahmed Osman and freshman Tim
Freriks will take to the track for the Lumberjacks. Belus and
Freriks will be competing in their first Big Sky Championshp.
NAU will be looking for another 5k title from Rojas come Friday.
Last year the Colorado native collected the title in a time of
17:39.37. Second-ranked Burton, and first-timers Lisette Michaels
and Torin Shriver will also compete. Ashkettle, Belus, Frericks and
Osman will all race in the 3k as well as the 5k. Osman and
Ashkettle come into the event ranked first and second after
recording NCAA provisional marks at the Husky Classic.
@=converted for altitude
Sprints, Jumps and Hurdles
It has been quite a first year for sprints, jumps and hurdles
coach Wiley King. His athletes have combined for four Big Sky
Athlete of the Week awards. He attributed their success to the hard
work they have put in all season.
"The women are really focused to contribute in any way possible
this year,” King said. “They made a strong commitment
to their training early in the fall and the fruits of their labor
have been showing throughout the season. I am confident that the
conference meet will be another example of the hard work these
ladies have put in."
King is also impressed with his men’s squad who has four
freshman ranked in the top 10 of their respective events.
“The men train in a very competitive environment. They don't
like to lose to one another whether it be in practice or especially
a meet,” King said. “We know that hard work doesn't
guarantee success, it ensures an opportunity to accomplish
something special. The freshmen were challenged to contribute or
redshirt in the first meets of the season. Those who competed well
enough to help the team were brought out of their redshirt. I can't
say enough about how much these young men compete. Freshman or
senior, if you are a Lumberjack, you compete for a
championship.”
Senior Annie Skordas has been a key contributor to the sprints
group as she is ranked in the top 10 of the 55, 200 and 400-meter
dashes. She will take part in the 55m and 200m dashes. Sophomores
Simone Holder and Shekila Wilkinson will join Skordas in the 55m,
with the duo also competing in the 200m. Rashida McKinnon will
represent the Lumberjack women in the 400m.
Senior Derrick Jackson returns to the indoor conference
championships where he finished fifth last year in the 60-meter
dash. The Utah native will race in the 55-meter dash. Taking part
in the 200-meter dash will be freshman Matt Holtfrerich and junior
Josh Heck. The duo comes into the event ranked fifth and seventh,
respectively.
The jumps group has been key to the Lumberjack’s success
this season. Junior TCU-transfer Amber Anderson has been a huge
addition as she leads the conference in both the long and triple
jump. She also has a NCAA provisional qualifier to her name in the
triple jump (41-8.5). Joining Anderson in both events will be
junior Amanda Duarte, and freshman Amber Yingling. Sophomore Chanda
Penney will take part in the triple jump.
Four members of the men’s squad enter both the long and
triple jump. Juniors Thremaine Johnson and Josh DeKonty and
freshmen Edgar Panford and Charles White will be leaned upon to
score big points for the Lumberjacks. The rankings coming into the
long jump have DeKonty in second, Johnson and White tied for third
and Panford seventh. In the triple jump, Panford overtook the
conference lead in last week’s NAU Tune Up from White, and
Johnson and DeKonty are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.
DeKonty looks to become the first member of the men’s team
to ever win a high jump title at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.
He comes into the event ranked second in the conference, clearing
6-8.75.
The Lumberjacks will have two women competing in the 55-meter
hurdles as both sophomores Jenne Childs and Ciara Williams look to
score for NAU.
Pole Vault
Jami Michaud will be the lone pole vaulter representing NAU at the
conference championships. The junior currently ranks second coming
into the event clearing a school record 12-7.5 in last week’s
NAU Tune Up. Michaud tied for seventh in last year’s indoor
championships.
Throws
Throws coach Mohamad Saatara has his throws group once again at
the top of the Big Sky performance list heading into this
year’s indoor championships. He is proud of how his athletes
have trained and knows it is up to them to make the most of their
opportunities.
“Both the men’s and women’s teams have worked
hard for everything they have earned thus far this season,”
Saatara said. “They know that every time they step out there
to throw they represent NAU and that they have to give it their
all. I think they have a great shot at putting together some great
marks at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.”
Four athletes from the women’s squad will represent NAU in
the shot put and weight throw. Junior Arshiya Hoseyni improved her
season-best mark at the NAU Tune Up and comes into the postseason
ranked second in the meet with a mark of 48-7.25. Juniors Nicole
Elliott and Shelby McCray will join Hoseyni in the shot put.
Elliott will look to defend her weight throw title from a year ago
when she takes to the circle Saturday morning. She comes into the
event ranked second and will be joined by McCray and freshman
Lauren Stuart. The British Colombia native is the only freshman
ranked in the top 20 in the Big Sky.
Javier Villarreal will be aiming for his fourth Big Sky shot put
title. The senior has a NCAA provisional mark at 18.55m (60-10.5)
and currently ranks 13th in the county. He also leads the
conference by over five feet. Juniors Karl Gehrke and Jacob Nicol
will also compete in the shot put and come into the event ranked
14th and 18th, respectively.
The men’s weight throw may be the Lumberjacks most
successful event at the indoor championships. Six will compete and
for NAU with five members ranked in the top 10 in the conference.
Senior Curtis Durocher leads the group with an NCAA provisional
mark of 64-11.25. Trailing closely is Nicol (60-4) with junior Ian
Nunya (58-8) rounding out the top three. Villarreal will also
compete in the weight throw and ranks seventh heading into the
event. Gehrke and junior Andres Rossini round out the
Lumberjacks.
Relays
NAU will also be competing in the 4x400-meter relay and the
distance medley relay this weekend. The women’s 4x400m relay
team is composed of Skordas, McKinnon, Wilkinson and sophomore
Jackie Shea. They rank fourth in the Big Sky coming into this
weekend. The men’s 4x400m relay team also ranks fourth in the
conference and features sophomore Anthony Belcher, Heck, Jackson
and Holtfrerich.
The 4,000m distance medley relay team for the women will look to
improve upon last year’s third-place finish. Leutert will
begin the relay running the 1,200m with McKinnon following with the
400m leg. Shea will then take over and run the 800m with Lawrence
anchoring the mile. The men’s relay team will look to repeat
as indoor champions when they took first place in a time of
10:15.54. Heading up the men’s relay will be Terry, followed
by Belcher and Chipangama with McNeill anchoring the mile.
