SACRAMENTO, Calif. – After some great individual successes at the Pac-12 Championships two weeks ago, Arizona Track and Field will continue their postseason with the start of the NCAA West First Round Championships. The competition, hosted by Sacramento State, begins on Wednesday and ends on Saturday.
 
"This is the best time of the year in our sport," said Head Coach Fred Harvey. "You are not an invitation or selected for this competition. You have to qualify and earn the right to be a part of this. It is a true championship."
 
He also added, "We have one of the largest groups in UA history qualified: 14 men in 11 events, and 12 ladies in 10 events, as well as 3 relay teams. However, we will only compete in the men's 4x100m, and 4x400m relays, as we had to scratch the women's 4x100m relay due to injuries. The coaches have done a great job and we are ready to compete with the best in the West."
 
The structure of this meet alternates who competes on each day, with the men going on Wednesday and Friday, and the women competing on Thursday and Saturday. The top 48 athletes in each event (top 24 relays) from both the West and East regions qualified to compete in their regional championship this weekend. The top 12 competitors from each region will then qualify for the NCAA Championships, where the two groups will merge and compete in Austin, Texas from June 7-10.
 
The men get things started on Wednesday, with field events beginning at 10:00 a.m. MST and track events starting at 6:00 p.m. MST. Thursday will see the women compete with an identical schedule as Wednesday. The same is true of Friday and Saturday, with field events beginning at 1:00 p.m. MST and track events getting underway at 5:00 p.m. MST on both days. Results from all four days of competition can be found here.
 
With last weekend's Tucson Elite Classic being a thrower's only meet and not counting towards NCAA rankings, the majority of the Wildcats enter the weekend coming off the Pac-12 Championships at Mt. SAC. At the meet, the Wildcats saw top performances from multiple competitors, ending the weekend with four individual Pac-12 titles: Jordan Geist (hammer throw, shot put), Jared O'Riley (javelin), and Talie Bonds (100m hurdles).
 
Geist's two victories in the men's hammer throw and shot put at the conference championships were his fifth and sixth overall, which ties the most all-time in Pac-12 history. His shot put title was also his fourth overall in his career, which is the most ever by a man in conference history. These incredible performances put him on his second straight The Bowerman Watch List, which is the most prestigious award in collegiate track and field. He also added his third Pac-12 Men's Field Athlete of the Year Award, as he received the accolade this past week for his spectacular 2023 outdoor season thus far.
 
O'Riley posted a big personal best throw in the men's javelin at the conference championships which helped him earn his first ever Pac-12 title. His PR mark moved him up to fourth all-time in school history as he became the first Wildcat to win the event since 2000. Additionally, Bonds continued her dominant season with a victory in the women's 100m hurdles, which was her fifth consecutive win in the event this outdoor season. She added that Pac-12 title to her high jump victory at the conference championships last year. She is the first Wildcat to win the women's 100m at the Pac-12 Championships and is also the first person ever to have Pac-12 titles in both the 100m hurdles and high jump.
 
The Wildcats also had a number of other scorers at the competition, headlined by Zach Landa (shot put), Reinaldo Rodrigues (long jump), Kristjan Sigfinnsson (high jump), and Trayvion White-Austin (200m), who all finished in the top three and on the podium in their respective events. Other scorers at the championship meet included Youssef Koudssi (discus, shot put), Mackenna Orie (discus, shot put), Tapenisa Havea (shot put), Skylar Sieben (heptathlon), Ava David (hammer throw), Alexa Porpaczy (high jump), Sir Jonathan Sims (triple jump), Logan Hasher (400m hurdles), and Alisa Lyesina (800m).
 
Here is where the Wildcats rank in the West Region entering the weekend as they all look to punch their ticket to Austin and the final NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
WOMEN
Talie Bonds – Second, 100m Hurdles, 12.65 | 17th, High Jump, 1.80m (5-10.75)
Jenica Bosko – 5th, Long Jump, 6.50m (21-4)
Alexa Porpaczy – 12th, High Jump, 1.83m (6-0)
Alisa Lyesina – 16th, 800m, 2:05.25
Tapenisa Havea – 21st, Shot Put, 16.76m (55-0) | 30th, Discus, 53.50m (175-6)
Xahria Santiago – 21st, 400m Hurdles, 58.41
Antonia Sanchez Nunez – 22nd, 400m Hurdles, 58.43
Mackenna Orie – 23rd, Shot Put, 16.52m (54-2.5) | 24th, Discus, 54.36m (178-4)
Emma Gates – 27th, High Jump, 1.78m (5-10)
Taylen Wise – 30th, Triple Jump, 12.81m (42-0.5) | 46th, Long Jump, 6.14m (20-1.75)
Ava David – 34th, Hammer Throw, 59.70m (195-10)
Neysia Howard – 38th, 200m, 23.45
 
MEN
Jordan Geist – Second, Shot Put, 21.25m (69-8.75) | Second, Hammer Throw, 74.14m (243-3)
Zach Landa – Eighth, Shot Put, 19.92m (65-4.25)
Relay Teams – Ninth, 4x100m, 39.15 | 20th, 4x400m, 3:06.59
Trayvion White-Austin – 11th, 200m, 20.44 | 46th, 100m, 10.29
Jared O'Riley – 11th, Javelin, 71.79m (235-6)
Youssef Koudssi – 12th, Shot Put, 19.50m (63-11.75) | 19th, Discus, 58.56m (192-1)
Reinaldo Rodrigues – 14th, Long Jump, 7.86m (25-9.5) (+3.1)
Kristjan Sigfinnsson – 17th, High Jump, 2.15m (7-0.5)
Isaac Davis – 40th, 400m, 46.13
Carl Hicks – 43rd, 400m, 46.21
James Onanubosi – 46th, 200m, 20.90
Sir Jonathan Sims – 48th, Long Jump, 7.55m (24-9.25)
 
At last year's NCAA West First Round Championships, Jared O'Riley, Reinaldo Rodrigues, and Talie Bonds all finished in the top 12 to move onto the NCAA Championships. Those three Wildcats, along with the rest of this weekend's competitors will look to replicate that success starting on Wednesday.
 
A meet recap will be posted to ArizonaWildcats.com detailing the competition results. Live updates will also be posted to @ArizonaTrack on Twitter.
 
WHO'S COMPETING
MEN
Isaac Davis, Jordan Geist, Logan Hasher, Carl Hicks, Youssef Koudssi, Zach Landa, Brian Limage, Jared O'Riley, James Onanubosi, Reinaldo Rodrigues, Kristjan Sigfinnsson, Sir Jonathan Sims, Trayvion White-Austin
 
WOMEN
Talie Bonds, Jenica Bosko, Ava David, Emma Gates, Tapenisa Havea, Neysia Howard, Alisa Lyesina, Mackenna Orie, Alexa Porpaczy, Antonia Sanchez Nunez, Xahria Santiago, Taylen Wise
 
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