WASHINGTON TRACK AND FIELD Mar. 23, 2005 //For Immediate Release// Contact: Brian Beaky Huskies Make Full Outdoor Debut Against 2005 Husky Track Schedule Indoor Nation’s Best at 2005 Stanford Invitational Date Meet Location Jan. 15 UW Indoor Preview Seattle On the Track: Washington’s track and field teams hit the road this week for the Stanford Jan. 21-22 Nat’l Pole Vault Summit Reno, Nev. Invitational, the first major competition of the 2005 collegiate outdoor season. The Hus- Jan. 28-29 UW Indoor Invitational Seattle kies have proven prolific at Stanford in recent years, combining for 31 NCAA Regional Feb. 12 The Husky Classic Seattle qualifying marks at the 2003 and 2004 Invitationals, tops for any single meet on the UW Feb. 25-26 MPSF Championships Seattle schedule over the past two years. Nearly all of the Huskies top competitors will be in Mar. 5 Last Chance Qualifier Seattle action at the two-day meet, including NCAA pole vault runner-up Kate Soma and all Mar. 11-12 NCAA Champ’s Fayetteville, Ark. 10 of the team’s 2005 NCAA Indoor All-Americans. More than 1,000 of the nation’s top Outdoor collegiate, prep and professional athletes will join the Huskies at Stanford, with events Date Meet Location scheduled to run all day and late into the night both Friday, Mar. 25 and Saturday, Mar. Mar. 19 UW Outdoor Preview Seattle 26. For a complete list of athletes entered in the meet, visit www.gostanford.com. Mar. 25-26 Stanford Invitational Palo Alto, CA Apr. 6-9 Texas Relays Austin, TX Event Schedule: Following is a schedule of only those events featuring UW athletes at Apr. 9 Pepsi Invitational Eugene, OR this weekend’s Stanford Invitational. Events are finals unless otherwise listed. All times Apr. 15-17 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, CA are Pacific; schedule is subject to change. Apr. 16 State Challenge Cup Pullman, WA Apr. 23 Oregon Invitational Eugene, OR Friday, March 25 9:10 p.m. 10,000m, Sect. 2 (M) Apr. 30 UW-WSU Dual Seattle 9:50 a.m. 5,000m, Sect. 3 (W) 10:30 p.m. 5,000m, Sect. 2 (M) May 6-7 Pac-10 Multi Events Los Angeles, CA 10:15 a.m. 5,000m, Sect. 4 (M) 10:50 p.m. 5,000m, Sect. 3 (M) May 7 Ken Shannon Invitational Seattle 10:40 a.m. 400m, B Sect. (W) May 13-14 Pac-10 Champ’s Los Angeles, CA 10:55 a.m. 400m Dash, B Sect. (M) Saturday, March 26 May 27-28 NCAA West Regional Eugene, OR 11:00 a.m. Javelin (M) 11:45 a.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 3 (M) June 8-11 NCAA Champ’s Sacramento, CA 11:30 a.m. 110m HH Prelims (M) 12:00 p.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 4 (M) 11:50 a.m. 100m Dash Prelims (W) 12:00 p.m. Pole Vault, Top Sect. (W) June 23-26 USATF Jr./Sr. Nat’ls Carson, CA 12:00 p.m. Long Jump, Top Sect. (M) 12:20 p.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 2 (W) 12:10 p.m. 100m Dash Prelims (M) 1:15 p.m. 4x100m Relay (W) Bold font indicates Husky home meet. All home 12:15 p.m. Long Jump, Top Sect. (W) 1:15 p.m. Triple Jump, Top Sect. (M) indoor meets held at Dempsey Indoor, all home 12:45 p.m. Pole Vault, B Sect,. (M) 1:30 p.m. 4x100m Relay (M) outdoor meets held at Husky Stadium. 12:50 p.m. 800m, B Sect. (M) 1:30 p.m. High Jump (M) 1:00 p.m. Pole Vault, B Sect. (W) 1:30 p.m. Triple Jump, Top Sect. (W) Hot off the Presses ... 1:10 p.m. 1,500m, B Sect. (W) 2:15 p.m. 110m HH Final (M) ¥ A record 10 Huskies earned All-America honors at 1:30 p.m. 1,500m, B Sect. (M) 2:25 p.m. 1,500m, Top 2 Sect. (W) the NCAA Indoor Championships, more than UW 1:50 p.m. 200m, B Sect. (W) 2:40 p.m. 1,500m, Top 2 Sect. (M) achieved at the past four NCAA meets combined, p2 2:00 p.m. Javelin (W) 2:55 p.m. 400m Dash, Top 2 Sect. (W) 2:05 p.m. 200m, B Sect. (M) 3:00 p.m. Pole Vault, Top Sect. (M) ¥ Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback is one of 2:15 p.m. Long Jump, B Sect. (M) 3:05 p.m. 400m Dash, Top 2 Sect. (M) six two-sport athletes competing for the UW track 2:20 p.m. 400m IH (W) 3:25 p.m. 100m Dash Final (W) team this year, p3 2:30 p.m. Long Jump, B Sect. (W) 3:30 p.m. 100m Dash Final (M) 2:40 p.m. 400m IH (M) 3:30 p.m. Triple Jump, B Sect. (M) 6:40 p.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 1 (W) 3:45 p.m. 800m, Top 2 Sect. (M) ¥ 2004 Pac-10 champion Kate Soma, who stands 7:00 p.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 2 (M) 3:45 p.m. Triple Jump, B Sect. (W) just five feet tall, leads the nation in the pole vault 7:15 p.m. Steeplechase, Sect. 1 (M) 3:45 p.m. High Jump (W) in 2005, and ranks 7th in NCAA history, p4 7:30 p.m. 5,000m, Sect. 2 (W) 3:55 p.m. 200m, Top 2 Sect. (W) 7:50 p.m. 5,000m, Sect. 1 (W) 4:05 p.m. 200m, Top 2 Sect. (M) ¥ Freshman long jumper Norris Frederick earned 8:10 p.m. 5,000m, Sect. 1 (M) 4:45 p.m. 4x400m Relay (W) All-America honors indoors, and is the world’s 8:30 p.m. 10,000m, Sect. 1 (M) 5:00 p.m. 4x400m Relay (M) third-ranked jumper aged 19 and under, p5
Meet Results: Results from this weekend’s Stanford Invitational will be posted live ¥ Former discus thrower Mat Schwinn took the throughout both days to www.ezmeets.com. In addition, a complete recap of UW ac- U.S. discus lead at last week’s UW Outdoor Pre- tion, including top performers and quotes from UW coaches, will be posted to view, continuing an outstanding year for former GoHuskies.com at the conclusion of each day’s action. Husky track competitors, p8 UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 2
Rankings Report: Washington’s women finished ninth in the final USTCA Husky Track Quick Facts Dual Meet Power Rankings of the 2005 indoor season, and were No. 17 in University of Washington the final indoor release of the Trackwire 25. The Husky men ranked 22nd Athletic Department, Box 354070 in the former, and were unranked in the latter. Both rankings will resume Seattle, WA 98195-4070 for the outdoor season in April.
Enrollment: ...... 42,000 (31,474 undergraduate) 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships Recap: A record 10 Huskies earned Founded: ...... Nov. 4, 1861 President: ...... Mark Emmert All-America honors at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships in Director of Athletics: ...... Todd Turner Fayetteville, Ark., including five UW women, most ever for the team in- Home Stadium: ...... Dempsey Indoor/Husky Stadium doors, and three Husky freshmen. Senior Kate Soma earned her second- Press Row Phone: ...... (206) 227-5709 straight NCAA runner-up finish in the pole vault, while junior Ashley Conference: ...... Pacific-10 Wildhaber took fifth in the event and senior Lindsey Egerdahl placed Head Coach: ...... Greg Metcalf (3rd year) eighth in the mile, the trio earning 13 points and a tie for 16th for UW, its Asst. Coach (Vault/Jumps): ...... Pat Licari (9th year) Asst. Coach (Throws): ...... Bud Rasmussen (3rd year) best NCAA Indoor finish since 1988. Freshman long jumper Norris Asst. Coach (Sprints/Hurdles): . LaMonte Vaughn, Jr. (1st year) Frederick placed sixth in his NCAA debut, tops for a UW long jumper Asst. Coach (Distances): ...... David Bazzi (4th year) since 1965, while the UW’s distance medley relay of Austin Abbott, Sean Asst. Coach (Distances): ...... Kelly Strong (3rd year) Williams, Ryan Brown and Andy Fader placed fifth to help the Huskies Volunteer Assistants: ...... Duncan Atwood (javelin) tie for 28th overall Freshman half-miler Amanda Miller and sophomore Kate Carlson (jumps) hurdler Ashley Lodree also earned All-America acclaim with respective Track Office Phone:...... (206) 221-2625 Website: ...... www.gohuskies.com ninth- and 10th-place finishes, while sophomore Stevie Marshalek placed 2004 Men’s Pac-10 Finish: ...... 8th 14th, and junior Carly Dockendorf 17th, in the women’s pole vault. 2004 Men’s NCAA Finish (Outdoor/Indoor): ...... DNS/22nd (tie) Men’s NCAA Competitors Returning/Lost: ...... 3/3 Amazing All-Americans: One note alone can’t begin to capture the amaz- 2004 Women’s Pac-10 Finish:...... 6th ing run of records set by Husky athletes at this year’s NCAA Indoor Cham- 2004 Women’s NCAA Finish ( woOutdoor/Indoor):18th (tie)/37th pionships. Ten Huskies earned All-America honors at the meet, breaking NCAA Women’s Competitors Returning/Lost: .... 5/2 the team’s all-time record of nine All-Americans set at the 1983 NCAA Best Men’s Conference Finish: ...... 2nd (1976) Best Men’s NCAA Finish:...... 2nd (1929, 1930) Outdoor Championships. The team’s five women’s All-Americans were Best Women’s Conference Finish: . 4th (1995, ‘96, ‘98) its most-ever indoors; in fact, prior to 2005, only eight UW women had Best Women’s NCAA Finish: ...... 10th (1988) ever earned All-America honors indoors, including just five — total — in the last 17 years. Three Husky freshmen earned All-America honors, a Husky Media Relations feat no UW frosh had accomplished indoors since Ja’Warren Hooker Brian Beaky, Track and Field SID did so in 1998, a year which also marked the last time a UW relay had E-mail: [email protected] Office Phone: (206) 543-2230 captured an All-America award before the DMR’s fifth-place finish Fri- Mobile Phone: (206) 227-5709 day. Nine of the 10 UW All-Americans earned the first such honors of Fax: (206) 543-5000 their careers, while two — Lindsey Egerdahl in the women’s mile and the men’s distance medley relay of Austin Abbott, Sean Williams, Ryan 2005 USTCA Dual Meet Power Rankings Brown and Andy Fader — marked the first All-Americans ever for UW Men Women in their respective events. Pole vaulter Kate Soma moved into a tie with 1. Indiana 356.97 1. Nebraska 349.51 Aretha Hill and Meg Jones for all-time UW honors with her fourth-ca- 2. Wisconsin 355.05 2. Penn State 333.69 reer All-America honor, and teamed with Ashley Wildhaber to become 3. Florida 346.73 3. Pittsburgh 332.91 the first UW duo to earn All-America honors in the same event since Laura 4. BYU 345.66 4. Arkansas 332.22 5. Tennessee 338.58 5. Georgia 329.48 Kruse and Monika Parker did so in the javelin in 1994. Lastly, the team’s 6. Nebraska 334.48 6. S. Carolina 328.09 10 All-Americans at the NCAA Indoor meet equaled its men’s and women’s 7. Michigan 326.70 7. LSU 326.33 total from the last four NCAA Championships combined, including in- 8. Illinois 326.18 8. BYU 319.62 door and outdoor championships in 2003 and 2004. 9. Missouri 323.69 9. Washington 313.29 10. LSU 322.18 10. Kansas State 312.40 NCAA Selection Process: Automatic NCAA Championships berths will 11. Oregon 318.76 11. Colo. State 309.38 be granted to the top-five finishers in each individual event, and top-three 12. Clemson 316.11 12. Florida 306.04 relay teams from each of the four Regional Championships contested na- 13. Colo. State 312.28 13. Kent State 304.96 tionwide, May 27-28. Athletes qualify for Regionals by meeting pre-de- 14. Kansas State 309.20 14. Wichita State 299.27 15. Cornell 306.01 15. California 298.12 termined NCAA standards, or by winning their conference title. The NCAA 16. Arizona 303.90 16. Ariz. State 297.63 will then supplement the Championships field with the highest-ranking 17. Penn State 303.82 17. Ga. Tech 297.55 competitors (roughly 6-7 per individual event and 5-6 per relay) from the 18. Ariz. State 300.78 18. Cornell 294.96 national performance lists, provided the athlete competed at a Regional 19. Kent State 300.67 19. Missouri 291.04 competition and was not among the finishers to earn automatic NCAA 22. Washington 295.34 20. Iowa 288.71 berths. The lone exceptions are the 10,000-meter and multi-events, in which * - Final rankings for the 2005 collegiate indoor season. athletes qualify directly for the NCAA Championships by meeting pre- determined provisional and automatic standards.
, UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 3
Washington’s 2005 NCAA West Regional Championships Qualifiers Men Women Regional National Regional National Name Event Mark Ranking Ranking Name Event Mark Ranking Ranking Will Conwell Discus 175-2 N/A* N/A* Tiffany Zahn Javelin 149-8 N/A* N/A*
* - National and Regional rankings for the 2005 outdoor season have not yet been released. Rankings will be updated next week.
Pac-10 Format Change: For the first time ever, Pac-10 athletes You Might Recall: While the six competitors on the UW roster will no longer qualify for May’s conference championship meet by from sports other than track or cross country may seem like a lot, meeting pre-determined conference qualifying standards. Instead, the practice of mining talent from other UW programs has unearthed each Pac-10 school will be allowed to bring 24 men’s and 24 countless gems for the Husky track program in the past. In fact, a women’s athletes to the meet, regardless of entry mark. In previous glance at Washington’s career top-10 charts reveals several such years, only qualified athletes were allowed to compete, while each performers, including 110m hurdles record-holder Spider Gaines, team was granted three wildcards, and was allowed to enter one a tailback for the UW football team in the 1970s, and sprinter competitor in every event for which it had no qualifier. The Pac-10 Ja’Warren Hooker, the UW record-holder at 100m, 200m, and will continue to produce a list of its top competitors in each event, 400m and a Husky wide receiver from 1997-98. Others on the list beginning in April. For a complete list of those athletes ranked among include football players Ernie Conwell (No. 5, shot put), Dana the conference leaders in each event, visit the official site of the Hall (No. 3, 110m HH), Sterling Hinds (No. 3, 100m/200m), Pete Pac-10 Conference at www.pac-10.org. Kaligis (No. 6, shot put), Orlando McKay (No. 2, 400m), Brent Merritt (No. 6, 400m) and Tony Parrish (No. 5, triple jump), bas- Resourceful Recruiting: Washington’s coaches in 2005 have found ketball players Tara Davis (No. 1, triple jump; No. 2, long jump) a creative way to add numerous elite athletes to the squad without and Heather Reichmann (No. 2, javelin) and All-American vol- having to give up any scholarships — cull the most talented ath- leyball star Makare Desilets (No. 5, high jump). UW’s two-sport letes from the UW’s other sports. Thus, the current Husky track stars have even excelled on the world stage — Herman Brix and and field roster includes three members of UW’s football team, Paul Jessup, who starred for Washington’s football teams in the two Husky women’s basketball players, and a UW gymnast. With- 1920s, each competed at the Olympic Games, and established world out a doubt, the most accomplished of the sextet is gymdawg Carly records in the shot put and discus, respectively. Dockendorf, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the pole vault with a lifetime best of 13-5 1/4 that ranks fourth in UW Remember Me?: To the casual fan of Husky athletics, junior Will history. Dockendorf is joined by Husky football players Isaiah Conwell may have fallen off the radar in 2003 when he gave up Stanback, Cody Ellis and Matt Fountaine, and women’s basket- football — where he was a UW linebacker — in favor of a career in ball players Angie Jones and Jill Bell, the latter a highly-recruited track and field. After redshirting the 2003 season to rehabilitate some prep long jumper. Stanback, who appeared in seven games at quar- lingering injuries, Conwell exploded back onto the front page in terback for the UW football team in 2004, has proven quickest of 2004, earning an NCAA Regional bid in the discus with a throw of the group on the track, qualifying for the MPSF Championships 173-5, before topping the 170-foot mark again in a fourth-place indoors in the 60-meter dash, and anchoring UW’s 4x100-meter finish at the Pac-10 Championships. The conference’s No. 3-return- relay to a time of 41.01 at the UW Outdoor Preview. Wide receiver ing discus competitor in 2005, Conwell has his season off to a fast Ellis and cornerback Fountaine also competed at 60 meters indoors, start with an indoor PR of 188-5 and an outdoor best of 175-2, both while sophomore Jones, a reserve guard on the UW basketball team, beyond the NCAA’s regional qualifying standard. Once expected to made her Husky track debut in the high jump last weekend. The follow his uncle, Husky legend Ernie Conwell, to football glory, gem of the group, however, could be Bell, who set a state prep Conwell is instead focusing on matching his famous uncle’s track record in the long jump in 2000, and placed ninth in the event at accomplishments. A five-year letterwinner in track and field at Wash- the 1999 World Youth Championships in Poland. A starting for- ington, the elder Conwell climbed as high as fourth on the UW’s ward for UW who averaged 9.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg in 2004-05, Bell is all-time shot put list, and earned All-America honors in the event expected to make her UW track debut sometime next month. with a fifth-place finish at the 1996 NCAA Championships. UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 4
It’s Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight: Four-time All-American pole Monster PR of the Week: A driving rain at last weekend’s vaulter Kate Soma may stand only an inch above 5’-0”, but the Husky UW Outdoor Preview kept marks down across the board, senior cuts a towering figure in collegiate pole vaulting history. At the but it didn’t stop senior Laura Halverson from shaving Feb. 12 Husky Classic, Soma broke her own UW indoor record with a seven seconds off of her personal best in the 1,500 meters. clearance of 14-3 1/2, equaling the seventh-best by a collegiate vaulter all- Halverson’s winning time of 4:38.13 was a lifetime best time, and tops in the nation in 2005. The Portland, Ore., native is tied for for the UW steeplechase record holder, who has struggled second among American women in the 2005 IAAF World Rankings only throughout her career with a recurring back injury. Suc- to U.S.-record holder Stacy Dragila, and is the 20th-ranked woman in the ceeding in less-than-ideal conditions is nothing new for world. Soma earned second at March’s NCAA Indoor Championships, Halverson, however — the Mica, Wash., native set a Husky her second-straight runner-up honor in the event and her fourth-career All- Stadium steeplechase record at the 2002 UW Outdoor Preview, despite a frozen track and a steady snowfall. America performance, equaling Aretha Hill and Meg Jones for the most such honors in UW history. That consistency has helped Soma to break UW’s pole vault record in each of her seven collegiate “seasons,” includ- 2005 Husky Track and Field ing four indoors and three outdoors. In clearing 14-3 1/2, Soma backed up her UW outdoor record clearance of 14-2 at last year’s Pac-10 Champion- Statistical Leaders ships, a vault which won Soma her first Pac-10 title and qualified her for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. Soma followed up her Pac-10 crown with a Women’s 100m Dash Chanda Hardin-Scott 12.83 second-place finish at the NCAA Championships and her second All- 200m Dash Ashley Lodree 25.81i America honor of the year, a feat accomplished by just four other UW 400m Dash Lauran Dignam 56.73i women all-time. Perhaps it’s her support system — Soma’s mother, Donna, 800m Run Amanda Miller 2:06.96i boasts an U.S. vault age-group record, while her high school coach de- 1500m Run Laura Halverson 4:38.13 signs shoes worn by elite vaulters Dragila and Dmitri Markov. Steeplechase No competitors 5000m Run Angela Wishaar 17:13.57i 10000m Run No competitors All-Time NCAA Division-I Pole Vault Top-10 100m Hurdles No competitors Name School Year Mark 400m Hurdles No competitors 1. Chelsea Johnson UCLA 2004 15-0 4x100m Relay Steward/Dignam/ 48.37 2. Amy Linnen Arizona 2002 14-10 1/4i Wilson/Hardin-Scott 3. Thorey Elisdottir Georgia 2001 14-9 1/2i 4x400m Relay Dignam/Steward/ 3:49.23i 4. Becky Holliday Oregon 2003 14-8 Lodree/Miller 5. Lacy Janson Florida State 2003 14-7 1/4i High Jump Grace Vela 5-8i Tracy O’Hara UCLA 2000 14-7 1/4 Pole Vault Kate Soma 14-3 1/2i 7. Kate Soma Washington 2005 14-3 1/2i Long Jump Grace Vela 19-6 3/4i Melissa Price Fresno State 1998 14-3 1/2 Triple Jump Sidney Brown 40-3 1/4i 9. April Steiner Arkansas 2003 14-3 1/4i Shot Put Sheree Ellis 46-11 3/4i Tamara Diles Wash. State 2002 14-3 1/4i Discus No competitors Hammer No competitors Javelin Tiffany Zahn 149-8 Vault Supremacy: There is little doubt that Washington reigns supreme Heptathlon No competitors in the world of collegiate women’s vaulting. Four UW women qualified for the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, most-ever for any team in the Men’s event. Senior Kate Soma and junior Ashley Wildhaber each earned All- 100m Dash No competitors America honors with top-five finishes, giving UW four vaulters with ca- 200m Dash Davaon Spence 21.80i 400m Dash Sean Williams 47.41i reer top-13 NCAA finishes under their belts, including a 13th-place finish 800m Run Shane Charles 1:49.59i by sophomore Stevie Marshalek on Saturday, and an 11th-place finish by 1500m Run Matt Owen 3:54.58 junior Carly Dockendorf at the 2004 NCAA outdoor meet. The four also Steeplechase Andrew Robinson 9:28.19 are the only quartet in collegiate vault history to each boast bests above 5000m Run Jeremy Mineau 14:11.81i 13-5, including marks by Soma (14-3 1/2) and Wildhaber (13-9 1/4) that 10000m Run No competitors 110m Hurdles No competitors each rank among the top-10 in Pac-10 Conference history. 400m Hurdles Brandon Bailey 54.15 4x100m Relay Davidson/Spence/ 41.01 All-Time Pac-10 Pole Vault Top-10 Boase/Stanback Name School Year Mark 4x400m Relay S. Williams/Brown/ 3:07.94i 1. Chelsea Johnson UCLA 2004 15-0 Charles/Jackson 2. Amy Linnen Arizona 2002 14-10 1/4i High Jump Eickhoff/Frederick 7-0 1/4i 3. Becky Holliday Oregon 2003 14-8 Pole Vault McKane Lee 17-3i 4. Tracy O’Hara UCLA 2000 14-7 1/4 Long Jump Norris Frederick 25-6 1/4i 5. Kate Soma Washington 2005 14-3 1/2i Triple Jump J.R. Wolfork 46-9 1/2i 6. Tamara Diles Wash. State 2002 14-3 1/4i Shot Put Evan Wilson 52-7 1/2i 7. Nikki McEwen Oregon 2003 14-1 1/4 Discus Will Conwell 175-2 Connie Jerz Arizona 2003 14-1 1/4 Hammer No competitors 9. Ashley Wildhaber Washington 2005 13-9 1/4i Javelin Dave Nyland 182-11 Andrea Dutoit Arizona 2001 13-9 1/4 Decathlon No competitors UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 5
Moving On Up: Senior Kate Soma continued an impressive streak The ‘Lo’ Down: She’s not even halfway through her 2005 colle- at March’s NCAA Indoor Championships. The four-time All-Ameri- giate season, but already sophomore Ashley Lodree boasts three can has matched or improved her NCAA standing in each of her times among the top-10 in UW history, and an All-America honor six-career appearances at the meet, having placed 16th outdoors in in the 60-meter hurdles. But then, everything the 19-year-old does 2002, 12th indoors and seventh outdoors in 2003, fifth (tied) in- is fast. Lodree placed 10th in the hurdles at the 2005 NCAA Indoor doors and second outdoors in 2004, and second indoors in 2005. Championships, earning her first All-America honor and the first Should that trend continue at June’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, by a UW women’s hurdler since Claudine Robinson in 1994. The Soma could become just the third NCAA champion in UW women’s Richmond, Calif., native was a one-woman whirlwind in 2004, plac- history, and the first since 1988. ing 14th in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2004 NCAA indoor meet before bettering UW’s 100-meter hurdles record in her first colle- Dazzling Debut: All eyes were on freshman Norris Frederick at giate final just two weeks later. Lodree’s wind-aided 13.43-second January’s UW Indoor Preview, and the Seattle native did not disap- mark was well below the UW benchmark of 13.55 set by Robinson point. Frederick swept high- and long-jump titles at the meet, his in 1994, and was the first of seven record-breaking runs for the UW winning mark of 25-4 1/2 in the latter a six-inch personal best. Two freshman, who closed her rookie season with a wind-aided best of weeks later, Frederick launched four more jumps over 25 feet at the 13.39 at the Texas Relays, and a legal record of 13.41 seconds at the UW Invitational, the last a 25-foot, 6 1/4-inch monster that ranked Drake Relays. Despite just missing an NCAA outdoor berth with a sixth in the nation during the 2005 indoor season, and is the third- sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Regional, Lodree’s efforts best mark in the world this year by a jumper aged 19 or under. The ranked the freshman No. 7 in the world among junior-age runners freshman’s sixth-place finish in the long jump at the 2005 NCAA in the 2004 IAAF World Rankings, and No. 2 among U.S. juniors. Indoor Championships was tops by a UW competitor in the event More than just a hurdler, however, Lodree scored in four events at since 1965, and earned the Huskies’ first All-America honor by a the 2004 Pac-10 Championships, and boasts marks among UW’s UW frosh since 1999. Success for Frederick, currently America’s all-time top-10 in six different events. At February’s MPSF Cham- 14th-ranked male long jumper, and the top-ranked American jun- pionships, Lodree lowered her own school 60-meter hurdles record ior-age competitor, is certainly to be expected — he ranked second to 8.15 seconds, eighth-fastest by any collegiate woman this year, among U.S. prep high jumpers in 2004 with a best of 7-1, and was and four hundredths of a second below the national freshman-lead- the United States’ fourth-ranked prep long jumper at 24-10 1/2. The ing mark of 8.19 seconds she set in 2004. The sophomore also boasts Roosevelt High School graduate literally jumped out of his shoes at marks this year in the 60-meter dash (7.44 seconds) and 200-meter July’s IAAF World Junior Championships in Italy, tearing apart the run (24.81) that rank among Washington’s best all-time, and is tied footwear which had guided him to five state titles during his four- for second in the world among athletes aged 20 or younger. year prep career. With borrowed shoes, Frederick managed to place 19th in both events at the world meet, and closed the 2004 season 2005 IAAF 60-Meter Hurdles Rankings (Under-20 Only) ranked among the top-35 under-20 athletes in the world. Frederick’s Name Country Mark 2005 long jump best is just 1/4-inch shy of the UW indoor record 1. Dawn Harper United States 8.05 held by former world-record holder Phil Shinnick, while his high 2. Ashley Lodree United States 8.15 jump best of 7-0 1/4 equals UW’s second-best ever indoors. Yvonne Mensah Canada 8.15 4. Ashlee Williams United States 8.21 2005 IAAF Junior Men’s Long Jump Rankings 5. Jospehine Onyia Nigeria 8.22 Name Country Mark 6. Jessica Czaikowski Canada 8.23 1. Viktor Kuznyetsov Ukraine 26-11 3/4 7. Monique Morgan Jamaica 8.24 2. Jie Ding China 25-9 1/2 8. Stephanie Lichtl Germany 8.26 3. Norris Frederick United States 25-6 1/4 9. Lucie Martinkova Czech Republic 8.27 4. Adrian Vasile Romania 25-4 3/4 5. Zutao Jin China 25-4 Josanne Lucas Trinidad 8.27 6. Sebastian Bayer Germany 25-3 1/2 Rare Double: From the first time she entered a pole vault competi- Parlez-Vous Francais?: Husky freshman Jeremy Mineau received tion — going 12-1 1/2 at Husky Stadium in 2002 — it was obvious a crash course in French at last weekend’s IAAF World Junior Cross that junior Carly Dockendorf, already a decorated UW gymnast, Country Championships last weekend. The Menlo Park, Calif., led was in an elite class of athletes. Just two years later, Dockendorf the United States to a seventh-place finish in the junior men’s race moved into a class all her own, adding an NCAA Track Champion- in Saint Galmier, France, covering the 8,000-meter course in 27:10, ships berth to the NCAA Gymnastics invite she earned last April. fifth among U.S. competitors and 68th overall. Mineau, who in Feb- While it is not uncommon for a college athlete to compete in mul- ruary clocked the fourth-fastest indoor 5,000-meter mark in UW tiple NCAA Championships in one year — track/cross country and history, was the first current Husky to compete at the World Cham- volleyball/basketball doubles being among the most common — to pionships since Laura Hodgson in 2003, and the first active Husky do so in two unrelated sports in which qualification is based on men’s runner since Christian Belz in 1993. Belz made his third- individual, not team, performance is extremely rare. Dockendorf career appearance at the meet this year for his native Switzerland, finished 11th in her NCAA pole vault debut, after placing 24th on placing 28th in the men’s short race to lead all European finishers. the floor exercise at April’s NCAA gymnastics meet. The junior is Former Husky Courtney Inman also competed last weekend, plac- already halfway to repeating the feat this season, having placed in ing 56th in the women’s short race for Team Canada. the pole vault at last week’s NCAA Indoor Track Championships. UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 6
2005 Updates to UW Indoor Top-10 Lists Men Women All-time School All-time School Name Event Mark UW Rank Record Name Event Mark UW Rank Record Shane Charles 800m Run 1:49.59 1st Same Ashley Lodree 60m Hurdles 8.15 1st Same Ryan Brown 800m Run 1:49.64 2nd 1:49.59 Amanda Miller 800m Run 2:06.76 1st Same Norris Frederick Long Jump 25-6 1/4 2nd 25-6 1/2 Kate Soma Pole Vault 14-3 1/2 1st Same Corey Fredericks Heptathlon 4,551 2nd 4,609 Grace Vela Pentathlon 3,915 1st Same S. Williams/Brown/ 4x400m 3:07.94 2nd 3:07.33 Ashley Lodree 60m Dash 7.44 2nd 7.40 Charles/Jackson Ashley Lodree 200m Dash 24.81 2nd 24.49 Abbott/S. Williams DMR 9:36.20 2nd 9:35.35 Ashley Wildhaber Pole Vault 13-9 1/4 3rd 14-3 1/2 Brown/Fader Sidney Brown Triple Jump 40-3 1/4 3rd 41-4 1/4 Warren Eickhoff High Jump 7-0 1/4 2nd (tie) 7-5 Lindsey Egerdahl Mile Run 4:42.27 3rd 4:40.24 Norris Frederick High Jump 7-0 1/4 2nd (tie) 7-5 Stevie Marshalek Pole Vault 13-7 1/4 3rd 14-3 1/2 Carly Dockendorf Pole Vault 13-5 1/4 4th 14-3 1/2 Austin Abbott Mile Run 4:02.25 3rd 3:58.93 Brynne Steward 60m Hurdles 8.55 4th 8.15 Austin Abbott 800m Run 1:51.02 4th 1:49.64 Grace Vela High Jump 5-8 4th 6-2 Jeremy Mineau 5000m Run 14:11.81 4th 13:58.51 Arlecier West Weight Throw 50-11 1/2 4th 55-2 Sean Williams 400m Dash 47.41 4th 46.45 Bonnie Snyder Pentathlon 3,471 5th 3,915 Jordan Boase 400m Dash 47.76 6th 46.45 Kelley DiVesta Pole Vault 12-5 1/2 6th 14-3 1/2 Bruce Jackson 800m Run 1:51.17 6th 1:49.64 Grace Vela Long Jump 19-6 3/4 6th 20-5 1/2 McKane Lee Pole Vault 17-3 6th 19-0 1/4 Grace Vela Triple Jump 39-3 3/4 6th 41-4 1/4 Abbott/Brown/ DMR 9:51.36 6th 9:35.35 Egerdahl/Steward DMR 11:41.45 6th 11:23.12 Freeman/Fader Harrison/Connelly J.R. Wolfork Long Jump 23-7 1/2 6th (tie) 25-6 1/2 Sheree Ellis Shot Put 46-11 3/4 7th 52-7 1/2 Kevin Peters 5000m 14:17.14 7th 13:58.51 Angela Wishaar 5000m Run 17:13.57 7th 16:22.13 Davaon Spence 200m Dash 21.80 7th (tie) 20.56 Liz Fuller Pentathlon 3,051 8th 3,723 Jordan Boase 200m Dash 21.81 10th (tie) 20.56 Grace Vela 60m Hurdles 8.63 8th 8.15 Kevin Peters 5,000m Run 14.33.76 9th 13:58.51 Grace Vela High Jump 5-6 1/2 8th (tie) 6-2 Andy Fader 3,000m Run 8:11.09 10th 7:54.13 Bonnie Snyder Triple Jump 38-9 1/2 9th 41-4 1/4 Dignam/Steward 4x400m 3:49.23 9th 3:44.00 Lodree/Miller Kira Harrison Mile 4:51.51 10th 4:40.24
Double-Duty Dockendorf: There is no doubt that pole vaulter/gym- Record Rookies: If there was any doubt before, this year’s NCAA nast Carly Dockendorf is one of the finest two-sport athletes in Indoor Championships proved that UW’s Class of 2008 is one for UW history. The Port Moody, B.C., native added to her legend last the ages. Three Husky freshmen earned All-America honors, a feat month with a 17th-place finish in the vault at the NCAA Indoor just six had accomplished, indoors or out, since 1990, and none since Championships in Arkansas, just 19 hours after competing in Utah 1999. Seattle’s Norris Frederick capped an outstanding indoor sea- for the Husky gymnastics team. Balancing two sports, though, is son with a sixth-place finish in the long jump, tops by a Husky in nothing new to Dockendorf — the junior earned a second-straight the event since 1965, while Wenatchee native Amanda Miller broke NCAA gymnastics berth last April, before a terrific 2004 track sea- her own UW record in a ninth-place performance in the 800 meters. son that included a sixth-place finish at the Pac-10 meet, third place Rounding out the All-American trio was Chehalis native Austin at the NCAA Regional, and 11th place at June’s NCAA Champion- Abbott, who ran a strong opening leg in the distance medley relay ships. After missing the first two months of the 2005 indoor track en route to a fifth-place team finish. The trio ran rampant through season with an injury, Dockendorf cleared 13-5 1/4 in her Mar. 5 UW’s indoor records all season, including marks by Frederick of season debut to cinch an NCAA berth, and move into sole posses- 25-6 1/4 in the long jump and 7-0 1/4 in the high jump that each sion of eighth-place in Canadian women’s history. Amazingly, rank second all-time at UW, and a UW freshman-record run of Dockendorf has been pole vaulting for less than three years, having 4:02.25 in the mile by Abbott. Miller, though, has been the most begun the sport only after seeing Husky vaulters working out at prolific, lowering the school’s 800-meter record on three separate Dempsey Indoor during her freshman gymnastics season in 2002. occasions, including a best of 2:06.76 at the NCAA meet. Even the Dockendorf began her two-sport double on a full-time basis in 2003, UW’s cross country runners have gotten in on the action, with fresh- winning All-America honors on the gymnastics floor while placing man Jeremy Mineau placing 68th at the IAAF World Junior Cross eighth in the pole vault at the Pac-10 Championships. Her seven Country Championships, and freshman Jon Harding leading Team perfect 10s are the most by any UW gymnast all-time, while her USA to sixth at the 2005 NACAC Cross Country Championships. six-career vaults over 13 feet rank second in UW history. Ridiculous Records: Washington’s athletes have certainly been Athletics Canada All-Time Women’s Pole Vault Rankings Name Year Mark keeping the team’s indoor record-keepers busy this season. Husky 1. Dana Ellis 2004 14-8 athletes combined for 19 marks among the team’s top-10 all-time at 2. Stephanie McCann 2004 14-5 1/4 February’s MPSF Championships, and have achieved a stunning 3. Kelsie Hendry 2005 14-4 1/2i 72 such marks this season, after totaling 47 new top-10 marks in 4. Ardin Tucker-Harrison 2002 13-9 3/4 2004. Washington’s highly-acclaimed indoor facility, Dempsey In- 5. Trista Bernier 1998 13-7 1/4 door, has certainly had an effect on the Huskies’ indoor list, with 21 6. Jackie Honey 2001 13-6 1/4 school records and an eye-popping 176 marks among UW’s all- 7. Adrienne Vangool 2004 13-5 3/4 8. Carly Dockendorf 2005 13-5 1/4i time top-10 having been achieved since the start of the 2002 sea- 9. Sue Kupper 2005 13-3 1/2i son, UW’s first in the facility. For a complete list of the top-10 in- 10. Simona Kovacic 2003 13-2 1/4 door marks set in 2005, see the box above. UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 7
20 Years of Spear Success: From Fred Luke and Duncan Atwood Island Fever: Don’t be surprised if Seattle seems a little tropical to Darryl Roberson and Helena Uusitalo, the UW has a long-stand- this spring— with three Caribbean sprinters on the UW roster, there’s ing tradition of excellence in the javelin. Since 1982, when women’s a distinct island flavor to the 2005 season. Grenada’s Shane Charles track and field joined the NCAA, the Huskies have sent at least one joins Jamaica’s Patrick Davidson and Davaon Spence on the Husky javelin thrower to all but three NCAA Championships, including roster this year, giving the UW three sprinters with significant inter- All-American performances by Megan Spriestersbach in 2004, national experience. Charles, who led all of his countrymen in the and Heather Reichmann in 2003. The list of UW javelin greats 400-meter hurdles in 2003 and 2004, crushed UW’s indoor 800- includes four Pac-10 Champions (Uusitalo, ‘87; Roberson, ‘88-89; meter record by nearly half a second in January, before seeing his Troy Burkholder, ‘96), three NCAA champions (Uusitalo, ‘86, Tom mark broken two weeks later by teammate Ryan Brown. Grenada’s Sinclair, ‘79 Cary Feldman, ‘71) and three U.S. Olympians national champion in the 400-meter hurdles in 2003, and the junior (Atwood, ‘80, ‘84; Rod Ewaliko, ‘80; Fred Luke, ‘72). In UW national record holder in the event, Charles earned All-America hon- history, only the four NCAA hammer throw titles won by Scott ors at Central Arizona JC in 2004 with a best of 50.95 seconds that Neilson eclipse the Huskies’ national-championship prowess in the would have qualified him for last year’s NCAA Championships. spear, which has featured more UW All-Americans (27) than any Spence and Davidson, meanwhile, teammates at Kingston, Jamaica’s other event. Five Husky javelin throwers qualified for the 2004 St. Jago High School, teamed for a world youth record in the 4x400m NCAA Regional Championships, including senior finisher at the 1999 World Youth Games in Poland, and led Jamaica’s relay Spriestersbach, who followed up a second-place regional finish with to a silver medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games. The two split up to a fourth-place effort at the national meet, tops by a UW woman in attend junior colleges in the U.S. before reuniting at UW last sea- the event since 1987. The senior set a UW record and qualified for son, each setting Pac-10 qualifying marks before injuries cut their the U.S. Olympic Trials with her final collegiate toss, a 173 foot-7 seasons short in May. inch monster that broke her own UW benchmark by more than six feet, and was the third-best ever in Pac-10 history. Passing the Baton: Eight years passed between the last two times a UW men's 4x400-meter relay earned All-America honors at the Husky Greats Give Back: Looking for a reason for UW’s remark- NCAA Championships. It's possible Husky fans won't have to wait able javelin success? Look no further than former U.S. Olympian so long again. Three of the four Huskies who led UW's relay to Duncan Atwood, now in his third year volunteering his time to his third at the 2004 NCAA Regional, and a berth at the NCAA Cham- alma mater as a javelin coach, working with assistant coach Bud pionships, return in 2005, including senior Sean Williams and jun- Rasmussen. The results speak for themselves: in 2003, the first- ior Bruce Jackson. Both were on the relay that placed second at year coach guided Heather Reichmann to All-America honors and February's MPSF Championships, clocking a time of 3:07.94 that a No. 10 national USATF ranking; in 2004, he mentored senior ranks second in UW history, and was 12th-fastest in the nation dur- Megan Spriestersbach to fourth-place at the NCAA Championships ing the 2005 indoor season. While Williams, Jackson and relay new- and a berth at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and led freshman Brian comer Ryan Brown all hail from the Seattle area, having respec- Harris to a berth at the IAAF World Junior Championships. Since tively attended Lake Washington and Juanita High Schools in Atwood’s hiring, the UW women’s javelin record has fallen four Kirkland, and Renton High School in Renton, it takes a little longer times, and has increased by more than 15 feet. Atwood joins two to reach the hometown of the relay's fourth member, Grenada na- fellow Huskies on the UW staff, including second-year head coach tive Shane Charles. Grenada's national 400-meter hurdles champ, Greg Metcalf — a two-time steeplechase All-American at UW and Charles earned All-American honors at Central Arizona JC in 2004 a participant at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials — and two-time Husky with a best of 50.95 seconds that would have placed third at the All-American David Bazzi, now a UW assistant coach. 2004 West Regional. With the addition of Charles and Brown, UW's relay — which clocked a best of 3:06.41 in 2004 to rank 15th in the Leading From the Front: After consecutive sixth-place finishes in nation, and third in UW history — is a legitimate threat to become the 1,500 meters at the NCAA West Regional in each of the last two the first Husky 4x400m to earn All-America honors since Ja'Warren seasons — one spot shy of an automatic bid to the NCAA Champi- Hooker, B.J. Dawson, Scott Anabel and Derek Prior placed eighth onships — senior Lindsey Egerdahl understands the value of an in the event at the NCAA indoor meet in 1998. NCAA berth. So when finally granted the opportunity to run at the NCAAs after a personal-best 4:42.27 in the mile at the Mar. 5 UW Northwest Honors: The Feb. 5 weekend may have been a week off Last Chance Qualifier, the Auburn, Wash., native made the most of from competition, but that didn’t stop the Huskies from making it. Egerdahl’s eighth-place finish in the mile at the 2005 NCAA headlines. Women’s assistant coach Kelly Strong and former Husky Indoor Championships earned the senior her first-career All-America Brad Walker were recognized for their 2004 accomplishments with honor, and was the first ever by a UW woman in the event. The Pacific Northwest Track and Field’s Athlete of the Year honors, honor was a fitting reward for an athlete who has consistently put announced Feb. 4. The fifth-place steeplechase finisher at the 2004 the team ahead of the individual, leading the Husky women to con- U.S. Olympic Trials, and the ninth-ranked steepler in U.S. history, secutive NCAA cross country berths in 2003 and 2004. Since arriv- Strong was nominated alongside UW senior Kate Soma and 2004 ing at UW in 2001, Egerdahl has soared to third in school history in UW alum Megan Spriestersbach, both All-Americans and Olym- the mile, and to seventh in the 1,500 meters, with a best of 4:22.38. pic Trials participants in 2004. Walker, meanwhile, captured his third- The senior also boasts a mark of 9:35.08 for 3,000 meters that ranks straight PNTF honor after winning his second-straight NCAA in- fourth indoors at UW, and has run legs of four of UW’s 10-fastest door pole vault title, placing sixth at the Olympic Trials, and clos- distance medley relays, including the school-record of 11:23.12. ing the year with a No. 6 world ranking. UW TRACK AND FIELD ¥ Mar... 23, 2005 ¥ Page 8
Walker Wins U.S. Gold: While his former UW teammates were Head Coach Greg Metcalf: Former Husky All-American Greg pursuing MPSF titles at Dempsey Indoor on the last weekend of Metcalf is in his third year as Washington’s head coach of track February, former Husky All-American Brad Walker earned his first and field and cross country, and his eighth year overall on the UW USA indoor title, clearing 18-6 1/2 to win the pole vault at the 2005 coaching staff. In his first two-plus seasons at the helm, Metcalf USA Indoor Championships in Boston. The victory bookended an has led the UW women to three top-30 finishes at the NCAA outstanding indoor season for the Spokane native, who began the Championships, including 18th outdoors in 2004 and a tie for 16th year with a victory in January at the prestigious National Pole Vault indoors in 2005, and has guided the Husky men to consecutive Summit, his mark of 19-1 1/2 the world’s fifth-best in 2005. Walker top-30 indoor finishes in each of the last two years. Individually, has always been at his best indoors — the 2004 UW alum won 12 UW distance runners have earned NCAA berths, with four consecutive NCAA indoor titles in 2003 and 2004, with a best col- grabbing All-America accolades, a list which does not include the legiate clearance of 19-0 1/2 that ranks sixth in NCAA history. team’s All-America distance medley relay in 2005. In addition, Metcalf has led the Huskies’ women’s cross country team to the One More (Inter)national Crown: One week after Walker’s U.S. NCAA meet in each of his eight years atop the UW distance title, former Husky Sabrina Monro kept the UW in the interna- program, marking the sixth-longest active streak of NCAA tional track headlines with a victory at the 2005 NACAC Cross Coun- appearances in the nation. In all, Metcalf has coached 17 All- try Championships in Clermont, Fla. The meet, which featured in- Americans, five Pac-10 champions, 16 school-record setters and ternational teams from North and Central America and the Carib- 71 NCAA qualifiers. A 1993 UW graduate, Metcalf was a two- bean, marked the international debut for the former NCAA cross time All-American in the steeple, and ran in the 1996 U.S. Olympic country runner-up, who completed her collegiate career in 2003. trials.
And Don’t Forget: Between Brad Walker’s U.S. indoor pole vault Star-Studded Staff: Washington’s assistant coaching staff in 2005 title in February, and Sabrina Monro’s win at the 2005 NACAC is in no way short on accolades. Ninth-year vaults/jumps coach Cross Country Championships, it’s been a good year to be a former Pat Licari has directed 10 All-Americans, including two-time Husky. Discus thrower Mat Schwinn kept the UW’s success roll- NCAA champion Brad Walker. Third-year throws coach Bud ing at last week’s UW Outdoor Preview with a throw of 196-9, tops Rasmussen founded the prestigious Iron Wood Thrower by an American this year and 12th in the current IAAF World Development Camp, has mentored two All-Americans in two years Rankings. The 20th overall finisher in the discus at the 2004 U.S. at Washington, and in seven years at North Idaho College coached Olympic Trials, Schwinn has continued to train at UW since con- 82 NJCAA All-Americans, 18 national champions and five NJCAA cluding his collegiate career in 2003 with a third-place finish at the record holders. First-year sprints/relays coach LaMonte Vaughn, Pac-10 meet, and a sixth-place effort at the NCAA West Regional. Jr. mentored Ashley Lodree to All-America honors in 2005, after leading eight Eastern Kentucky sprinters to Ohio Valley Conference Multi-Talented: Senior multi-eventer Grace Vela is nothing if not titles in 2004, and coaching athletes to 13 school records in four determined — witness her performance last year’s Pac-10 Champi- years at Marshall University. Fourth-year distance coach David onships, where the Toronto native competed in the heptathlon, long Bazzi, a Washington alum, was the 2001 Pac-10 champion at 10,000 jump, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay, ulti- meters, and still holds three all-time school records. Rounding out mately toeing the line 11 different times. So it was little surprise the all-star cast is third-year distance coach Kelly Strong, who that a banged-up Vela, nursing an injury that had kept her from any graduated from Arizona State in 2002 with five All-America honors serious running or jumping all week, dominated at the 2005 MPSF and three Pac-10 titles, and is largely credited with putting together Championships, crushing the UW pentathlon record with a score of a women’s recruiting class in 2003 that was ranked sixth in the 3,915 points that included marks in the high jump and 60-meter nation by Track and Field News. Ironically, the most accomplished hurdles which were each among UW’s all-time top-10. Vela in 2004 member of the Husky coaching staff is one of the team’s volunteer was one of Canada’s most prolific performers, earning top-10 na- assistants — former Olympian Duncan Atwood. A UW All- tional rankings in the heptathlon (sixth), long jump (seventh), 100- American, two-time Olympian and three-time U.S. champion, meter hurdles (ninth) and triple jump (ninth). The junior became Atwood has helped Husky women’s javelin throwers earn All- UW’s first NCAA Championships competitor in the heptathlon since America honors in each of his two seasons with the team, and Sonja Forster in 1994, while her season-best score of 5,225 points mentored freshman Brian Harris to an IAAF Junior World — set in a fourth-place Pac-10 finish — ranked second in UW his- Championships berth in 2004. tory only to Forster’s record of 5,266. Born and raised in Zimba- bwe, Vela moved to Toronto in 1995 with her family, before attend- ing Division-II Lewis University in Chicago. Vela won five events at the 2003 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, and earned Division-II All-America honors in the 4x100-meter relay before transferring to Washington in 2004. The senior will earn her economics degree this spring, with plans to return to Zimbabwe and work to improve the nation’s economic condition. When she does return, she will do so as the country’s all-time top performer in the pentathlon and heptathlon, her personal bests in both events un- matched by any other woman in Zimbabwe’s history.