TUCSON, Ariz. ?- The field for the upcoming NCAA Track and Field Championships was announced today, and 15 Wildcats made the cut. Eleven athletes
qualified by virtue of finishing in the top five at last weekend’s West Region Championships, and the remaining three earned their trip to Sacramento based on
the strength of their season’s best mark.
Arizona has five athletes who will be competing in two events. Robert Cheseret (1,500 and 5,000 meters), Sean Shields (discus and shot put), Nikki Martin (100
meters and 4x100), Marquita Taylor (200 meters and 4x100) and Jennifer Whitlock (100-meter hurdles and 4x100) will all be doubling.
Cheseret, a two time NCAA champion, will look to add to his legacy when he lines up to compete in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. The senior All-American was
the Pac-10 champion in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, and also won West Region titles in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Cheseret is the reigning NCAA
champ in the 10,000 meters, and won the 5,000-meter title during the 2004 season.
Obed Mutanya will join Cheseret in the 5,000 meters. Mutanya was the runner-up in the event at both the Pac-10 Championships and the West Region
Championships.
Shields will look to build on an already impressive 2006 campaign. The senior earned All-American honors in the shot put during the indoor season, and was the
West Region champion in both the discus and the shot put. Teammate Adam Kuehl will also compete in the discus, where he is currently ranked No. 1 in the
NCAA with his throw of 63.89m.
In the combined events, Robert Arnold and Shevell Quinley will represent the Wildcats. Arnold currently has the No. 5 decathlon score in the NCAA (7691),
while Quinley has the No. 23 heptathlon mark (5304). Arnold was an indoor All-American in the heptathlon earlier this season, and is the current Pac-10
champion in the decathlon.
Rachel Varner (discus) and Saku Kuusisto (javelin) will also be competing for the Wildcat throwers. Varner was the Pac-10 champion in the discus, and
Kuusisto has the No. 9 javelin throw in the NCAA.
Jordan Powell will compete in the long jump after placing fourth at the West Region Championships. Powell’s best jump of 7.69m is currently No. 18 on the
descending order list. Daniel Marshall will also be competing for the Wildcats in the jumps. Marshall will compete in the triple jump, where his mark of 15.69m is
No. 26.
The women’s 4x100-meter relay team of Jennifer Whitlock, Marquita Taylor, Maritza Mora and Nikki Martin qualified after finishing second at the West Region
Championships. The team has the 19th best qualifying time (44.70) in the NCAA heading into nationals.
Martin (100 meters), Taylor (200 meters) and Whilock (I00-meter hurdles) will also be competing in their individual events for the Wildcats. Martin currently has
the No. 17 time in the 100 meters (11.38), while Whitlock’s time is 24th (13.29) and Taylor’s time is 26th (23.52).
Gabriella Duclos will be competing in the pole vault. Her best clearance of 4.06m is No. 23 on the descending order list.
In total, the team has 15 athletes competing in 17 events. Three freshmen (Powell, Quinley and Duclos), one sophomore (Marshall), eight juniors (Arnold,
Mutanya, Kuehl, Kuusisto, Martin, Mora, Taylor and Whitlock) and three seniors (Cheseret, Shields and Varner) will be making the trip for the Wildcats.
The NCAA Track and Field Championships will take place June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.
