The University of Arizona’s men’s and women’s track and field program concluded another stellar season under Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Fred Harvey. In his third year at the helm, Harvey has continued to lead the Wildcats to greater successes year in and year out. The 2005 season proved to be no different with the gains Arizona athletes made on and off the track.
The indoor season began with high expectations from both the men’s and women’s squads. The men entered the season notched at No. 15 in the preseason Trackwire 25 Rankings. The UA women were also tabbed at No. 17 in the preseason rankings.
The indoor season rolled along, and individuals were racking up a number of impressive performances that led to one of the largest contingents of Arizona athletes qualifying for postseason competition. The Wildcats continued to impress in Seattle at the 2005 MPSF Championships. The Wildcat men accumulated five individual titles en route to a third-place finish in the team standings. The women placed fifth as a team with one individual title and a school record.
Distance runners Robert Cheseret and Jonah Maiyo paced the men with two titles and a runner-up finish. Maiyo won the men’s mile in 3:59.08, edging Cheseret, who finished second in 3:59.23. Cheseret came back to win the 3,000 meters, improving the meet record he set in 2004 with a time of 7:51.66.
Junior Sean Shields returned to the Arizona squad after taking a year off to train for the Olympic Trials in 2004. He came back ready for success, and he got that going with a victory in the men’s shot put at the MPSF Championships. Shields won with a throw of 63 feet, 3 ?˝ inches.
This indoor season marked the first time a multi-events competition would be contested at the conference and national championships. Sophomore Jake Arnold saw this as an opportunity to make his mark. Arnold won the inaugural heptathlon at the MPSF Championships with a meet record score of 5,518 points.
Freshman Bobby McCoy grabbed up the last title for the UA men in his rookie season with the Wildcats. The two-sport athlete divided his time between spring football and track practice, but neither took away from his performances. McCoy won the 200 meters at the MPSF Championships in 21.47 seconds for his first conference title.
On the women’s side, Sara Vigil was the star as she was the only Wildcat to win a conference title. Vigil won the women’s weight throw with a school record throw of 63 feet, 4 ?ľ inches.
The Wildcats proved that their efforts in the competition setting were not their only strengths. The Mountain-Pacific Sports Federation for their academic efforts honored eighteen athletes. Thirteen women and five men were recognized for their academic and athletic talents during the 2005 indoor season.
The indoor season continued on to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas with eight Wildcats making the trip. Four athletes earned All-America honors at the meet. Cheseret was the top finisher in any event for the Wildcats with a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Shields made his way to the podium with a third-place finish in the shot put, and Maiyo also grabbed a third-place finish in the men’s mile. The UA women were led by senior Connie Jerz, who finished third in the pole vault and scored all of the women’s points. The men finished tied for 10th in the team standings with 20 points, while the UA women were tied for 38th place with 5.5 points.
The Wildcats continued their 2005 campaign into the outdoor season, which began in March. The month of March brings the Wildcats home to compete on their home track at Roy P. Drachman Stadium. The outdoor season got off to a quick start as a number of athletes began their run at postseason glory.
The annual assault on the record books took a big blow with Sean Shields return to the lineup. Shields broke the school’s 16-year old shot put school record at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at UCLA on April 9. Shields’ throw of 65 feet, 7 ?ľ inches (20.01m) was over nine inches better than the old mark set by Jack Trahan in 1989.
Once the Pac-10 Championship rolled around in mid-May, the Wildcats were in championship form and ready to compete against the best. UCLA played host to this year’s championships at Drake Stadium. The Wildcats posted a number of very impressive performances, but the overall team result fell below expectations set by the squads. The men’s squad finished seventh with 65 points, while the UA women were ninth with 36 points.
The men’s squad claimed three titles at the 2005 meet. Cheseret accounted for two of those with wins in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races. He brings his total to five Pac-10 titles after winning three in 2004. Shields won the third title of the meet for Arizona with a win in the shot put. Shields also finished second in the discus. He was followed by teammate Adam Kuehl’s third-place performance.
The women were paced by throwers Ilona Rutjes and Rachel Varner. Rutjes placed second in the discus, while Varner was close behind in third place.
Cheseret was named the Pac-10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Year after his defense of two of his titles won at the 2004 championships. The Pac-10 also recognized several Wildcats for their academic efforts. A total of 22 men and women were named the Pac-10 All-Academic teams for the 2005 season. Chris Ogle and Aaron Powell led the way for the men as first team honorees. The women had four named to the first team, including Angelina Cabrera, Rebecca Gausepohl, Beth Hoge, and Chelsea Powell.
After the Pac-10 Championships, NCAA competition awaited the Wildcats. The NCAA West Region Championships were up first. This year’s meet was held at Oregon’s Hayward Field. The Wildcats put together one of their best team performances of the year. The men placed eighth with 34.83 points, while the UA women rocketed up the standings to seventh with 38 points.
Cheseret defended his West Region title in the 5,000 meters for the men’s team. On the women’s side, Rutjes won the discus competition to earn herself an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats had 14 athletes earn all-West Region honors. The men’s team was led by Adam Kuehl (shot put, discus), Andrew Rademacher (pole vault), Jeff Hunter (110m hurdles, 400m hurdles), Kevin Opalka (pole vault), Robert Cheseret (5,000m), and Sean Shields (shot put, discus). The women’s honorees included: Donnisha Sanford (4x100m), Ilona Rutjes (discus), Jennifer Whitlock (4x100m), Kelli Burton (shot put, discus, hammer throw), Megan Howard (shot put), Nikki Martin (100m, 4x100m), Rachel Varner (discus), and Sharifa Jones (100m hurdles, 4x100m).
The NCAA Championships concluded the 2005 season for the Wildcat track and field teams. The UA men improved upon their 2004 finish, scoring 23 points en route to a ninth-place team finish. The Wildcat women struggled to score points and finished tied for 60th place with three points.
Cheseret was the highlight of the meet for Arizona. On the second night of competition, he outlasted the competition in one of the most grueling track and field races contested. Cheseret won the 10,000 meters in a personal best time of 28:20.11. He finished second at the 2004 championships. Cheseret also went on to finish sixth in the 5,000 meters in 13:41.88.
Two throwers for the UA men provided the rest of the scoring. Shields placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 63 feet, 0 ?Ľ inch, while Kuehl was fourth in the discus with a toss of 192 feet, 11 inches.
Rutjes was the only athlete to score for the Wildcat women. She placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 176 feet.
Six Wildcats earned All-America honors for their performances at the NCAA Championships. On the men’s side, Sean Shields (shot put), Adam Kuehl (discus) and Robert Cheseret (5,000m, 10,000m) were recognized for their outstanding athletic achievements. Rachel Varner (discus), Ilona Rutjes (discus), and Megan Howard (shot put) were named All-Americans for their accomplishments.
The 2005 season is in the books, and the Wildcats turn their sights to the 2006 season. A strong recruiting class, along with the return of a large number of key veterans proves that Arizona track and field is still on the rise. Harvey and the coaching staff have a lot to look forward to in 2006.
