Pac-12 track & field athletes compete at NCAA West Regional
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SAN FRANCISCO - Pac-12 men’s and women’s track and field student-athletes will compete at the NCAA West Region Championships hosted by the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, Thursday-Saturday, May 28-30. Qualifying teams advance to the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships which will be hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13.
Qualifying to the final championships competition is accomplished through performance at the regional (East and West) competitions for events contested at those competitions. Twelve competitors from each individual even and 12 teams from each relay event advance from each regional to the final championships competition. Qualification through competition in an event at the preliminary championships competition is required to participate in that event at the final national championships. The NCAA East Regional is being hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
Heptathletes and decathletes who have achieved qualifying marks received an automatic bid into the national championships in those events. There is no multis competition at the regional meets.
The NCAA has approved a new championships schedule format for the competition in Eugene. For the 2015 and 2016 championships, one gender will compete on days one and three, and the other gender will compete on days two and four, allowing fans to better follow the event, team scoring can be better highlighted and better television coverage. Additionally, the national championship men’s and women’s teams will each have their moment of recognition because they will be crowned on separate days.
Over 200 women and nearly 200 men representing Pac-12 schools will be competing this week at the NCAA West Regionals looking to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships. For more information on the West Regional, visit ncaa.com.
ENTRIES... A complete list of men’s and women’s competitors representing Pac-12 institutions at the NCAA West Re- gional can be found on the NCAA”s official website at ncaa.com or by visiting the direct links to the start lists below. A complete list of participants and both regionals, and live results links can be found by clicking this link: http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor15/
Men’s Start List (West Regional): http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor15/west_men_start.htm
Women’s Start List (West Regional): http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor15/west_women_start.htm
LIVE RESULTS & SCHEDULES... The live results link, daily heat sheets, daily results and additional meet information can be found at the University of Texas’ championships site here: http://www.texassports.com/news/2015/3/22/XC_TF_0322151441.aspx
HEPTATHLON/DECATHLON... There is no decathlon or heptathlon competition at the NCAA regional meets. The top 24 marks in the nation in the decathlon and heptathlon earn automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. Below is the list of student-athletes that will be representing Pac-12 teams in the multi-events. For the complete list of competitors, visit the NCAA’s official website or click on the direct link here: http://www.rtspt.com/ncaa/d1outdoor15/.
Decathlon
Dakotah Keys, SR, ORE
Pau Tonnesen, JR, ARIZ
Harrison Williams, FR, STAN
Marcus Nilsson, SR, UCLA
Mitch Modin, SO, ORE
Steele Wasik, FR, UCLA
Dino Dodig, SO, WSU
Joe Delgado, FR, ORE
Heptathlon
Alissa Brooks-Johnson, SO, WSU
Tatum Souza, SR, UCLA
Abrianna Toress, JR, COLO
Ashlee Moore, FR, ORE
SOCIAL MEDIA... Fans can also follow the NCAA Regional Championships via social media by following Pac-12 teams’ official twitter pages: @ArizonaTrack; @SunDevilTFXC; @Cal_Track; @cubuffstrack; @oregontf; @Beavers_Track; @Stanfordxctf; @UCLATrack_Field; @USC_Track_Field; @Utah_trackfield; @UW_Track; @WSUCougarsTF. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association will also have full live coverage on its official twitter handle at @USTFCCCA. Also, hashtag #NCAATF to join the conversation.
THE RANKINGS... Here’s where the Pac-12 ranks in the USTFCCCA Top-25 as of May 11:
MEN
4. Oregon
5. USC
21. Stanford
WOMEN
1. USC
4. Oregon
14. Stanford
TOP MARKS... Four different Pac-12 athletes have posted the nation’s top times or marks, including the top sprinters on both the men’s and women’s side. OREGON’s Jenna Prandini and USC’s Andre De Grasse have recorded the fastest times in the 100 and 200 meters this season, which are also some of the fastest times in Pac-12 history. Prandini’s 10.92 in the 100 meters is a Conference record and the 22.42 she ran in the 200 meters is a top-three performance. De Grasse’s 9.87 in the 100 meters would have been a league record if it was wind legal.
STANFORD’s Jessica Tonn ran 15:18.85 in the 5000 meters this year, which is the second-fastest time in the event in Pac-12 history. USC’s Conor McCullough threw a 248-11/75.88m in the hammer throw, tops in the nation and fourth-best in league history.
BOWERMAN UPDATE... OREGON’s Jenna Prandini is one of 10 women on the latest Bowerman Watch List and UO’s Edward Cheserek and USC’s Conor McCullough are on the men’s watch list. The latest watch list was released following the end of conference championships. The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.
PAC-12 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK... Below are this year’s men’s and women’s Pac-12 Track and Field Athletes of the Week:
Men’s Track: March 24 – BeeJay Lee, USC; March 30 – Harrison Williams, STAN; April 6 – Andre De Grasse, USC; April 13 – Thomas Joyce, CAL; April 20 – Andre De Grasse, USC; April 27 – Thomas Joyce, CAL; May 4 – Andre De Grasse, USC.
Women’s Track: March 24 – Amalie Iuel, USC; March 30 – Shelby Houlihan, ASU; April 6 – Deanna Hill, USC; April 13 – Kendall Ellis, USC; April 20 – Jenna Prandini, ORE; April 27 – Elise Cranny; May 4 – Jessica Tonn, STAN.
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Men’s Field: March 24 – Jax Thoirs, WASH; March 30 – Nicholas Scarvelis, UCLA; April 6 – Conor McCullough, USC; April 13 – Pau Tonnesen, ARIZ; April 20 – Conor McCullough, USC; April 27 – Jaak Uudmae, STAN; May 4 – Bryan McBride, ASU.
Women’s Field: March 24 – Tera Novy, USC; March 30 – Abrianna Torres, COLO; April 6 – Tera Novy, USC; April 13 - Jenna Prandini, ORE; April 20 – Tera Novy, USC; April 27 – Kristina Owsinski, WASH; May 4 – Marisa Kwiatkowski, STAN.