Track & Field | 3/10/2009 8:01:14 PM
[Indoor Championships: Meet schedule | Men's entry list | Women's entry list | Live webstream]
[Western Oregon - Willamette dual: Meet schedule]
What's happening:
Annan Applebee and Zeke Van Patten will be representing Western Oregon University at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, Mar. 13-14, at the Yeoman Field House in Houston, Texas.
The rest of the Western Oregon men's and women's track and field team will be in Salem Saturday Mar. 14, for a dual rematch with Willamette.
The NCAA Indoor Championships (in San Antonio, Texas):
Applebee and Van Patten will run in the preliminaries of 800m Friday, Mar. 13. The women's race is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (cst), with the men's race following at 5:45 p.m. (cst).
Applebee, a sophomore from Gladstone, Ore. (Gladstone High School), will be seeded sixth in the field with an adjusted track time of 2:12.26. She qualified for the indoor championships with a provisional qualifying standard of 2:12.87, which she earned at the UW Invitational (Jan. 31).
Van Patten will be seeded seventh in the men's 800m with an adjusted track time of 1:52.33. The sophomore from Corvallis, Ore. (Corvallis High School), earned an NCAA automatic qualifying standard with a time of 1:51.73 at the Seattle Pacific Last Chance Meet (Feb. 28).
"Zeke and Annan will have the same goal as always; run the best race you are in," said Western Oregon head coach Mike Johnson. "Success is dictated by he field as well as themselves. This is just another meet for us."
The 800m races along with other events at the indoor championships can be viewed via live stats or streaming video through the NCAA by clicking here.
The Western Oregon - Willamette Dual (in Salem, Ore.):
The Western Oregon-Willamette Dual will be the third event of the outdoor season for the Wolves' track and field team and its second straight in a dual meet format with Willamette. This meet will begin at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Mar. 14, at the Charles Bowles Track.
"This is a meet that allows our student-athletes the chance to get out and compete," explained coach Johnson. "There will be good competition at this meet even with a limited field size."
"Not everyone will be competing and some will be competing out of event," continued Johnson. "We hope to use this meet to further our competitive spirit and prepare for the upcoming season."
"These types of meets give us the chance to look at people in different events," pointed out coach Johnson. "Sometimes people are stars in events you didn't expect."
More information on the event including the meet schedule will be posted as it becomes available.
Van Patten named USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year:
Zeke Van Patten of the Western Oregon University track and field team was named the NCAA Division II West Region Track Athlete of the Year for the 2009 indoor track and field season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Mar. 10.
Van Patten, a sophomore from Corvallis, Ore. (Corvallis High School), earned an NCAA automatic qualifying standard in the men's 800m with a time of 1:51.73 at the Seattle Pacific Last Chance Meet. He also earned NCAA provisional standards in the mile (4:15.84) and the 5000m (14:48.40).
Van Patten helped lead the Western Oregon men's track and field team to its second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor championship as he notched 20 points in winning the 800m and the mile. For his efforts at the 2009 conference championships Van Patten was named the co-GNAC Outstanding Performer of the meet.
Udell named GNAC Athlete of the Week (Feb. 23):
Zeb Udell was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Week for the week of Feb. 16-22. Udell, a senior from Dallas, Ore. (Central High School), scored 19 points in leading the Wolves to their third team title in six years of the GNAC Indoor Championships. Udell won the long jump with a GNAC and meet-record leap of 23-0.75 (7.03m). He also finished second in the pole vault as he cleared 15-3 (4.65m) and eighth in the 60m (7.28).
Top Returners:
Western Oregon men's track and field team will return five Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions and the women two as both teams look to defend their GNAC title in Monmouth Saturday, May 2.
The men's team will return Udell, who won the decathlon and the pole vault at the 2008 championships along with Ashtin Mott (400m), Jeff Long (800m), Van Patten (1,500m) and Andy Loscutoff (110 hurdles).
The women will bring back the heptathlon and 100 hurdles champion in Jacque Helbling along with GNAC champion and Western Oregon school record holder in the steeplechase, Jessica Harper.
Last Week:
The Western Oregon University track and field team completed its first of two dual meets with Willamette (Mar. 7).
The men's team captured six events while the women won five. Winners on the men's side include Nick Clark in the 200-meter (23.23), Blake Estep in the 400m (50.79), Michael Brown in the 800m (1:56.99), Robert Werner in the high jump (6-2.75/1.90m), Tyler Reisnaur in the triple jump (42-5.5/12.94m) and Anthony Marin in the hammer (171-11/52.41m).
Winners in the women's side include Lacey Meusec in the 200m (25.77), Ali Mosher in the 400m hurdles (1:08.57), Kelsey Neilson in the high jump (5-1.75/1.57m) and the triple jump (31-10.75/9.72m) and Alyssa Taylor in the discus throw (106-1/32.33m).
Western Oregon head coach Mike Johnson was pleased with what he saw from the team during its second meet of the outdoor season. "We accomplished all four of our goals for the day," he noted. "We got to compete in a meet to prepare us for others meets, we got the to check out the facility for future meets this season particularly the GNAC championships, we got to compete in a brief meet which didn't wear us down and we competition which is part of the process for getting better."
Johnson would continue, "the weather diminished the quality of marks but it did not diminish the quality of competition."
