FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Another outdoor track-and-field season looms upon united states, and a hot Northern Arizona University squad will drive the energy of two interior conference brands and three NCAA All-American shows into this weekend’s UC Irvine Spring Break Invitational to start that promotion.
It is hard never to be excited for the Lumberjacks while they approach belated March using the climate warming-up together with possibilities from the maps.
Start thinking about, as an example, the type of level and skill they ride to the outdoor promotion when you look at the throws unit alone. Coming off redshirt outside periods in 2016, three-time Big Sky Champion Julia Viberg (discus) and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials competitor Brooke Andersen (punches) are certain to make their influence known on a women’s team that won outdoor conference without all of them this past year.
The men’s side boasts an equivalent quantity of strength—both literally and figuratively—as protecting outside champs in their particular events Shawn Collins (shot-put) and Adam Keenan (hammer) are definitely projected to possess stellar seasons inside their throws sectors. Actually, Keenan put the all-time Big Sky hammer toss record final period at summit championships (230-1, 70.14m) en route to punching a ticket to NCAA Championships and signing an All-American performance.
There’s a cliché that a group is only as good as the sum of its parts, and the NAU sprints unit embodies that image to a “T.”
When it comes to males, it will be the 4×100-meter relay team frequently consists of James Fisher (five-time 200m Big Sky Champ), Isaiah Kennedy (2017 60m meeting champ) and Kossi Tchenawou. As a squad, those three along with former Lumberjack DeShon Norris become just the 2nd team in Big Sky record and first-in NAU record to qualify for NCAA’s in the 4×1.
It should be a high task to restore some body like Norris, but newcomer Tyren Wolfe generally seems to possess the burners that NAU is seeking to fill that void. The freshman will race with all the other three mentioned above this weekend and, for the present time, looks becoming the likely applicant for that 4th spot.
On the ladies end, it is the 4x400m relay group comprising Nicole Fotinos (2016 400m outside champ), Tylnn Carter, Jasmine Malone (2017 400m indoor seminar champ) and Ashley Taylor (2016 400mH Big Sky Champ) that’ll operate this weekend in Irvine, Calif. Stopping a conference subject in 2016 as a squad, the NAU 4×4 relay team is more experienced this time around.
While NAU’s most readily useful jumps athlete last outside season, Alexis Clay, graduated last spring, this particular team when it comes to Lumberjacks has actually restocked the cabinet in 2017 and will clearly be a new player come summit championship time.
Shanice McPherson, most recently called the 2017 Big Sky’s “best ladies Athlete” at indoor seminar in February, boasts an application which includes two NCAA DII longer Jump Championships while Obang Odol’s enormous progression in 2010 renders no reason at all to question it will carry-over to in the open air.
Final but definitely not least, it’s challenging mention NAU without talking about its top length system. First of all, six regarding the seven guys that competed at and afterwards won NCAA Cross Country nationwide Championships tend to be back because of this outside season.
Tyler Day (2017 NCAA First-Team All-American – 5000m), Matt Baxter (2017 NCAA Second-Team All-American – 5000m), Andy Trouard (2016 NCAA XC All-American), Nathan Weitz, and Cory Glines (2016 Big Sky exterior Champ – 10, 000m) are only a few of the more prominent athletes that define this stacked system regarding males’s side.
However, Paige Gilchrist (two-time person champ at 2017 indoor conference – mile and 3000m) and Kylie Goo (2016 All-Big Sky – 1500m) are more than capable to grab the workload for NAU. Others like Mikayla Malaspina, Miranda Myers and Maggie Carruth all have actually at the very least a year and half of knowledge under their devices, and.
UC IRVINE SPRING BREAK INVITATIONAL
This weekend’s meet gets underway tomorrow morning at 9 a.m MT utilizing the women’s hammer event, and men’s hammer will follow. No NAU athletes compete regarding the track the next day.