Preview for this weekend's Pac-12 track and field championships
• Championships Page | Championship Release
• Media Guide | All-Time Performance Lists | Championships Records
• Arizona-Oregon State | Stanford-Washington State
The Pac-12 Track & Field Championships (85th annual for men, 29th annual for women) brings together some of the nation’s top men’s and women’s collegiate athletes this weekend at Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA.
At stake is the Conference glass blue trophy, but also bragging rights for the next year. OREGON has had a strangle-hold on both titles, winning the men’s crown eight years in a row while the women have won the last six. The Ducks look to be in strong contention to nab another title, but will have stiff competition.
The Duck men have been sitting comfortably in the top five in the country all season, going into this weekend’s competition ranked fourth in the nation, but on their heels has been USC. The Trojans started the outdoor campaign in the top 10, but quickly moved into the top five and are ranked fifth going into this weekend. STANFORD is the only other squad ranked in this week’s polling, coming in at No. 23.
The Trojans will have some ground to make up as ARIZONA goes into the weekend with the lead, collecting 12 points, while UO already has eight for second place. The Cardinal are tied with the Ducks, while UCLA is fourth with seven points and WASHINGTON STATE has four.
On the women’s side, though the Ducks are the odds-on favorites because of their recent history of success at the Conference meet, the Women of Troy will be vying for the program’s second-ever league title and first since 1996. USC goes into the weekend ranked No. 5 in the country and UO at No. 7. The Cardinal women are also having a strong outdoor campaign, earning a No. 13 ranking going into the Pac-12 Championships.
UCLA and WSU go into the final weekend tied for the lead in the standings with 10 points each and USC is third with six points, followed by Oregon with five. The Wildcats and COLORADO are tied for fifth with four points each.
The Bruins are fielding a pair of squads that are just out of the top 25, as are UA and ARIZONA STATE, as all 12 institutions continually bring talented competitors that will compete in all events throughout the weekend.
Click on the links below for a team-by-team breakdown for this weekend.