WASHINGTON TRACK and FIELD Mar

WASHINGTON TRACK AND FIELD Mar. 9, 2005 //For Immediate Release// Contact: Brian Beaky Record 12 Huskies Head to Arkansas for 2005 Husky Track Schedule Indoor 2005 NCAA Indoor Track Championships Date Meet Location Jan. 15 UW Indoor Preview Seattle On the Track: One of the most prolific seasons in Washington indoor track and field Jan. 21-22 Nat’l Pole Vault Summit Reno, Nev. history comes to a conclusion this week at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Jan. 28-29 UW Indoor Invitational Seattle Championships at the University of Arkansas’ Randall Tyson Center in Fayetteville. A Feb. 12 The Husky Classic Seattle record twelve Huskies will be competing at this weekend’s indoor championships, Feb. 25-26 MPSF Championships Seattle including three freshmen and four women’s pole vaulters, believed to be a record for Mar. 5 Last Chance Qualifier Seattle any collegiate team in the event. For complete bios of all of UW’s 2005 NCAA Indoor Mar. 11-12 NCAA Champ’s Fayetteville, Ark. Championships competitors, see pages 8-9 of this release. Outdoor Washington’s 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships Competitors Date Meet Location Name Year Event Hometown (High School) Mar. 19 UW Outdoor Preview Seattle Austin Abbott Fr. DMR Chehalis, Wash. (W.F. West) Mar. 25-26 Stanford Invitational Palo Alto, CA Ryan Brown So. DMR Renton, Wash. (Renton) Apr. 6-9 Texas Relays Austin, TX Carly Dockendorf Jr. Pole Vault Port Moody, B.C. (Best Secondary) Apr. 9 Pepsi Invitational Eugene, OR Lindsey Egerdahl Sr. Mile Auburn, Wash. (Auburn) Apr. 15-17 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, CA Andy Fader Sr. DMR Everett, Wash. (Cascade) Norris Frederick Fr. Long Jump Seattle, Wash. (Roosevelt) Apr. 16 State Challenge Cup Pullman, WA Ashley Lodree So. 60m Hurdles Richmond, Calif. (El Cerrito) Apr. 23 Oregon Invitational Eugene, OR Stevie Marshalek So. Pole Vault Kent, Wash. (Kentlake) Apr. 30 UW-WSU Dual Seattle Amanda Miller Fr. 800m Wenatchee, Wash. (Eastmont) May 6-7 Pac-10 Multi Events Los Angeles, CA Kate Soma Sr. Pole Vault Portland, Ore. (Grant) May 7 Ken Shannon Invitational Seattle Ashley Wildhaber Jr. Pole Vault Chehalis, Wash. (W.F. West/UNC Wilmington) May 13-14 Pac-10 Champ’s Los Angeles, CA Sean Williams Sr. DMR Kirkland, Wash. (Lake Washington) May 27-28 NCAA West Regional Eugene, OR Event Schedule: Following is a schedule of events featuring UW athletes at this June 8-11 NCAA Champ’s Sacramento, CA June 23-26 USATF Jr./Sr. Nat’ls Carson, CA weekend’s NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. All times are Pacific. For a complete event schedule, visit www.ncaasports.com. Bold font indicates Husky home meet. All home Friday, March 11 Saturday, March 12 indoor meets held at Dempsey Indoor, all home 2:30 p.m. Women’s 800-Meter Run (P) 3:30 p.m. Women’s Pole Vault (F) outdoor meets held at Husky Stadium. 3:05 p.m. Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles (P) 4:15 p.m. Women’s Mile Run (F) 4:00 p.m. Men’s Long Jump (P/F) 4:35 p.m. Women’s 800-Meter Run (F) Hot off the Presses ... 4:45 p.m. Women’s Mile Run (P) • The UW women climbed to ninth in this week’s 6:10 p.m. Women’s 60-Meter Hurdles (F) USTCA Rankings, and are ranked 17th by Trackwire; 7:30 p.m. Men’s Dist. Medley Relay (F) the Husky men are 22nd in the USTCA poll, p2 NCAA Championships on TV: The 2005 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champion- • 2004 Pac-10 champion Kate Soma, who stands ships will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis by ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports. just five feet tall, enters this week’s NCAA meet The broadcast will air on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. PT on Wed., March 16. as the national leader in the pole vault, p3 How They Got Here: Two Huskies, pole vaulter Kate Soma and hurdler Ashley Lodree • Two-sport star Carly Dockendorf will stretch qualified for this week’s NCAA Indoor Championships by meeting pre-determined her talents to the limit this weekend, competing automatic qualifying standards in their events. The remaining 10 UW competitors Friday against No. 1 gymnastics squad Utah in were among the provisional qualifiers added to the NCAA field Monday, in order to Salt Lake City, before traveling to Arkansas Sat- provide full fields for this weekend’s competition. Provisional qualifiers are added in urday morning for the 5:30 p.m. pole vault, p3 order from the NCAA’s descending order list, in an attempt to provide fields of roughly • Freshman Norris Frederick, one of three UW 16-17 athletes per individual event, and 10-12 teams per relay. For a complete list of freshmen in the NCAA field, is the nation’s No. NCAA qualifiers, visit www.trackshark.com. 5 seed in the long jump, p4 Meet Results: Results will be posted live throughout the competition to both www.ncaasports.com and www.hogwired.com, the official site of the host University of Arkansas. A full recap of UW action at the meet, including quotes from competitors and UW results, will be posted to www.GoHuskies.com roughly one hour following the conclusion of each day’s competition. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 2

2004 NCAA Indoor Championships Recap: The five Huskies who trav- Husky Track Quick Facts eled to Fayetteville, Ark., last year represented not only the team’s largest University of Washington indoor championships contingent since 1998 -- until this year’s record Athletic Department, Box 354070 crop of 12 -- but also one of its most talented. Three of the five earned Seattle, WA 98195-4070 All-America honors — the most individual UW All-Americans indoors since 1988 — while the Husky men earned their fifth top-25 finish in the Enrollment: ...... 42,000 (31,474 undergraduate) Founded: ...... Nov. 4, 1861 last five years. Senior Brad Walker, in his final collegiate performance, President:...... Mark Emmert earned his second-straight NCAA indoor pole vault title, and junior Kate Director of Athletics: ...... Todd Turner Soma became the first UW women’s indoor All-American since 1994 Home Stadium: ...... Dempsey Indoor/Husky Stadium with a tie for fifth in the pole vault. Senior Eric Garner earned his sec- Press Row Phone: ...... (206) 227-5709 ond-career All-America honor with an eighth-place finish in the mile, Conference: ...... Pacific-10 freshman hurdler Ashley Lodree placed 14th in the 60-meter hurdles, Head Coach: ...... Greg Metcalf (3rd year) Asst. Coach (Vault/Jumps): ...... Pat Licari (9th year) and sophomore Ingvill Makestad took 15th in the mile. Asst. Coach (Throws): ...... Bud Rasmussen (3rd year) Asst. Coach (Sprints/Hurdles): .. LaMonte Vaughn, Jr. (1st year) NCAA Championships By the Numbers: When Brad Walker won his Asst. Coach (Distances): ...... David Bazzi (4th year) second-straight NCAA pole vault title last season, the senior became just Asst. Coach (Distances): ...... Kelly Strong (3rd year) the fourth Husky ever to win more than one NCAA title, including just Volunteer Assistants: ...... Duncan Atwood (javelin) two — Walker and seven-time champion Scott Neilson — since 1930. Kate Carlson (jumps) Neilson, one of only four athletes in NCAA history to win four-straight Track Office Phone:...... (206) 221-2625 Website: ...... www.gohuskies.com NCAA titles in the same event, was certainly UW’s most prolific titlist, 2004 Men’s Pac-10 Finish: ...... 8th with three indoor weight crowns, and four-straight NCAA hammer titles 2004 Men’s NCAA Finish (Outdoor/Indoor): ...... DNS/22nd (tie) from 1976-79. The other Huskies to earn multiple NCAA titles did so in Men’s NCAA Competitors Returning/Lost: ...... 3/3 the NCAA’s infancy, including hurdler Steve Anderson, in 1929 and 2004 Women’s Pac-10 Finish:...... 6th 1930, and Gus Pope, the shot and discus champ in 1921. Twenty-two 2004 Women’s NCAA Finish ( woOutdoor/Indoor):18th (tie)/37th Huskies have combined for 28 NCAA titles overall, a total which ranks NCAA Women’s Competitors Returning/Lost: .... 5/2 Best Men’s Conference Finish: ...... 2nd (1976) 22nd among NCAA institutions all-time. Should any of the 12 Huskies Best Men’s NCAA Finish:...... 2nd (1929, 1930) traveling to this week’s meet win a national title, it would mark the first Best Women’s Conference Finish: . 4th (1995, ‘96, ‘98) time since Neilson’s string of crowns in the 1970s that Washington ath- Best Women’s NCAA Finish: ...... 10th (1988) letes brought home NCAA titles in at least three consecutive seasons.

Husky Media Relations Rankings Report: Washington’s women will send seven competitors to Brian Beaky, Track and Field SID the NCAA Championships this week, so it was no surprise to see the E-mail: [email protected] Office Phone: (206) 543-2230 Huskies shoot to ninth in the USTCA Dual Meet Power Rankings, and to Mobile Phone: (206) 227-5709 No. 17 in the Trackwire poll. Trackwire awarded 13 points to the Huskies Fax: (206) 543-5000 in its poll, which predicts order of finish at the NCAA Championships, matching UW’s to its highest Trackwire total this year and the second- 2005 USTCA Dual Meet Power Rankings highest among any Pac-10 teams. The USTCA, meanwhile, awarded Men Women 313.29 points to the Husky women in its ranking, which simulates head- 1. Indiana 356.97 1. Nebraska 349.51 to-head competition between the nation’s elite college teams, a total good 2. Wisconsin 355.05 2. Penn State 333.69 for ninth in the nation. Tennessee eclipsed Stanford by one point atop the 3. Florida 346.73 3. Pittsburgh 332.91 Trackwire rankings, holding a 45-44 edge, while Nebraska held steady at 4. BYU 345.66 4. Arkansas 332.22 5. Tennessee 338.58 5. Georgia 329.48 No. 1 in the USTCA poll with a 349.51-point total. The Husky men, 6. Nebraska 334.48 6. S. Carolina 328.09 meanwhile, fell four spots to No. 22 in the USTCA rankings, and were 7. Michigan 326.70 7. LSU 326.33 unranked by Trackwire. UW scored a season-high 295.34 points in the 8. Illinois 326.18 8. BYU 319.62 USTCA ranking, which put Indiana at 340.41, but merited just two points 9. Missouri 323.69 9. Washington 313.29 from Trackwire, which made Arkansas its NCAA favorite with 55 points. 10. LSU 322.18 10. Kansas State 312.40 11. Oregon 318.76 11. Colo. State 309.38 Just Dandy, Thank You: In addition to its lofty ranking of UW’s women’s 12. Clemson 316.11 12. Florida 306.04 team, Trackwire also saw fit to include several Huskies in its weekly Dandy 13. Colo. State 312.28 13. Kent State 304.96 Dozen, which predicts the order of finish in each event at the 2005 NCAA 14. Kansas State 309.20 14. Wichita State 299.27 15. Cornell 306.01 15. California 298.12 Championships. Senior vaulter Kate Soma, the NCAA runner-up in 2004 16. Arizona 303.90 16. Ariz. State 297.63 and current NCAA leader, is picked by Trackwire to win her first na- 17. Penn State 303.82 17. Ga. Tech 297.55 tional title, while fellow vaulter Stevie Marshalek is listed 12th. Fresh- 18. Ariz. State 300.78 18. Cornell 294.96 man sensation Norris Frederick, who currently boasts the fifth-best long 19. Kent State 300.67 19. Missouri 291.04 jump by a collegian in 2005, is predicted to finish seventh by Trackwire, 22. Washington 295.34 20. Iowa 288.71 while the magazine expects Husky sophomore Ashley Lodree and the * - Final rankings for the 2005 collegiate indoor season. Huskies’ men’s distance medley relay to match their respective national rankings of sixth, and ninth.

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History in the Making?: Washington’s athletes enter this week’s 16th outdoors in 2002, 12th indoors in 2003, seventh outdoors in NCAA Championships with several historical milestones on the 2003, fifth (tied) indoors in 2004 and second outdoors in 2004. line. The nation’s top-ranked pole vault competitor, senior Kate Should that trend continue, Soma would become just the third Soma has the chance to become just the third NCAA champion in NCAA champion in UW women’s history, and the first since 1988. UW women’s history, and the first since Jennifer Ponath in 1988. Soma could also become just the third UW woman to earn four- Double-Duty Dockendorf: There is no doubt that Husky pole career All-America honors, equaling Aretha Hill and Meg Jones vaulter/gymnast Carly Dockendorf is one of the finest two-sport for all-time UW honors. Also, with four competitors in the women’s athletes in UW history. Already one of the top vaulters in Canadian pole vault, the Huskies have the chance to post two All-Americans history, the Port Moody, B.C., native will add to her legend this in the same event for the first time since 1994, when Laura Kruse week by competing Friday night in Salt Lake City for the UW gym- and Monika Parker did so in the javelin. Only twice in UW his- nastics team against top-ranked Utah, before catching a Saturday tory have two women earned All-America honors at the same NCAA morning flight to Tulsa, Okla., then driving two hours to Fayetteville indoor meet, doing so in 1985 and 1988. The Huskies’ overall record for Saturday evening’s NCAA pole vault competition. Balancing for NCAA indoor All-Americans is seven -- all male -- in 1998. two sports is nothing new to Dockendorf -- the junior earned a second-straight NCAA gymnastics berth last April, before embark- It’s Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight: Three-time All-Ameri- ing on a terrific 2004 track season including a sixth-place finish at can pole vaulter Kate Soma may stand only an inch above 5’-0”, the Pac-10 meet in May, a third-place finish at the NCAA Re- but the Husky senior, who enters this week’s NCAA Indoor Cham- gional, and an 11th-place effort at June’s NCAA Championships. pionships with a collegiate-leading mark of 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches, After missing the first two months of the 2005 indoor track season cuts a towering figure in collegiate pole vaulting history. At the with an injury, the junior made her season debut at last weekend’s Feb. 12 Husky Classic, Soma broke her own UW indoor record UW Last Chance Qualifier, clearing a career-best 13-5 1/4 to cinch with a clearance of 14-3 1/2, equaling the seventh-best by a colle- an NCAA berth, and move into sole possession of eighth-place in giate vaulter all-time. The Portland, Ore., native currently ranks Canadian women’s history. Amazingly, Dockendorf has been pole second among American women in the 2005 IAAF World Rankings vaulting for less than three years, having begun the sport only after only to U.S.-record holder Stacy Dragila, and is the 20th-ranked seeing Husky vaulters working out at Dempsey Indoor during her woman in the world. Soma has been just as prolific throughout her freshman gymnastics season in 2002. Dockendorf began her two- UW career, breaking UW’s pole vault record in each of her seven sport double on a full-time basis in 2003, winning All-America collegiate “seasons,” including four indoors and three outdoors. In honors on the gymnastics floor while placing eighth in the pole clearing 14-3 1/2, Soma backed up her UW outdoor record clear- vault at the Pac-10 Championships. Dockendorf’s seven perfect ance of 14-2 at last year’s Pac-10 Championships, a vault which 10’s are the most by any gymnast in UW history, while her six- won Soma her first Pac-10 title and qualified her for the 2004 U.S. career vaults over 13 feet rank second among UW women all-time. Olympic Trials. Soma followed up her conference crown with a Athletics Canada All-Time Women’s Pole Vault Rankings second-place finish at the NCAA Championships to earn her third- Name Year Mark consecutive All-America award. Only five other women in UW 1. Dana Ellis 2004 14-8 history have earned as many All-America honors as Soma’s three, 2. Stephanie McCann 2004 14-5 1/4 while just four others have captured at least two in the same sea- 3. Kelsie Hendry 2005 14-4 1/2i 4. Ardin Tucker-Harrison 2002 13-9 3/4 son, something Soma did in 2004 with a second-place NCAA fin- 5. Trista Bernier 1998 13-7 1/4 ish outdoors, and a tie for fifth indoors. Perhaps it’s her support 6. Jackie Honey 2001 13-6 1/4 system — Soma’s mother, Donna, boasts an U.S. vault age-group 7. Adrienne Vangool 2004 13-5 3/4 record, while Soma’s high school coach designs shoes worn by 8. Carly Dockendorf 2005 13-5 1/4i elite vaulters Dragila and Dmitri Markov. 9. Sue Kupper 2005 13-3 1/2i 10. Simona Kovacic 2003 13-2 1/4 All-Time NCAA Division-I Pole Vault Top-10 Name School Year Mark Rare Double: From the first time she entered a pole vault compe- 1. Chelsea Johnson UCLA 2004 15-0 tition — going 12-1 1/2 at Husky Stadium in 2002 — it was obvi- 2. Amy Linnen Arizona 2002 14-10 1/4i ous that junior Carly Dockendorf, already a decorated UW gym- 3. Thorey Elisdottir Georgia 2001 14-9 1/2i nast, was in an elite class of athletes. Just two years later, Dockendorf 4. Becky Holliday Oregon 2003 14-8 moved into a class all her own, adding an NCAA Track Champi- 5. Lacy Janson Florida State 2003 14-7 1/4i onships berth to the NCAA Gymnastics invite she earned last April. Tracy O’Hara UCLA 2000 14-7 1/4 7. Kate Soma Washington 2005 14-3 1/2i While it is not uncommon for a college athlete to compete in mul- Melissa Price Fresno State 1998 14-3 1/2 tiple NCAA Championships in one year — track/cross country and 9. April Steiner Arkansas 2003 14-3 1/4i volleyball/basketball doubles being among the most common — to Tamara Diles Wash. State 2002 14-3 1/4i do so in two unrelated sports in which qualification is based on individual, not team, performance is extremely rare. Dockendorf Moving On Up: Currently the NCAA’s pole vault leader in 2005, finished 11th in her NCAA pole vault debut, after placing 24th on senior Kate Soma has the chance to continue an impressive streak. the floor exercise at April’s NCAA gymnastics meet. The junior is The three-time All-American has improved her NCAA standing already halfway to repeating the feat this season, as the 16th seed in each of her five-career appearances at the meet, having placed in the pole vault at this week’s NCAA Indoor Championships. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 4

Vault Supremacy: There is little doubt that Washington reigns supreme Monster PR of the Week: In a week where three Husky in the world of collegiate women’s vaulting. Four UW women qualified freshmen will be making their NCAA Championships for this week’s NCAA Indoor Championships, after three did so at last debuts, it’s fitting that a fourth should be honored with year’s outdoor championships. The Huskies’ four qualifiers equal the most the Monster PR of the Week. Bothell, Wash., native Jor- for any team in any one event this season, and are believed to be a record dan Boase has done his best to draw attention away from for any collegiate team in the women’s vault. All four are over 13 feet in the Huskies’ NCAA-bound freshman trio, posting times 2005, with each ranking among the nation’s top-16 competitors overall. among the UW’s all-time top-10 indoors in the 200 meters Three of the four earned top-14 finishes at last year’s NCAA outdoor and 400 meters, including a quarter-mile best of 47.76 at last week’s UW Last Chance Qualifier in Seattle that ranks meet, with Kate Soma placing second, Carly Dockendorf 11th, and sixth in Husky history, and was just a half-second shy of Stevie Marshalek 14th. That experienced trio is joined in Fayetteville the NCAA’s provisional qualifying standard. this week by junior Ashley Wildhaber, the seventh-place finisher at the 2004 NCAA West Regional. Outdoors, the results could be even better -- the accomplished quartet welcomes freshman Kelley DiVesta of Colo- 2005 Husky Track and Field rado, whose prep best of 12-6 1/2 is higher than the prep bests of all but one of the UW’s returnees. Indoor Statistical Leaders

Dazzling Debut: All eyes were on freshman Norris Frederick at Women’s January’s UW Indoor Preview, and the Seattle native did not disappoint. 60m Dash Ashley Lodree 7.44 60m Hurdles Ashley Lodree 8.15 Frederick swept high- and long-jump titles at the meet, his winning mark 200m Dash Ashley Lodree 24.81 of 25-4 1/2 in the latter a six-inch personal best. Two weeks later, Frederick 400m Dash Lauran Dignam 56.73 launched four more jumps over 25 feet at the UW Invitational, the last a 800m Run Amanda Miller 2:07.32 25-foot, 6 1/4-inch monster that ranks fifth in the nation entering this Mile Run Lindsey Egerdahl 4:42.27 week’s NCAA Championships, and is the fourth-best mark in the world 3000m Run may Lindsey Egerdahl 9:44.28 this year by a jumper under the age of 20. Success for Frederick is cer- 5000m Run Angela Wishaar 17:13.57 tainly to be expected — he ranked second among U.S. prep high jumpers 4x400m Relay Dignam/Steward/ 3:49.23 in 2004 with a best of 7-1, and was the United States’ fourth-ranked prep Lodree/Miller long jumper at 24-10 1/2. The Roosevelt High School graduate literally DMR Egerdahl/Steward/ 11:41.45 jumped out of his shoes at July’s IAAF World Junior Championships in Harrison/Connelly Italy, tearing apart the footwear which had guided him to five state titles High Jump Grace Vela 5-8 during his four-year prep career. With borrowed shoes, Frederick man- Pole Vault Kate Soma 14-3 1/2 aged to place 19th in both events at the world meet, and closed the 2004 Long Jump Grace Vela 19-6 3/4 season ranked among the top-35 under-20 athletes in the world. Triple Jump Sidney Brown 40-3 1/4 Frederick’s 2005 long jump best, just 1/4-inch shy of the UW record held Shot Put Sheree Ellis 46-11 3/4 by former world-record holder Phil Shinnick, is tied for 13th among U.S Weight Throw Arlecier West 50-11 1/2 men in the IAAF World Rankings, and is tops among U.S. juniors. Pentathlon Grace Vela 3,915

2005 IAAF World Junior (Under-20) Long Jump Rankings Men’s Name Country Mark 60m Dash Davaon Spence 6.83 1. Viktor Kuznyetsov Ukraine 26-11 3/4 60m Hurdles T.J. Emrich 8.38 2. Godfrey Khotso Mokoena Russia 26-0 3/4 200m Dash Davaon Spence 21.80 3. Marcin Starzak Poland 25-8 1/4 400m Dash Sean Williams 47.41 4. Norris Frederick United States 25-6 1/4 800m Run Shane Charles 1:49.59 5. Adrian Vasile Romania 25-4 3/4 Mile Run Austin Abbott 4:02.25 6. Sebastian Bayer Germany 25-3 1/2 3000m Run Andy Fader 8:11.09 7. Dmytro Bilotserkiv’kyy Ukraine 25-3 1/4 5000m Run Jeremy Mineau 14:11.81 4x400m Relay S. Williams/Brown/ 3:07.94 Parlez-Vous Francais?: If he doesn’t speak French already, Husky fresh- Charles/Jackson man Jeremy Mineau will have to be a quick learner. The Menlo Park, DMR Abbott/S. Williams/ 9:36.20 Calif., native ran fifth in the junior men’s 8,000-meter open race at the Brown/Fader Feb. 13 USA Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wash., to clinch High Jump Eickhoff/Frederick 7-0 1/4 one of six spots on the U.S. National Team for this month’s World Cross Pole Vault McKane Lee 17-3 Country Championships in Saint Garnier, France. Mineau, who will com- Long Jump Norris Frederick 25-6 1/4 pete in the junior 8,000-meter race in Saint Garnier on Mar. 20, is the Triple Jump J.R. Wolfork 46-9 1/2 first current Husky to earn a world cross berth since then-freshman Laura Shot Put Evan Wilson 52-7 1/2 Hodgson did so in 2003. Including post-collegiate UW competitors, Wash- Weight Throw Will Conwell 43-5 1/4 ington has had at least one representative at the World Cross Country Heptathlon Corey Fredericks 4,551 Championships in five of the last six years, including a record three par- * NCAA qualifiers in bold font. Not all qualifiers will ticipants in 2003. compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 5

The ‘Lo’ Down: She’s only five meets into her 2005 collegiate Record Rookies: The weekend of Feb. 12-13, 2005, may well go season, but already sophomore Ashley Lodree boasts three times down as the date UW’s class of 2008 made its presence officially among the top-10 in UW history, and a No. 6 national ranking in known. While freshman Jeremy Mineau was busy qualifying for the 60-meter hurdles entering this week’s NCAA Indoor Champi- the World Cross Country Championships, classmates Austin Abbott onships. But then, everything the 19-year-old does is fast. Lodree and Amanda Miller thrilled the Dempsey Indoor crowd with was a one-woman whirlwind in 2004, placing 14th in the 60-meter school- and UW-freshman records. Chehalis native Abbott kicked hurdles at the 2004 NCAA indoor meet before bettering UW’s 100- off the record day with a blistering run in the men’s mile, his time meter hurdles record in her first collegiate final just two weeks of 4:02.25 third-fastest ever at UW, and tops all-time by a first- later. Lodree’s wind-aided 13.43-second mark was well below the year Husky. Just minutes later, Wenatchee native Miller did Abbott UW benchmark of 13.55 set by All-American Claudine Robinson one better, breaking the Huskies’ school record in the 800 meters in 1994, and was the first of seven record-breaking runs for the with an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 2:08.33, since low- UW freshman, who closed her rookie season with a wind-aided ered to 2:07.32. In all, freshmen account for one-fourth of UW’s best of 13.39 at the Texas Relays, and a legal record of 13.41 sec- 12 NCAA Indoor Championships competitors, including Miller, onds at the Drake Relays. Despite just missing an NCAA outdoor Abbott (who will compete in the distance medley relay) and Norris berth with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Regional, Lodree’s Frederick, America’s fifth-ranked collegian in the long jump. efforts ranked the freshman No. 7 in the world among junior-age Washington has had at least one freshman qualify for the NCAA runners in the 2004 IAAF World Rankings, and No. 2 among U.S. Championships in three of the past four seasons, including both juniors. More than just a hurdler, however, Lodree scored in four 2004 and 2005. Should any of the talented trio earn All-America events at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships, and boasts marks among honors, they would become the first UW frosh since sprinter UW’s all-time top-10 in six different events. At February’s MPSF Ja’Warren Hooker in 1998 to accomplish the feat. Championships, Lodree lowered her own school 60-meter hurdles record to 8.15 seconds, equaling the NCAA automatic-qualifying Ridiculous Records: Washington’s athletes have certainly been standard in the event to clinch her second-straight NCAA indoor keeping the team’s indoor record-keepers busy this season. Husky berth. Lodree placed 14th in the hurdles at the NCAA indoor meet athletes combined for 19 marks among the team’s top-10 all-time in 2004, and was the nation’s top-ranked collegiate freshman with at February’s MPSF Championships, and have achieved a stun- a then-UW record best of 8.19 seconds. ning 70 such marks this season, after totaling 47 new top-10 marks in 2004. Washington’s highly-acclaimed indoor facility, Dempsey 2004 IAAF Junior Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles Rankings Indoor, has certainly had an effect on the Huskies’ indoor list, with Name Country Mark 20 school records and an eye-popping 174 marks among UW’s all- 1. Ronetta Alexander United States 13.22 time top-10 having been achieved since the start of the 2002 sea- 2. Sally McLellan Australia 13.30 son, UW’s first in the facility. For a complete list of the top-10 3. Stephanie Lichtl Germany 13.36 indoor marks set in 2005, see the box on page six of this release. 4. MaKeatha Cooper United States 13.37 5.Sabrina Altermatt Switzerland 13.39 Distance Dominance: Dempsey Indoor cemented its reputation as Shantia Moss United States 13.39 America’s fastest indoor distance track at the Feb. 12 Husky Clas- 7. Ashley Lodree United States 13.41 sic. Seven collegiate men and six collegiate women bested the 8. Amy Menlove United States 13.45 NCAA automatic qualifying standard in the meet’s 5,000-meter races, including an NCAA-leading mark by Wisconsin’s Matt Leading From the Front: After consecutive sixth-place finishes Tegenkamp. In fact, of the NCAA’s 15 automatic men’s qualifiers in the 1,500-meter final at the NCAA West Regional in each of the at 5K, nine achieved their mark on the Dempsey Indoor oval, as last two seasons -- one spot shy of an automatic bid to the NCAA did six of the event’s 10 automatic women’s qualifiers. The facility’s Championships -- senior Lindsey Egerdahl wasn’t about to let influence even extends to the 2005 IAAF World Rankings — 16 of another opportunity slip past. The Auburn, Wash., native made the the 38 men’s 5,000 meter times ranked by the IAAF were achieved most of her final opportunity to qualify for this week’s NCAA In- at one of UW’s three home invitationals this season, including door Championships, slashing her mile PR by four seconds with a Tegenkamp’s oversized-track world leader of 13:36.48. time of 4:42.27 at last week’s UW Last Chance Qualifier. Egerdahl has made a habit of succeeding under pressure -- with no seniors MPSF Championships Redux: The MPSF Championships re- on Washington’s women’s cross country squad in 2003, head coach turned to Dempsey Indoor in 2005, and Washington’s athletes kept Greg Metcalf challenged the then-junior to be the team’s com- the home fans happy. Senior vaulter Kate Soma won her first MPSF petitive leader. Egerdahl responded by leading a UW women’s team title, while pentathlete Grace Vela and sophomore hurdler Ashley that included four freshmen to its seventh-straight NCAA Cham- Lodree each set UW indoor records, leading the Huskies to a sec- pionships, then repeating the feat as a senior in 2004. Since arriv- ond-straight third-place conference finish. On the men’s side, jun- ing at Washington in 2001, Egerdahl has soared up the UW ior Shane Charles earned matching second-place finishes in the rankings. Her mile best ranks third in UW history, while her 1,500- 800 meters and the 4x400-meter relay, setting a UW record in the meter best of 4:22.38 is UW’s seventh-fastest ever. The senior also former, while freshman Norris Frederick earned a pair of top-five boasts a mark of 9:35.08 for 3,000 meters that ranks fourth indoors finishes in his MPSF Championships debut. The Husky men placed at UW, and has run legs of four of UW’s 10-fastest distance medley sixth, as UCLA rolled to its second-straight MPSF men’s title, and relays, including the school-record of 11:23.12 set in 2004. Stanford captured its third-straight conference women’s crown. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 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 2:07.32 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 Stevie Marshalek Pole Vault 13-7 1/4 2nd 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 Ashley Wildhaber Pole Vault 13-5 3/4 3rd 14-3 1/2 Austin Abbott Mile Run 4:02.25 3rd 3:58.93 Carly Dockendorf Pole Vault 13-5 1/4 4th 14-3 1/2 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

Northwest Honors: The Feb. 5 weekend may have been a week off for the former NCAA cross country runner-up, who completed her from competition, but that didn’t stop the Huskies from making collegiate career in 2003. Monro was joined at the NACAC meet headlines. Women’s assistant coach Kelly Strong and former Husky by Husky freshman Jon Harding, whose sixth-place finish in the Brad Walker were recognized for their 2004 accomplishments junior boys’ race helped Team USA to a sweep of the top-six places, with Pacific Northwest Track and Field’s Athlete of the Year hon- and an NACAC title. ors, announced Feb. 4. The fifth-place steeplechase finisher at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and the ninth-ranked steepler in U.S. Dempsey Indoor: In only three full seasons, Washington’s Dempsey history, Strong was nominated alongside UW senior Kate Soma Indoor has already earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top and 2004 UW alum Megan Spriestersbach, both All-Americans indoor competition venues. The facility includes a permanent 307- and Olympic Trials participants in 2004. Walker, meanwhile, cap- meter MONDO track (six lanes on the straightaway, five on the tured his third-straight PNTF honor after winning his second- oval) and a full 100-yard FieldTurf infield equipped to host the straight NCAA indoor pole vault title, placing sixth at the Olym- shot put, weight throw, long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole pic Trials, and closing the year with a No. 6 world ranking. vault events. Dempsey Indoor has hosted 11 Olympians, witnessed 16 top-10 world marks, 13 UW indoor school records and hun- Walker Wins U.S. Gold: While his former UW teammates were dreds of NCAA qualifying marks, and is the host site of the MPSF pursuing MPSF titles at Dempsey Indoor on the last weekend of Championships. In addition to its competitive use, the building February, former Husky All-American Brad Walker earned his serves as an indoor practice facility for many UW teams. first USA indoor title, clearing 18-6 1/2 to win the pole vault at the 2005 USA Indoor Championships in Boston. The victory bookended Dempsey Indoor Draws World’s Best: If Washington’s home in- an outstanding indoor season for the Spokane native, who began door meets over the past three seasons have seemed to shimmer in the year with a victory in January at the prestigious National Pole gold, it is likely due to the numerous Olympians who have high- Vault Summit, his mark of 19-1 1/2 the world’s third-best in 2005. lighted the fields at Dempsey Indoor. Adam Goucher, a U.S. Olym- Walker has always been at his best indoors — the 2004 UW alum pian in 2000, set a facility record in the 5,000 meters in his first of won consecutive NCAA indoor titles in 2003 and 2004, with a best two appearances at Dempsey Indoor this season, while fellow Olym- collegiate clearance of 19-0 1/2 that ranks sixth in NCAA history. pian Bolota Asmeron clocked a Dempsey-best 7:48.59 at last year’s UW Indoor Invite. In 2003, numerous former Olympians put the One More (Inter)national Crown: One week after Walker’s U.S. Dempsey on their competition schedule, including former Husky title, former Husky Sabrina Monro kept the UW in the interna- and 2000 U.S. Olympian Ja’Warren Hooker, two-time Olympic tional track headlines with a victory in the senior women’s race at medalist John Godina, U.S. Olympians Seilala Sua and Michael the 2005 NACAC Cross Country Championships in Clermont, Fla. Stember, and Asmeron, who in 2000 competed for his native Eritrea. The meet, which featured international teams from North and Cen- All set facility records in their events, while Asmeron clocked what tral America and the Caribbean, marked the international debut at the time was the world’s sixth-fastest 3,000-meter mark. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 7

Multi-Talented: Senior multi-eventer Grace Vela is nothing if Head Coach Greg Metcalf: Former Husky All-American Greg not determined — witness her performance last year’s Pac-10 Metcalf is in his third year as Washington’s head coach of track Championships, where the Toronto native competed in the and field and cross country, and his eighth year overall on the UW heptathlon, long jump, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles and 4x100- coaching staff. In his first two seasons at the helm, Metcalf has meter relay, ultimately toeing the line 11 different times. So it was led the UW women to 29th and 18th at the NCAA Championships, little surprise that a banged-up Vela, nursing an injury that had and guided the Husky men to a tie for 22nd indoors in 2004. kept her from any serious running or jumping all week, not only Individually, 10 UW distance runners have earned NCAA berths, decided to compete at Saturday’s MPSF Championships, but domi- with two grabbing All-America accolades. In addition, Metcalf nated, crushing her own UW pentathlon record on the strength of has led the Huskies’ women’s cross country team to the NCAA marks in the high jump and 60-meter hurdles that ranked among meet in each of his eight years atop the UW distance program, the school’s top-10 all-time. Vela’s MPSF performance followed marking the sixth-longest active streak of NCAA appearances in up a terrific 2004 campaign that saw her earn four top-10 national the nation. In all, Metcalf has coached 11 All-Americans, five rankings from Athletics Canada, including sixth in the heptathlon, Pac-10 champions, 16 school-record setters and 71 NCAA seventh in the long jump, and ninth in the 100-meter hurdles and qualifiers. A 1993 UW graduate, Metcalf was a two-time All- triple jump. Vela’s heptathlon best of 5,225 points is bettered in American in the steeple, and ran in the 1996 U.S. Olympic trials. UW history only by Sonja Forster, who tallied 5,266 points at the 1992 Pac-10 meet. Forster was also the last Husky to earn an NCAA Husky Greats Give Back: Head coach Greg Metcalf isn’t the berth in the heptathlon before Vela did so last season, placing 21st only former Husky passing his knowledge on to UW’s stars of to- at the NCAA outdoor meet in Austin, Texas. Born and raised in day. In fact, three former Husky greats dot the coaching staff at Zimbabwe, Vela moved to Toronto in 1995 with her family, before Washington, including two-time All-Americans Metcalf and David graduating from Toronto’s Vaughan High School and attending Bazzi, and two-time Olympian Duncan Atwood. The results speak Division-II Lewis University in Chicago. Vela won five events at for themselves: in Atwood’s two seasons working with throws coach the 2003 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, and Bud Rasmussen as a volunteer assistant javelin coach, Husky earned Division-II All-America honors in the 4x100-meter relay. women’s spearers have combined for two All-America awards and The senior, whose best marks in the heptathlon and pentathlon are a pair of top-10 U.S. women’s rankings, while raising the UW both tops all-time by a Zimbabwe-born woman, will receive her javelin record by nearly 20 feet. Meanwhile, over the past three degree in economics this spring, and plans to return to her home years in the men’s distance events, where Bazzi assists Metcalf, country to improve the quality of life for its citizens. Husky runners have combined for four school records, and 38 times that rank among Washington’s top-10 all-time in distance events. 2005 Season Preview: As impressive as UW’s 2004 campaign proved to be — with one NCAA title, one Pac-10 title, four All- Star-Studded Staff: Washington’s assistant coaching staff in 2005 America honors, and nine school records — 2005 could be even is in no way short on accolades. Ninth-year vaults/jumps coach better. Eight of UW’s 13 NCAA Championships competitors re- Pat Licari has directed eight All-Americans, including two-time turn, while the team adds four newcomers whose existing bests NCAA champion Brad Walker. Third-year throws coach Bud would have qualified them for the NCAA meet last year. Topping Rasmussen founded the prestigious Iron Wood Thrower the returnees is Pac-10 pole vault champ and three-time All-Ameri- Development Camp, has mentored two All-Americans in two years can Kate Soma, who leads a deep UW women’s team that includes at Washington, and in seven years at North Idaho College coached athletes responsible for all but 13 of the Huskies’ 67 points in a 82 NJCAA All-Americans, 18 national champions and five NJCAA sixth-place finish at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships. The UW record holders. First-year sprints/relays coach LaMonte Vaughn, men are equally loaded for a strong postseason run with 13 Pac-10 Jr. mentored eight Eastern Kentucky sprinters to Ohio Valley scorers returning, including three of the four members of the team’s Conference titles in 2004, and coached athletes to 13 school records NCAA-qualifying 4x400-meter relay. While the Husky women boast in four years at Marshall University. Fourth-year distance coach particular strength in the pole vault, with three returning NCAA David Bazzi, a Washington alum, was the 2001 Pac-10 champion qualifiers, Washington’s men are loaded in the throws, with the at 10,000 meters, and still holds three all-time school records. Pac-10’s top returning competitors in the hammer and javelin, and Rounding out the all-star cast is third-year distance coach Kelly the conference’s third-ranked returnee in the discus. Husky hur- Strong, who graduated from Arizona State in 2002 with five All- dler Ashley Lodree and heptathlete Grace Vela each seek return America honors and three Pac-10 titles, and is largely credited trips to the NCAA meet, while four-time prep All-American sprinter with putting together a women’s recruiting class in 2003 that was Jennifer Nash and freshman heptathlete Bonnie Snyder could ranked sixth in the nation by Track and Field News. Ironically, challenge for NCAA berths in their first collegiate seasons. the most accomplished member of the Husky coaching staff is one Grenadan national champion Shane Charles, a junior-college All- of the team’s volunteer assistants — former Olympian Duncan American in the 400-meter hurdles, joins the team’s 4x400-meter Atwood. A UW All-American, two-time Olympian and three-time relay, while five-time state champion Norris Frederick seeks to U.S. champion, Atwood has helped Husky women’s javelin back up his top-four national prep rankings in the high and long throwers earn All-America honors in each of his two seasons with jumps. the team, and mentored freshman Brian Harris to an IAAF Junior World Championships berth in 2004. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 8

Washington’s 2005 NCAA Track and Field Indoor Championships Competitors Carly Dockendorf Pole Vault Junior, Port Moody, B.C. (Best Secondary) • Seeded in a tie for 16th entering this week’s NCAA Championships, with a best of 13-5 1/4. • Has competed just once in 2005, clearing a personal-best 13-5 1/4 on Mar. 5 to cinch an NCAA indoor berth. • One of four UW women in the NCAA field, equaling the most for any team in any one event at this week’s meet. • One of four UW women over 13 feet indoors this season, a feat unparalleled by any other collegiate squad in 2005. • Also an All-American collegiate gymnast. • Will compete Friday night in Salt Lake City for the UW gymnastics team against top-ranked Utah, before flying to Tulsa, Okla., Saturday morning and driving two hours to Fayetteville for the Saturday evening women’s vault. • Ranks fourth all-time at Washington indoors (13-5 1/4) and is tied for second all-time outdoors (13-2 1/4). • Is the eighth-ranked woman in Canadian pole vault history. • Competed at both the NCAA gymnastics and NCAA track and field championships in 2004, placing 24th in the floor exercise at the former, and 11th in the pole vault at the latter. • Has been pole vaulting for less than three years, having first attempted the sport in 2002 after seeing UW’s vaulters in training at Dempsey Indoor. Lindsey Egerdahl Mile Senior, Auburn, Wash. (Auburn) • Ranked 11th in the NCAA mile field with a best of 4:42.27. • Took four seconds off her mile PR at the UW Last Chance Qualifier. • Is making her NCAA Track and Field Championships debut, after placing sixth in the 1,500-meter final at the NCAA West Regional in each of the past two seasons. • Marks UW’s fourth-consecutive year with an NCAA indoor qualifier in the women’s mile. • Ranks third all-time at UW in the mile (4:42.27), fourth indoors at 3,000 meters (9:35.08) seventh outdoors at 1,500 meters (4:22.38) and on four different top-10 DMRs, including the school-record holder of 11:23.12. • Captained Husky cross country squad to consecutive NCAA appearances in 2003 and 2004.

Norris Frederick Long Jump Freshman, Seattle, Wash. (Roosevelt) • Long jump best of 25-6 1/4 leads all collegiate freshmen, and ranks fifth overall entering this week’s Championship. • Ranks second in UW indoor history in the long jump, just 1/4 shy of former world record holder Phil Shinnick. • Is the No. 1-ranked junior-age long jumper in America, and is No. 4 in the world among junior-age athletes. • Is tied for 13th among American long jumpers in the 2005 IAAF World Rankings. • Is also one of just 12 UW men ever to clear seven feet in the high jump, and one of just five to do so indoors. • Ranked second among U.S. preps in 2004 in the high jump (7-1), and was No. 4 prep long jumper (24-10 1/2). • The only prep athlete in state history to high jump seven feet and long jump 24 feet in the same season. • Placed 19th in the high jump and long jump at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships in Italy. • Captured five state prep titles, including three in the high jump, and two in the long jump.

Ashley Lodree 60m Hurdles Sophomore, Richmond, Calif. (El Cerrito) • Boasts automatic-qualifying mark of 8.15 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles that ranks sixth nationally . • Set hurdles best in second-place finish at the MPSF Championships on Feb. 26 in Seattle. • Placed 14th in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships. • UW’s school-record holder in the 60-meter hurdles indoors (8.15), and 100-meter hurdles outdoors (13.41) • Led all collegiate freshmen in 2004 with a 60-meter hurdles best of 8.19 seconds. • Ranked seventh in the world among junior-age 100-meter hurdlers in 2004, and was the No. 4 U.S. junior. • Boasts marks among UW’s all-time top-10 in seven different events, including the 100m hurdles (1st, 13.41), 100m dash (3rd, 11.73), and 4x100m relay outdoors, and the 60m dash (7.44, 2nd), 60m hurdles (1st, 8.15), 200m dash (4th, 24.89) and long jump, (t6th, 19-6 1/2) indoors. • Scored in four events at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Mar... 9, 2005 • Page 9

Washington’s 2005 NCAA Track and Field Indoor Championships Competitors, Cont. Stevie Marshalek Pole Vault Sophomore, Kent, Wash. (Kentlake) • Is seeded 11th in the Championships field with a best of 13-7 1/4. • One of four UW women in the NCAA field, equaling the most for any team in any one event at this week’s meet. • One of four UW women over 13 feet indoors this season, a feat unparalleled by any other collegiate squad in 2005. • Ranks second all-time at UW indoors (13-7 1/4) and is third all-time outdoors (13-3). • Placed 14th at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. • Set UW freshman records indoors and out in 2004. • Was the highest-ranked provisional qualifier not selected to the NCAA indoor field in 2004. • Ranked 18th in the world among under-20 vaulters in 2004, and competed at the IAAF World Junior Championships. Amanda Miller 800 Meters Freshman, Wenatchee, Wash. (Eastmont) • Enters the NCAA meet as the nation’s 16th-ranked competitor at 800 meters, with a best of 2:07.32. • One of three Husky freshmen competing at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships. • Has twice broken UW’s indoor 800-meter record this season, including a 2:08.33 run on Feb. 12, and a 2:07.32 run on Mar. 5, both in Seattle. • Season-best 800-meter mark ranks fifth among collegiate freshmen this season. • Redshirted the fall cross country season while rehabbing an injury. • Won seven state prep titles, including a cross country title, three at 800 meters. two in relays, and one at 1,600 meters. • Earned top-four finishes at the state track championships on 15 different occasions. Kate Soma Pole Vault Senior, Portland. Ore. (Grant) • NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of 14-3 1/2 leads all NCAA Division-I vaulters entering this week’s meet. • Currently ranks 20th in the 2005 IAAF World Rankings, and is second among American women in 2005 only to former world record holder Stacy Dragila. • One of four UW women in the NCAA field, equaling the most for any team in any one event at this week’s meet. • One of four UW women over 13 feet indoors this season, a feat unparalleled by any other collegiate squad in 2005. • Bidding to become just the third UW woman ever to win an NCAA title, and the first since Jennifer Ponath in 1988. • Also bidding for a fourth All-America honor, which would equal Aretha Hill and Meg Jones for tops all-time at UW. • Has improved her NCAA standing in each of her five appearances at the national meet, from 16th indoors in 2002, to 12th indoors and seventh outdoors in 2003, and to fifth (tie) indoors and second outdoors in 2004. • Is tied for seventh in NCAA history with a lifetime-best of 14-3 1/2, achieved at the Feb. 12 Husky Classic in Seattle. • Won the 2004 Pac-10 pole vault title with a clearance of 14-2, her first-ever over 14 feet. • Competed at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, and at the 2004 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Canada. • Finished the 2004 season ranked 12th in the USATF Women’s Outdoor Rankings. Ashley Wildhaber Pole Vault Junior, Chehalis, Wash. (W.F. West) • Enters the NCAA meet with a best mark of 13-5 3/4 that equals the 12th-best in the nation this year. • Making her NCAA Championships debut. • Achieved vault PR of 13-5 3/4, second-best in UW history, at the UW Indoor Invitational on Jan. 29. • One of four UW women in the NCAA field, equaling the most for any team in any one event at this week’s meet. • One of four UW women over 13 feet indoors this season, a feat unparalleled by any other collegiate squad in 2005. • Placed seventh at the 2004 NCAA West Regional with a mark of 13-1 3/4 that ranks No. 4 all-time outdoors at UW. • Competed at UNC Wilmington in 2003 before transferring to Washington last year. Austin Abbott, Sean Williams, Ryan Brown, Andy Fader Distance Medley Relay • Relay consists of freshman Austin Abbott (Chehalis, Wash./W.F. West), senior Sean Williams (Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington), sophomore Ryan Brown (Renton, Wash./Renton), and senior Andy Fader (Everett, Wash./Cascade). • Best of 9:36.20, set at Notre Dame on Mar. 5, equals the eighth-best among teams competing at this week’s meet. • Best time of 9:36.20 is second-fastest in UW history. • Bidding to become the first UW distance medley relay ever to earn All-America honors. • Includes athletes each ranked among UW’s all-time top-five in their respective events, including Abbott (third, mile), Williams (4th, 400m), Brown (2nd, 800m) and Fader (5th, mile). • Of the four, only Williams has NCAA Championships experience, having placed 16th with UW’s 4x400-meter relay at the outdoor championships in 2004.