Track & Field | 5/11/2011 6:36:10 PM

[Meet schedule] [Meet program] [2011 GNAC performance list]

What's happening:
The Western Oregon University men's and women's track & field teams are at home May 13-14 as they search for their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference outdoor championships since 2008. Admission prices for the event will be $8 for adults and $5 for students. The meet begins on Friday, May 13, at 4:00 p.m. with the men's shot put and pick back up again on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.

Wolves host GNAC Track & Field Championships:
Western Oregon will be the host of the 2011 GNAC Outdoor Track & Field championships. The two-day meet will get underway Friday, May 13 at 4:00 p.m., with the men's shot put. The running events will start at 4:45 p.m., with the men's steeplechase and conclude at approximately 9:15 p.m., after the women's 10k. The meet will then continue Saturday, beginning at 10:45 a.m., with the women's hammer, with the running events starting at 12:30 p.m. This is the third straight season Western Oregon has been the host sight of the GNAC outdoor championships.

Western Oregon grabs points in multis:
The Western Oregon men's track & field team will enter the GNAC Championships with 10 team points after strong performances by its heptathletes last week in Nampa, Idaho. Andy Loscutoff paced three Wolves with five team points and 6,224 points in the heptathlon. He won the men's 110m hurdles, placed second in the shot put and third in both the 400m dash and the 1500m. Eric Gaines placed right behind Loscutoff with 5,892 points to collect four more team points for the Wolves. He won the 400m dash, while fellow Wolf Jake Hyde won the 100m dash, long jump and shot put and placed eighth overall in points.

Wolves leading the GNAC:
Western Oregon has four student-athletes entering the weekend as the top seed in their event; three on the men's side and one on the women's.

Ashley Potter is pacing the GNAC in the triple jump with her season-best leap of 39-4 (11.99m) which she earned at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

Jason Slowey owns the top marks in the conference in both the shot put and the discus. He registered a toss of 55-2 (16.81m) in the shot put at the Bryan Clay Invite, and then posted a distance of 168-8 (51.41m) in the discus throw. He leads the conference by over a meter in both events.

Connor Kasler recently ascended to the top of the 2011 GNAC performance list. He posted the second-fastest time in the history of the conference with a 1:51.74 in the 800mlast weekend at the Oregon Twilight.

Will Crook, a 2010 NCAA National qualifier, has the top mark in the GNAC in the javelin with a throw of 205-0 (62.49m) which he earned April 29 at the Pacific Twilight.

Defending their titles:
Although some of the members have changed, the Western Oregon women's 4x100m relay team will be back to defend their title. Lacey Meusec and Sarah Kathrein should both be back on the relay squad and they should be joined by two newcomers, Madison McClung and Lexi Pola. WOU currently sits second on the GNAC performance list.

Jason Slowey will be looking to be a four-time champion in the men's shot put. He was the 2010 outdoor champion in the event and has already won back-to-back titles during the indoor season.

Head Coach Mike Johnson:
On preparing for the championship season: "Things aren't perfect but I think we are moving forward at this time. We used the word 'rise' in our meeting the other day, and it is time to elevate both our production and our approach."

On the GNAC: This is a very good conference and this is going to be a very competitive meet. Hopefully we are somewhere near the top but track meets are such dramatic swing in points with one or two athletes that you can just never tell till very late in the meet."

On the Western Oregon student-athletes running for the team, not the individual: "There are two good examples of that on our team with Lukas Fenley and Megan Everetts. Lukas who was qualified for the 800m and the 1500m at conference will run the 10k for us as a wild card. He has great range and he gives us two people in the 10k and I think just his presence in the race will help Justin Karr be more effective as well. Megan has served as an 800m rabbit the last two weeks and really helped the pace in both Janelle and Annan's races."

On approach to championship meets: "We do but I won't even get into the details of this because we do it much different than many other teams. It is really about each person doing the best they can in their event and focusing on that."

On individuals' approach to the meet: "This is still a qualifying opportunity for us so as a qualifying opportunity we want to go for time or distance, but at the same time team points will be the preeminent value."