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NORTHERN ARIZONA TRACK & FIELD Lopez Lomong •Served as U.S. Flagbearer at 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing •Advanced to semifinals of the men’s 1500m •First NAU athlete to represent the United States in the Olympic Games •Won two National Championships (2007 indoor 3000, 2007 outdoor 1500) as a Lumberjack •Competed at NAU from 2005 to 2007, earning five All- American awards Northern Arizona Track and Field has been represented in every summer Olympics since 1984, by a total of 10 differnet athletes, including three-time Olympians Angela Chalmers and Anna Soderberg. Angela Chalmers Anna Soderberg NAU O •Bronze medal in the 3000-meters at •Competed in the 2008 Olympics in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 2004 Olympics in Athens, and Barcelona, Spain the 2000 games in Sydney •Competed in the 1988 Summer •Competed in three World Olympics in Seoul, Korea Championships, finishing as high as eighth (Paris, 2003) in the discus •Ran track and cross country for the Lumberjacks 1982-1986 •NCAA Champion, 1997 LYMPIANS •1986 NCAA Women’s Cross Country •NAU student-athlete 1993-1997 Champion •NAU Hall of Fame, 2003 •NAU Hall of Fame, 1992 Samantha George Victor Castillo •Competed in the 2000 Summer •Competed in the long jump in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia on the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Canadian 4x400 meter relay team Greece •11th-place finish at NCAA •Third-place finish at 2003 Pan Championships, 400-meters American Games •Big Sky Conference record-holder, •IAAF third-best world mark of 27-3 400-meters (53.01, 1998) LUMBERJACKS IN THE OLYMPICS Athlete Year(s) Country Maya Benzoor 1984 Israel Jama Bile 1996 Samolia Victor Castillo 2004 Venezuela Angela Chalmers 1988, 1992, 1996 Canada Samantha George 2000 Canada Lopez Lomong 2008 United States Kristian Pettersson 2000 Sweden Anna Soderberg 2000, 2004, 2008 Sweden Georgina Toth 2008 Cameroun Anthony Wilson 1996 Canada 1 2008 Olympian Georgina Toth NORTHERN ARIZONA TRACK & FIELD UNIVERSITY INFORMATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Location Flagstaff, Ariz. NAU Track and Field Olympians . .1 Elevation 7,000 feet Quick Facts, Table of Contents . .2 Enrollment 22,507 2008 Season Review . .3 Founded 1899 Coaching Staff Nickname Lumberjacks Director of Cross Country and Track and Field JW Hardy . .4 Colors Blue, Gold and Sage Graduate Assistant Coach Lauryn Jordan . .5 Affiliation NCAA Division I Graduate Assistant Coach Giles McDonnell . .5 Conference Big Sky Head Throws, Multis Coach Mohamad Saatara . .6 President Dr. John D. Haeger Head Distance Coach Eric Heins . .7 Athletic Director Jim Fallis Graduate Assitant Coach Seth Watkins . .7 Associate AD/SWA Maria Bruggeman J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome . .8 Associate AD/Compliance Jared Bruggeman Big Sky Conference . .9 Academic Coordinator Pam Lowie Northern Arizona University- The Mountain Campus . .10 Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Wayne Sjoberg 2009 NAU Men’s Team University Web Site www.nau.edu Roster . .11 Athlete Biographies . .12-21 TRACK AND FIELD INFORMATION 2009 NAU Women’s Team Head Coach & Director of Track and Field J.W. Hardy Roster . .22 Head Distance / Cross Country Coach Eric Heins Athlete Biographies . .22-31 Head Throws / Multis Coach Mohamad Saatara 2009 Indoor Standards Assistant Coach Lauryn Jordan Big Sky Conference Qualifying Standards . .32 Assistant Coach Giles McDonnell Altitude Adjustments . .32 Assistant Coach Seth Watkins NCAA Qualifying Standards . .33 2008 Women’s Indoor Big Sky Finish Third Men’s Indoor 2008 Men’s Indoor Big Sky Finish Third Big Sky Conference History . .34 2008 Women’s Outdoor Big Sky Finish Second ACTS NAU History . .35 2008 Men’s Outdoor Big Sky Finish First F Women’s Indoor Big Sky Conference History . .36 NAU History . .37 MEDIA RELATIONS Track and Field Contact Nate Silva Men’s Outdoor UICK E-Mail [email protected] Big Sky Conference History . .38 NAU History . .39 Office Phone (928) 523-1017 Q Office Fax (928) 523-6793 Women’s Outdoor Cell Phone (928) 221-1397 Big Sky Conference History . .40 Media Relations Director Steve Shaff NAU History . .41 Assistant Director Karen Auerbach 2009 Outdoor Standards Mailing Address P.O. Box 15400 Big Sky Conference Qualifying Standards . .42 (Overnight: 1 Skydome Drive) NCAA Qualifying Standards . .42 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5400 Northern Arizona University Athletics Web Site www.nauathletics.com NAU Track and Field All-Americans . .43 Administration . .44 Athletics Staff . .45 The 2009 Northern Arizona University track and field media 2007-08 Athletics Year in Review . .46 guide was written and designed by Nate Silva. Surrounding Area . .47 Assistance from Steve Shaff, Karen Auerbach, JW Hardy, Joe Scacco. Cover design by Nate Silva. NAU Track and Field National Champions . .48 Photographs by Errol Anderson, Rebecca Fairchild, Ian Johnson, Hutch Johnson, Bob Johnson, Victah Sailer, and Steve Shaff. Printing by DuMont Printing of Fresno, Calif. 2 NORTHERN ARIZONA TRACK & FIELD 2008 Men’s Indoor 2008 Men’s Outdoor All-American David McNeill, 3000m All-American David McNeill, 5000m Conference Finish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Third Conference Finish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -First Conference Champions - - - - - - - - -Javier Villarreal, Shot Put Conference Champions - - - - - - - - - - -David McNeill, 1500m - - - - - - - - - - - - -Pascal Tang, Weight Throw - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -David McNeill, 5000m The Lumberjacks were without the services of Australian - - - - - - - - - - - - -Ben Ashkettle, Steeplechase standout David McNeill going into the Big Sky Indoor Track and - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Javier Villarreal, Shot Put Field Championships in Pocatello, Idaho. While the freshman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Curtis Durocher, Hammer nursed a foot injury, his teammates tallied 108 points to finish For the first time since the 1991-92 seasons, the Lumberjacks third behind Sacramento State and Weber State. defended their men’s outdoor Big Sky Championship. While only two conference champions came out of the Sacramento was the scene for the 2008 triumph, as NAU put up meet, NAU had at least two athletes score in every running 166 points to top the host Hornets’ 160. With wins in two events event except for the 800m. The Lumberjacks also posted eight David McNeill was named the Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet. points in the 4x400 relay and the DMR with second-place finish- The team went on to send nine individual competitors as es. well as the 4x100 relay team to the West Regional McNeill made his return to the track to end the season at Championships in Northridge, Calif. McNeill won the men’s the NCAA Championships. His time of 8:06.18 in the 3000m was 5,000m race, Javier Villarreal took seventh in the shot put, and good enough for eighth place, eaning him All-American status. the relay team finished eighth to earn all-region honors. At the NCAA Championships, McNeill earned his third All- 2008 Women’s Indoor American title with a fourth place finish in the 5k, with a time of Conference Finish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Third 13:42.17. NAU finished tied for 42nd at the championships. Conference Champion - - - - - - - - -Candice Bryant, Shot Put 2008 R Like the men’s team, the women placed behind 2008 Women’s Outdoor Sacramento State and Weber State in Pocatello in 2008. NAU Conference Finish - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Second compiled 94 points for third place. Conference Champions - - - - - - - - - -Lesley van Miert, 1500m Junior Aisha Goynes led the Lumberjacks finishing second in - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Candice Bryant, Shot Put the long jump, third in the triple jump, and fifth in the 60m to - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Aisha Goynes, Triple Jump register 18 points. The NAU women edged Idaho State by one point to claim ECAP Senior Candice Bryant was the lone individual champion second place in the conference in 2008. Three conference cham- NAU produced with her mark of 15.05m in the shot put. pions emerged, earning automatic bids to the regional champi- However, NAU did accumulate second-place finishes in the mile onships. Five other runners also earned invitations to bring the (Lesley van Miert), 800m (Nikki Codd), 3000m (van Miert), women’s total to eight athletes in Northridge. 5000m (Amanda Boyd), long jump (Goynes), and weight throw The West saw seniors Candice Bryant (shot put) and Lesley (Georgina Toth). van Miert (5,000m) join the all-region team with their dual top- The distance events were the Lumberjacks’ strength in the eight finishes. meet. Along with four second-place finishes, Nell Rojas scored in Van Miert would go on to finish ninth at the NCAA the mile, Haley Lawrence in the 800, Astrid Leutert and Boyd in Championships in Des Moines, Iowa with a time of 16:20.66. the 3000, along with Addie Devine in the 5000. The DMR took third, while the 4x400 team captured four points with its fifth-place mark. 3 COACHING STAFF J.W. Hardy, a former All- In the indoor season, both teams finished third at a tight confer- American for the Lumberjacks, ence meet, before the women took second place in their out- enters his fifth season as the Head door season. Coach and Director of Track & Field The 2005-06 school year also proved to be a historic time and Cross Country at Northern in the NAU running program, as the Lumberjacks attained four Arizona University. Hardy is just the Big Sky Conference Championships, including the first ever IELD third person to lead the NAU track female triple crown. In addition to the women’s cross country, and