Teams get final practice looks at Hayward Field before NCAA championships begin Wednesday...
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| WSU's Mason Lawyer (red) and Bryson Stubblefield (white top) work on handoffs at Hayward Field (Paul Merca photo) |
EUGENE--With more teams rolling into Eugene over the last 24 hours, Hayward Field was abuzz with activity Tuesday as squads got their final look at the facility before competition gets underway Wednesday with day one of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Washington State was on the track early working on their handoffs as the Cougars will kick off the action on the track at 4:05 pm Pacific in heat 2 of the 4 x 100 relay.
Mason Lawyer will be the busiest of the Cougars, as he will run in the qualifying heats of both the 100 and 200 meter dashes, starting at 5:25 pm, then returns to the track just about an hour later for the qualifying round of the 200.
Lawyer will run the second leg of the 4 x 100. It's expected the relay order will be the same as the team that broke the school record at College Station, Texas at the West Regionals: Bryson Stubblefield, Lawyer, Parker Duskin, and Keenan Kuntz. Hurdler John Paredes traveled with the team as a relay alternate.
With Wednesday strictly devoted to the men's competition, Washington's three entries in the meet are in action as well.
Nathan Green goes in the semifinals of the men's 1500 at 4:21 pm. Pole vaulter Scott Toney's final starts at 4:35 pm, while 800 meter runner Kyle Reinheimer's semifinal race starts at 5:58 pm.
Cashmere native Rob McManus of Montana State's semifinal in the 3000 steeplechase gets underway at 4:38 pm.
Cheney native and former Eastern Washington standout Ryan Rieckmann, now a grad transfer at Cincinnati, will compete in the finals of the javelin at 5:15 pm.
Bellingham native Jacob Andrews of USC and Seattle native Will Floyd of Georgia have semifinal rounds in the 400 meters at 5:41 pm. Both are scheduled to also run in the semifinals of the 4 x 400 relay for their teams at 7:36 pm, though they can possibly be subbed out.
In the only track final of the evening, Washington State's Evans Kurui is in the 10000 meters, where he looks for the school's first All-America honors since Josephat Kapkory and Patrick Muturi finished second and third in 1994.
ESPN will have live coverage of day 1 of the NCAA outdoor championships starting at 4 pm Pacific, while ESPN+ ($) will have dedicated field event streaming coverage starting at noon with the decathlon.
AMANDA MOLL SPEAKS AT NCAA PRE-MEET PRESSER...
At the traditional NCAA pre-meet press conference, Washington's Amanda Moll (Paul Merca photo), who won the indoor championship in the pole vault, and owns both the indoor (16-1.25/4.91m) and the outdoor (15-8.25/4.78m) collegiate records, spoke to members of the media this afternoon, along with Oregon 1500m runner Silan Ayyildiz and sprinter JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina.
When asked whether the focus is on winning the meet, or jumping as high as possible, she answered, "I wouldn't say my goal is either, but carrying consistency throughout the season is my goal."
With the potential of a longer season than most collegians, especially in light of contending for a world championship berth next month, Moll said that she planned to take a short break after NCAAs, and "trust what we're doing, and carry that through the summer and the rest of the season."
On the pressure of being a clear favorite in the pole vault, she said, "There's definitely some pressure in that. I've had experience with that going through it in high school, and even last year, so I feel I can carry all that experience that I've learned with me, and focus on what I'm doing instead of all the other expectations or pressure."
"I wish everyone could experience having a twin (Hana, the 2024 NCAA indoor champion for Washington), and doing what we're doing. You get to have your best friend out there. We want to go 1-2. It doesn't matter, honestly. It's fun to be up there with her."
Amanda and Hana will compete in Thursday's pole vault at 4:35 pm.
NASTASSJA CAMPBELL FINISHES SECOND IN MONTREUIL...
At the Meeting International de Montreuil in France, Washington alum Nastassja Campbell finished second in the women's pole vault Tuesday.
Campbell, in the third meet of a three-meet European tour, cleared a best of 14-8.25 (4.48m), as France's Marie-Julie Bonnin won with a best of 15-0.25 (4.58m).
Here's what she posted post-meet on Instagram:
NOTE: The sports information office of Washington State University, the University of Washington, and the NCAA contributed to this report.
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