Bryan Clay among the headliners at UW Indoor Preview

Late last night, paulmerca.blogspot.com received confirmation that 2004 Athens Olympic decathlon silver medalist and 2005 world champion Bryan Clay (left, /photo courtesy USA Track & Field) will compete in several events at Saturday's UW Indoor Preview at the Dempsey Indoor facility.

The events Clay will enter is expected to be announced sometime later today, according to the University of Washington sports information department. Clay is preparing for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, where he's won the silver medal in the heptathlon twice.

In the UW release, among the other headliners include a trio of athletes training under coach Alberto Salazar in Beaverton, Oregon with the Nike Oregon Project--Osaka bronze medalist in the 10000 Kara Goucher, who was training in Seattle last weekend; Amy Yoder Begley, the former University of Arkansas All-American and two-time Olympic Trials competitor; and, Galen Rupp, who will attempt to break 4:00 in the mile.

The Oregon Track Club will also enter a group of athletes, including former Princeton standout Cack Ferrell, who competed for Team USA at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya last year, where she placed 30th.

Mickey Grimes, a gold medalist on Team USA's 4 x 100m relay squad at the 2001 IAAF World Championships, is also entered, according to the UW release.

The Washington Huskies will be led in their 2008 opener by senior Norris Frederick, one of the most decorated athletes in UW history with five All-American honors - four in the long jump and one in the high jump, along with sprinters Jordan Boase, James Fredrickson and Alex Harcourt.

Boase and Fredrickson are each two-time All-Americans and could run together in Washington's 4x400m relay entry. Harcourt, the indoor school record-holder in the 400m and a two-time NCAA participant, is also signed on for the 4x400m, as is sophomore Jeff Gudaitis who led off UW's NCAA qualifying 4x400m relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year.

On the women's side, several of Washington's event leaders from 2007 will be in action. Juniors Falesha Ankton and Syreeta Martin will both toe the line in the 60m hurdles, 4x400m relay and the 300m dash. They were both among UW's top sprinters and hurdlers last season. Also, juniors Daria Amiad-Pavlov and Liz Fuller, two of the top Husky jumpers, are scheduled for a number of events. In the pole vault, Kelley DiVesta, an NCAA Regional qualifier last year, will lead the Dawgs.

The first field event gets underway at 8:30 am, and the first running event is scheduled for 9:30 am. Admission is free.

The full release, along with the time schedule, can be read here...

NOTE: Special thanks to the University of Washington sports information department for the information on the meet.