NAMPA, Idaho—Armed with eight returning point scorers from a year ago, the Western Oregon University track & field teams are set to begin competition at the 2019 GNAC Indoor Championships on Thursday.
The Wolves will once again feature strongly in the middle distance races with several contenders in events ranging from 800 to 3,000 meters.
For the men's team,
Curt Knott holds the fastest time of the field in the 800 with a 1:54.88 and will be joined by six other Wolves, including four more of the top 11 on the GNAC performance list. Knott and
Neal Cranston placed consecutively at fifth and sixth place a year ago with Cranston currently holding the No. 6 mark in the event.
Additional points for the men's team should come from
Justin Crosswhite and
Tyler Jones in the longer running events. Crosswhite earned All-GNAC honors in the mile last season with a third-place finish and is currently ranked No. 5 in the GNAC while Jones placed fifth overall in 2018 and holds the No. 3 mark in the 3,000. Joining Crosswhite in the field of milers,
Stephen Fey placed seventh last year to score a pair of points in the team standings.
The WOU men placed third overall as a team last year with 91 points and should receive a boost from the sprinting corps this year.
Cody Warner is the lone sprinter in the GNAC to duck under the 7-second barrier in the 60-meter dash and holds the favorite's mark with the best time in the conference this season. With a 7.12 to his credit,
Devon Fortier will also be a contender in the short sprint.
The WOU women placed seventh as a team in 2018 with 43 points and currently claims seven individuals in the scoring position rankings in their respective events. The No. 2-ranked runner in the 800,
Olivia Woods returns to the event after placing sixth a year ago.
Woods will likely combine with
Grayson Burke to form a formidable 1,600-relay squad that holds the No. 3 time in the league with a 3:55.37. Burke has turned in a 58.84 in the open 400 for a top-eight conference rating.
Moving up to the mile,
Grace Knapp will hit the line as the No. 6-ranked runner in the field with a season-best time of 5:11.05.
Mariah Gronbach is the lone returning point-scorer in the women's field events after taking sixth place in the weight throw with a toss of 52-4 1/2 (15.96m). Gronbach has moved up the leaderboard this season and will enter the competition with the No. 3 mark in the conference with a 52-2 1/2 (15.91m) to her name.
Competing in the men's heptathlon for the first time this season,
Mitchell Kruse will open the action for the WOU track & field teams at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Kruse placed seventh in the seven-discipline competition last year with a total of 3,495 points.
