TUCSON, Ariz. ?- The sixth-ranked Arizona men defeated both of their state rivals at the Arizona-ASU-NAU double dual on Saturday. The Wildcats defeated
Arizona State 116 to 86 and Northern Arizona 142 to 33. The women came up short against the Sun Devils, losing 113 to 80, but defeated the Lumberjacks 100
to 87. The Wildcats had 16 individual titles on the day.
“This was really good for us, and a long time coming,” said head coach Fred Harvey. “It is such a satisfying win for us. To beat our in-state rivals, both of
whom are very good, is really good for us as a team.”
The highlight of the day came in the 4x100-meter relays. The men’s team of Troy Harris, Bobby McCoy, Marcus Tyus and Xiong Xuehan posted a regional
qualifying time of 39.89 to win the competition. McCoy was competition for the first time during the 2006 season, and gave the team a boost of confidence that it
had been lacking throughout the season.
“Bobby came in and really made a difference today,” said Harvey. “He ran that second leg with a lot of confidence, and that seemed to rub off on the other three
guys.”
The women’s team also recorded a personal best time, crossing the finish line in 44.81 to win the race. The women’s team is composed of Jennifer Whitlock,
Marquita Taylor, Maritza Mora and Nikki Martin.
Martin, Taylor and Whitlock were also impressive in the short sprints and hurdles. Martin and Taylor both crossed the finish line in 11.56 in the 100 meters, with
Martin finishing just ahead of her teammate to take first. Taylor followed up her second-place in the 100 meters with a victory in the 200 meters (23.73).
Taylor’s time in the 100-meters is a personal best and a regional qualifier. In the 100-meter hurdles, Whitlock ran a personal best time of 13.45 to place second
overall.
In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Jeff Hunter and Dan Cook both improved their regional qualifying marks and finished one-two overall. Hunter won the race in
13.91, while Cook followed in 14.16. Hunter’s time is a season’s best and Cook’s is a personal best. Also for the Wildcats, Chris Titsworth won the 400-meter
hurdles in a personal best and regional qualifying time of 52.43.
In both the men’s discus and shot put the Wildcats had the winner and the runner-up as well. In the discus, NCAA leader Adam Kuehl won with his toss of
60.27m, while Sean Shields placed second overall (57.27m). Shields won the shot put competition with his throw of 19.74m, and teammate Jarred Sola placed
second (17.41m). Also in the throws, Saku Kuusisto won the javelin competition with his best distance of 69.29m. All of these athletes have posted regional
qualifying marks on the season.
In the men’s 1,500 meters, two Wildcat All-Americans were able to pull away from the field and cruise to victory. Robert Cheseret won the race in a time of
3:48.17, edging teammate Jonah Maiyo who came in second (3:48.19). Cheseret came back a few hours later to take the title in the 3,000 meters (8:15.93).
“It has been a slow start for us this year, but Jonah and Robert are really coming alive and have been running very well lately,” said distance coach James Li.
In the women’s 800 meters, the Wildcats had the top three finishers with Shelly Splittberger, Mackenzie Edwards and Danelle Onate all crossing the finish line
ahead of the pack. Spllittberger won in a personal best time of 2:13.35, with Edwards finishing just .18 later. Onate came in third with her personal best time of
2:14.88. Earlier in the night, Edwards won the 1,500 meters, finishing the race in 4:31.47.
In the men’s pole vault, Robert Arnold scored a huge personal best with his clearance of 5.20m. This won the competition, and qualified the decathlete for
regionals in the event. Nick Mossberg also posted a personal best, clearing 5.05m and also securing a regional qualifying berth. For the women, Gabriella
Duclos’ personal best height of 4.00m was good enough to earn her second-place and improve her regional qualifying height.
The Wildcat men also had strong performances in the jumps, as they finished one-two in both the high jump and the long jump. In the long jump, Jordan Powell
won the competition with his best jump of 7.35m and Imoh Ekpo (7.25m) finished second. Powell also won the high jump, tying teammate Kyle Marr for first with
their clearances of 2.00m.
“The men are starting to figure out what takes to be a championship level team,” said Harvey. “We have a chance to be among the top three at Pac-10s, and
anytime you’re in the top three you have a chance to win it all.”
Next weekend the Wildcat multi-event athletes will travel to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the Pac-10 Combined Events Championships. The rest of the Wildcats
will compete in the Pac-10 Championships during the following weekend (May 13-14).
