Colorado University Athletics
Indoor Track Preps For Big 12 Championships
February 22, 2005 | Track and Field
BOULDER-Forty University of Colorado indoor track and field student-athletes will leave the Boulder campus Wednesday to compete in the ninth annual Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.
The multi-events will kick off the weekend events Friday at 8:30 a.m. (MT), followed by the running (2 p.m.) and field events (1:45 p.m.). Saturday also kicks off with the multi-events (8:30 p.m.) and will conclude with the finals in the running events at 2 p.m.
A year ago on the same track the CU women finished fifth and the Buff men eighth behind conference titles by then-junior Renee Metivier (mile) and Dathan Ritzenhein (3, 5k). Both team finishes are likely expectations for this year's squads.
"The way the championship has played out the last few years, third through eighth places have been separated by 10-12 points," said head coach Mark Wetmore. "Every year we hope to be on the upper end and that's the story again this year. If the women can score 50 points (or a little more) and the men 70, it will be a nice step of improvement from year (when the CU women totaled 45.5 and the men 50). But a 10-15 point stumble could put us quite a bit behind."
Given the charge to score those points this weekend in the sprint distances are Chris Abuan (200-m, 600-y), Hugh Charles (60-y), Eric Lee-Obrien (60-y, 200-m), Sam Napp (60-y, 200-m), George Pincock (200-m, 400-m) and Jackie Sturm (60-y, 200-m, 400-m) who is the lone triple entry in the discipline. Relegated to relay duty is Derek Winton and Daniel Kenney.
Andy Miller and Anna Magle are the lone multi-event athletes and both will also compete for high jump titles. In the jumps Amberly Casey is entered in the long and triple, Charles in the long and Liza Negriff in the triple jump.
All but two middle and distance runners is a double entry this weekend, including Anthony Chiulli (1,000, relays), Kate Hamera (mile, 3k), Pete Janson (mile, 3k), CU indoor mile school record holder Stephen Pifer (mile, 3k), Mikaela Raddatz (600-y, 800-m), Shanna Sparks (mile, 3k) and Jason Zichterman (800-m). Entered in their respective 3 and 5k championships are Austin Baillie, Payton Batliner, Christine Bolf, Natalie Florence, Bradley Harkrader, Matt McCue, Billy Nelson, Chris Pannone, Jon Severy, Kalin Toedebusch and Brent Vaugn. Liza Pasciuto, who is coming off a USA Cross Country Junior National title, is only entered in the 3k, while Metivier is the lone triple entry in the mile, 3k and 5k. She is the defending conference champion in the mile and will be looking to become only the fourth Buff to successfully defend an indoor title. Only Adam Goucher (1997, '98 3k), Sara (Gorton) Slattery (2001, '02 mile) and Jodie Hughes (2001, '02 5k) have ever won back-to-back indoor league crowns.
An area of this year's team Wetmore is looking to make more of an impact than they traditionally have will be in the throws.
"In the sprints and throws we have probably 10-12 individuals who are on the threshold of scoring on the Big 12 level," said Wetmore. "If we perform well, not necessarily pr performances, we will be in the top third of both team races. We traditionally build off points from our middle and long distances, but the all important 10-15 points we hope to get from other events."
Leading the charge in the throws will be recent weight throw school record holders Cortney Hutmacher (a school record 60-3.75 last weekend) and Zach Hazen (61-6.75 last month at Air Force). Hutmacher's bettered Janet Visosky's 1997 mark while Hazen bettered Jeff Singleton's Big 12 Championship throw that same season. Andy Passen and Carly Newlands, coming off a shot put pr win last weekend at Air Force are double entries in the shot and weight. "If the throwers can give us the same kind of effort that they've given us all season, and last weekend at Air Force, we will do well."
Following the conference championships, the Buffs will have one more opportunity to qualify for this year's NCAA Championships. Select athletes will travel to a last chance meet March 5 and those qualifiers will compete at the national championships, March 11-12, in Fayetteville, Ark. Entering this weekend's Big 12 meet, just Metivier (3k), Bolf (5k) and Vaughn (5k) are automatic qualifiers. Schoolmeester (3k), Severy and Baillie (5k) are on the provisional list.
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