The months of preparation come to and end this weekend as the eight Big West track & field squads head to Irvine, Calif., for the league Championship meet. The event will be held Friday and Saturday in Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine.
Tickets to the Big West Championships are $12 for adults and $6 for youth and students for single day passes, while two-day Championship passes are $20 for adults and $10 for youth and students.
In addition, a parking advisory is being issued to assist spectators attending the Big West Track & Field Championships. On Friday, May 15, the Mesa Parking Structure will be closed to the general public until 5pm. Spectators should expect delays. Parking lot alternatives to the Mesa Parking Structure include Lot 14A, Lot 7, and after 4pm, Lot 6. Lot 14A is located off Mesa Road just prior to the Mesa Parking Structure entrance. Lot 7 is located on Mesa Road just past West Peltason Drive. Saturday, May 16, the Mesa Parking Structure will be open to the general public and will provide the most convenient parking to the UCI Track Stadium. Event parking fee is $7 per vehicle.
MENDefending Champion – Long Beach State
Sprints - DeShawn Waters of Cal State Northridge is the leader in the 100 and 200, leading a strong contingent of CSUN sprinters. The 400 has two UC Davis sprinters coming into the Championships as the favorites as the squad owns the top two times in the event this season.
Distance - The 800 will be an intriguing race as UC Irvine's Charles Jock owns the top time, but he will be tested by a field that includes UC Santa Barbara's Ryan Martin and Long Beach State's Alex Freitas. The 1500 has Cal Poly coming into the Championships with four of the top 10 times, but athletes from UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside look to break the traditional Mustang strength. Cal Poly also has strong contingents in the 5000 and 10000, two events in which the Mustangs can gather big point totals.
Hurdles - UC Davis has shown strength in the hurdles as the squad owns the top two times in the 110 hurdles and two of the top three positions in the 400 hurdles. Long Beach State will provide a tough challenge as it possesses top six marks in both events as well.
Relays - Cal State Northridge is the favorite heading into the 4x100 relay as the Matadors own the top two times in the event, with UC Irvine posting the third-best. The 4x400 relay could be a tight race between UC Riverside and UC Davis as the two squads have posted times just .72 apart with UCR in the top spot.
Jumps - Cal State Northridge continued its strong tradition of jumpers as the club has the top marks in the long jump and triple jump. Reindell Cole has one of the top long jump marks in the nation, but a pair of Cal State Fullerton athletes who have the second and third best marks will challenge him in the event. The pole vault favorite is Cal Poly as the club has two of the top marks, but right behind the Mustangs is UC Davis which has athletes in the third and fourth-best slots.
Throws - Cal State Northridge has athletes in the top three of each of the throws, giving the squad a chance to claim a lot of points in the events. Expect UC Santa Barbara to be among the favorites in the shot as it possesses three of the top four marks from this season in the event. The javelin might be on the most compelling field events as all three athletes who cleared 60 meters will be in competition. Two of those athletes hail from Long Beach State.
WOMENDefending Champion – Cal State Northridge
Sprints - Sherrina Lofton of Cal State Northridge might be the dominant sprinter of this year's Championship as she owns the top time in the 100, 200 and ranks second in the 400. She will be tested by Ciara Short of Cal State Fullerton who ranks second in the 100, second in the 200 and tops in the 400. Lofton is also supported by a deep contingent of Matador sprinters who are littered among the top slots in each race.
Distance - UC Riverside is the favorite in the middle distance races, owning four of the top five times in the 800 and two of the top three slots in the 1500. UCR’s Brenda Martinez is a world-class 1500 runner, breaking the Big West record twice this season and possessing the 17th-best 1500 time in the world. The 5000 has Kim Conley from UC Davis as the favorite as she has a top mark that is 22 seconds better than the next best mark.
Hurdles - Lauren Williams of Cal State Fullerton and Sirena Williams of UC Davis enter the Championships the same way they did a year ago, ranking 1-2 in the 100 hurdles. The 400 meter hurdles have UC Riverside’s Uchechi Egeonuigwe in the top position, but she will be challenged by three CSUN runners in the top six along with competitors from CSUN, Cal Poly and UCSB.
Relays - Cal State Northridge has the top times in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. CSUN might be poised for a dominating result in both relays as it is nearly a full second fast in the 4x100 and owns the top three times in the 4x400.
Jumps - Cal Poly has athletes in the top five in each of the jumps, potentially a high-scoring situation for the Mustangs. Jenna Homes is among those jump leaders as she has the top result in the pole vault by nearly a foot on the second place mark. CSUN might take the Mustangs in the long jump however as it owns the top two marks of 2009.
Throws - The hammer, shot put and discus will be close competitions this year as several schools have put up sterling results heading into the Championships. UC Davis has two athletes in the top four of the hammer, while Alisha Misiaita of UC Irvine and Julie Dufresne of Cal Poly have similar marks at the top of the shot put list. The discus favorite is up in the air with six different athletes among the top seven results from this season. Stephanie Ralls of Cal State Northridge is the prohibitive favorite in the javelin, recording a mark that is nearly 20 feet farther than the second-best effort.