SUN DEVIL TRACK AND FIELD Contact: Elias Williams | [email protected] | (816) 830-5335 2018 SUN DEVIL SCHEDULE NAU Friday Night Challenge Flagstaff, Ariz. | Walkup Skydome Date Meet Location/Result 1/12 NAU Friday Night Challenge Flagstaff, Ariz. Friday, Jan. 12 | 3 p.m. 1/20 Texas A&M Team Invitational College Station, Texas 1/27 PVCC Indoor Paradise Valley, Ariz LIVE RESULTS AVAILABLE ON NAU WEBSITE 2/2 Husker Invitational Lincoln, Neb. 2/9 Iowa State Classic Ames, Iowa 2/9 Texas Tech Invitational Lubbock, Texas 2/10 Don Kirby Elite Albuquerque, N.M. Sun Devils travel ‘up the hill’ for season-opener 2/16 NAU Tune-Up Flagstaff, Ariz. 2/16 Alex Wilson Invitational South Bend, Ind. TEMPE, Ariz. – It’s that time of year again. Track and field has officially returned, and for 2/23 MPSF Indoor Championships Seattle the Sun Devils, it’s back with a bang as some of ASU’s top-performers from a season 3/9 NCAA Indoor Championships College Station, Texas ago will shake off the dust at the season-opener in the mountains this Friday. The NAU Friday Night Challenge will feature eight teams from across the Southwest 2018 ASU QUICK FACTS United States, including the Wildcats of Arizona and MPSF rival UC Irvine. Location ................................................... Tempe, Ariz. The trip north is a familiar one for the Devils, as they have opened the year at altitude in Enrollment ....................................................... 91,322 each of the last seven seasons. Nickname / Mascot ..................... Sun Devils / Sparky Colors ................................................. Maroon & Gold “When we go up the hill to NAU, it’s a chance to see where our student-athletes are in Conference ...................................................... Pac-12 terms of fitness,” coach Greg Kraft said. “It also gives us an opportunity to go through University President ....................... Dr. Michael Crow some pre-meet protocol with the new coaching staff with coach West and Small taking Athletics Director ................................. Ray Anderson over the sprint group, and the transition to coach Rasmussen and Leslie in the cross country team. They do things a little bit differently, so it’s important for our athletes to Team Information be in that type of environment where we can do a lot of hands-on teaching.” Dir. of Track & Field ............... Greg Kraft (22nd year) Alma Mater ............................... Cal Poly SLO, 1978 Both of ASU’s returning Pac-12 outdoor champions in Matt Eckles and 2017 Assistant Coach – Sprints ...........................Devin West Bowerman finalist Maggie Ewen are expected to compete in their respective events, Alma Mater ................................ Kennesaw St., 2010 along with a host of sprinters led by Shaunie Morrison who will compete for the first Assistant Coach – Throws ......................Brian Blutreich time under a new regime. Alma Mater .............................................UCLA, 1990 Assistant Coach – Distance........... Jeremy Rasmussen Devin West and Javonie Small took over the Sun Devil sprints program in August and Alma Mater .................................Arizona State, 2003 the former Georgia Bulldog duo will get their first look at how their first offseason Assistant Coach – Pole Vault ...................... Ron Barela workouts with the squads have paid off. Alma Mater .................................Arizona State, 1979 Assistant Sprints Coach ..........................Javonie Small Alma Mater .................................... Morehouse, 2005 Morrison is the only returning sprinter who scored in an open event at last season’s Assistant Distance Coach............................ Cory Leslie MPSF Championships, as last season was an off-color one for a sprints program that Alma Mater ..................................... Ohio State, 2012 racked up 160 points in the open sprints between 2014 and 2016, and another 22 in the 4x400-meter relay. XC/TF Office Phone ........................... (480) 965-0016 XC/TF Office Fax ................................ (480) 965-8149 “Shaunie has been putting together some good workouts and has been progressing nicely,” West said. “She’s showing signs of growth. From where she started to where Media Relations Information she is now, I see her having a really good season. I see her as one of the best hurdlers Contact ................................................. Elias Williams in the country, and I think she’s starting to believe that because of the work she’s been Email ............................................... [email protected] putting in.” Phone .................................................. (816) 830-5335 Fax ...................................................... (480) 965-5408 Perhaps the most intriguing events of the day will be the first ones, as Ron Barela’s impressive pole vaulting squads get their first tastes of competition. “We have an amazing group of pole vaulters here,” Barela said. “We have four guys who have jumped over 17 feet, which is the best I’ve had here. But again, with a new 2017 SEASON REVIEW expectation, we have to see how they handle that. Before, they were the underdogs and now we’re going to be the top dogs. As we get closer to meets, I’m trying to 2017 Women’s Championship Performances keep them focused on the process. They’re talented enough, so they just have to stay Pac-12 Conference ...................... 3rd ............. 75 pts focused and the results will come.” MPSF Championships .................. 6th ............ 45 pts NCAA Out. Championships ............10th .............. 21 pts The meet in the Walkup Skydome gets started at 3 p.m. MT, Friday with the field NCAA In. Championships ...........27th ................. 8pts events, and action on the track gets underway at 5 p.m. with the women’s mile. 2017 Men’s Championship Performances Pac-12 Conference ....................... 4th ......... 80.5 pts MPSF Championships ................... 5th ............ 53 pts NCAA Out. Championships ............74th .................. 1 pt NCAA In. Championships ............N/A .................. N/A Sun devil Track and Field/ @Sundeviltfxc Cross Country Thesundevils.com 1 SUN DEVIL TRACK AND FIELD NOTES DIRECTOR OF TRACK AND FIELD WHAT TO WATCH FOR GREG KRAFT It may be one of the smaller meets on tap for the Devils in 2018, but ASU’s trip to Flagstaff will feature some of the Sun Devils’ top-talent as well some some fresh One of the longest-tenured coaches at faces in maroon and gold. Arizona State, director of track and field Greg Kraft is one of the premier names in All eyes will be on 2017 Bowerman finalist Maggie Ewen as she returns to the NCAA. Having led teams to 12 top-four finishes at competition for the Sun Devils for the first time since her historic NCAA Outdoor NCAA Championships, three conference Championships performance back in June. crowns and four NCAA team titles, Kraft is also one of the more decorated coaches in The Sun Devil pole vaulters send their whole squad north looking to make an ASU history. Individual athletes under Kraft have also early statement as the impressive crew boasts a Pac-12 champion as well as last year’s thrived as he has seen 33 Sun Devil NCAA titles since 1996. Ivy League outdoor runner-up Grant Sisserson. Kraft’s jumpers will be without Joey Bryant, the Devils’ top-performer in the high jump a season ago, but sophomore Elijah Hughes and senior Mason Ford will open KRAFT TEAM FINISHES AT ASU their seasons at NAU. NCAA Out Pac-12/10 MPSF/Indoor NCAA In While Shaunie Morrison was the only sprinter to score in an open event at Year M W M W M W M W 1997 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC the MPSF championships in 2017, she’ll go to Flagstaff with a group of young talent 1998 38th dns 9th 7th -- -- DNC 55th 1999 18th dns 5th 8th -- -- 11th 32nd including sophomore Sha’Maya Flanagan and JUCO-transfer Kalei Matthews, who 2000 17th 38th 3rd 5th -- -- 10th 23rd finished fifth in the 400-meter dash at the 2017 NJCAA Outdoor Championships. 2001 15th 14th 4th 5th -- -- dns 25th 2002 68th 22nd 4th 4th -- -- 51st 16th In the longer distances, Jackson Lewis will run on rubber for the first time as 2003 dns 29th 5th 3rd -- -- 45th 42nd 2004 10th 20th 3rd 4th -- -- 12th 27th a Devil, but comes into the meet having had a consistent freshman campaign for the 2005 17th dns 3rd 3rd -- -- 13th 43rd 2006 29th 4th 6th 1st 6th 2nd 60th 3rd cross country team during the fall. 2007 22nd 1st 2nd 1st 5th 1st 25th 1st 2008 6th 2nd 2nd 1st 4th 1st 1st 1st Samantha Ortega will be the woman to watch as she is scheduled to take the 2009 8th 3rd 6th 3rd 5th 3rd 5th 5th 2010 4th 46th 4th 3rd 4th 4th 7th dns baton for the fourth, and longest, leg of the distance medley relay. 2011 25th 19th 3rd 3rd 5th 4th dns 40th 2012 16th 24th 2nd 5th 1st 4th 4th 43rd 2013 28th 10th 4th 3rd 1st 2nd 16th 7th 2014 13th 22nd 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd 26th 29th LOOKING BACK – 2017 NAU Friday Night Duals 2015 51st 20th 5th 4th 3rd 3rd 31st 21st 2016 36th 46th 4th 9th 5th 8th dns dns 2017 74th 10th 8th 6th 5th 6th dns 27th The Sun Devil track and field squads opened up with 16 personal bests and 2018 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A an additional 10 collegiate bests at the NAU Friday Night Duels at J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in 2017. NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONS UNDER KRAFT Jacquelyn Johnson ...................................................Heptathlon x4 Then redshirt junior Maggie Ewen picked up where she left off her sophomore Victoria Jackson ...............................................................10,000m