TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Track & Field is set to host the Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium on Friday and Saturday.
The competition features both high school and collegiate events on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 a.m. MST. The collegiate field events begin at 1:00 p.m. MST and collegiate running events begin at 5:00 p.m. MST on Friday.
Friday's running events consist of mostly distance events, known as the Dave Murray Distance Carnival. On Saturday, collegiate field events start at 10:00 a.m. MST and collegiate running events start at 11:05 a.m. MST. Live results for the full two days of competition can be found
here.
"The Willie Williams Classic is a very special competition for me and the community for a number of reasons," said the Director of Cross Country/Track & Field
Fred Harvey. "Coach Williams was the first black division one head coach in any sport in the NCAA and that is special. Secondly, the meet is an event that brings the full community of Southern Arizona together from the high school, junior college, and university levels. One of our core values here at the University of Arizona is community."
The team most recently competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships, wrapping up their indoor season with six Wildcats being named All-Americans. The six Wildcats that competed at the championship event were
Emma Gates (high jump),
Zach Landa (shot put),
Tyler Michelini (shot put),
Paris Mikinski (high jump),
Reinaldo Rodrigues (long jump), and
Trayvion White-Austin (200m). Gates finished fourth overall in the high jump and was named a First Team All-American. The remaining Wildcats earned Second Team All-America honors.
The Willie Williams Classic marks the second outdoor competition for the Wildcats this season. Their outdoor season opener, the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta, was highlighted by
Jade Brown breaking the 25-year-old school record in the women's 100m with a time of 11.27. The team dominated the competition, winning 17 total events on the day, including Brown in the 100m. Additionally, the team posted 41 top-three finishes on the day.
A meet recap will be posted
here detailing the competition results. Live updates will also be posted to @ArizonaTrack on
X.
HONORING WILLIE WILLIAMS
The Willie Williams Classic was first held in 1983 and is the program's longest-running home meet. The competition is named after Coach Willie Williams, who was the first black head coach in major college sports history when he was hired as Arizona's track & field coach in 1969. His coaching experience included Vance Johnson and Meg Ritchie winning NCAA national championships just months after his death in 1982. Throughout his tenure as head coach, Williams guided student-athletes to All-America honors on two dozen different occasions. He spent his decade and a half as head coach elevating the Arizona Track & Field program from humble roots to a program of championships and elite Wildcat student-athletes. Today, and every day, we remember Coach Willie Williams and the incredible positive impact he made on the Arizona Track & Field Program and the people around him. In 2022, Williams was inducted into the Arizona Athletics Sports Hall of Fame. His son, Greg, accepted the award on his father's behalf.
WHO'S COMPETING
MEN
Jesse Avina,
Julius Cheek,
Isaac Davis,
Zach Extine,
Sam Hala'ufia,
Kaleb Kimaita,
Youssef Koudssi,
Richard Legarra,
Brian Limage,
Diego Marquez,
Gideon Mengich,
Michael Ogbeiwi,
Sylvan Osman,
Mateo Pimienta,
Cooper Quigley,
Noah Ray, José Rodríguez,
Cade Russo,
Ian Sanchez Lopez,
Ayden Schilb,
Christian Simmons,
Evan Simmons,
Tyson Tippett,
Levi Tuura,
Michael Urbanski,
Yan Vazquez,
Bogdan Vidojkovic
WOMEN
Malaya Abueg,
Camila Aguilar-Perez,
Esther Akinlosotu,
Jade Brown,
Oli Clark,
Kelly de Jong,
Olivia Dillon,
Laina Friedmann,
Keilee Hall,
Brooklyn Hanania,
Tapenisa Havea,
Alexandra Johnson,
Ellie Kortenkamp,
Lauryn Love,
Alisa Lyesina,
Aislin Martinez-Pompa,
Ena McMahon,
Kara Mickelson,
Paris Mikinski,
Dakota Minor,
Presley Money,
Jathiyah Muhammad,
Brooke Nordman,
Mackenna Orie,
Sage Patzer,
Zana Ryan,
Antonia Sanchez Nunez,
Dunja Sikima,
Ava Simms,
McKenna Watson,
Taylen Wise,
Cecelia Woods
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS!
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