Cougs step into Hayward Field as NCAA championships begin Wednesday...

EUGENE--With two days to go before the start of Wednesday's four-day extravaganza known as the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships, teams began trickling into Historic Hayward Field to get a feel of what the facility will be like when competition begins.

Washington State, which has competed here at Hayward several times over the years, was the first of the three Washington schools to set foot on the track, as Washington and Gonzaga will get in late Monday and early Tuesday.

After the drive from Pullman, Cougar sprint coach Gabriel Mvumvure (Paul Merca photo) had NCAA 100 & 200 meter qualifier Mason Lawyer, and members of Washington State's 4 x 100 meter relay do a short shakedown workout Monday afternoon just to get the legs firing. The Cougars return to the track Tuesday morning to work on their passes for Wednesday's semifinals.

Washington State will race in heat 2 of the men's 4 x 100 relay, which gets underway shortly after 4:05 pm, Pacific time on ESPN, with dedicated field event coverage on ESPN+ ($).

Evans Kurui and distance assistant coach Cameron Dean left Hayward to go on Pre's Trail and some soft surface running on an unseasonably warm afternoon which got into the low 90s when the team practiced.

The weather is expected to cool down to the mid-70s when the meet starts on Wednesday.

We'll be back at Hayward Tuesday to catch up with Washington and Gonzaga in their final prep for the national championship, and cover the NCAA pre meet press conference, where the Huskies' Amanda Moll is expected to speak to members of the media.

NOTE: The sports information office of Washington State University contributed to this report.

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