A total of 22 members of the track and field team will head south to Flagstaff, Ariz., this Friday and Saturday to participate in the final event of the indoor schedule.
With prequalifying marks established in each event, the men’s and women’s teams have worked at qualifying for the conference championships in meets over the last few months. Of the 22 men and women making the trip to Arizona, the women will be most heavily represented, with more than half of the females on the roster making the cut.
While the majority of the invitees will compete in just one event, several earned a spot in more than one event. Junior Rachel Garcia qualified in shot put and weight throw, while sprinter junior Jernise Saunders will run in the 60-meter and the 200-meter dashes.
Saunders has had a dynamic year thus far and is currently the PSU record holder for the 60-meter at 7.51 seconds, which is the fastest time in the event for the conference this year. Her time also happens to be the second fastest in Big Sky history. In addition, she currently holds the second fastest time in the conference for the 200.
The women’s squad should have plenty of depth in the distance races as well. Six of the 12 total female participants will compete in distance running, including sophomore Stephanie Deever and senior Adriane Wai, who finished first in the mile at the Runner’s Soul Open earlier this month.
Mikeya Nicholson will be competing in the triple jump. At the New Balance Invitational she registered the third longest jump, 39-5.0, in the conference this year.
The men will be well represented at the championship too, particularly in the heptathlon. The Vikings will have a total of four athletes vying for a medal in this particular medley of events.
Junior Nick Trubachik will be entering this event with the best score, 5,166 points, in the conference this year. He also broke the school record in the event at the University of Washington Invitational this year. The high jump title will also be his to chase at the championships. Trubachik was the Big Sky outdoor decathlon champion last year.
His stiffest competition may come from within his own team. Junior Jason Tait qualified for the 60-meter hurdles, and sophomore Deshawn Shead has the third best score in the conference for the event this year.
Freshman Derek Newsom will be competing in both the triple and long jumps after an impressive showing in his first year on the team.
With athletes competing in a dozen events, the Vikings look to be well represented at this year’s championship, and with a good group of talent making their way to Arizona, it seems likely that both the men’s and women’s teams will improve on their seventh and ninth place finishes from last season.