WASHINGTON Jan. 14, 2003 //For Immediate Release// Contact: Brian Beaky Husky Track and Field Opens 2004 Season 2004 Husky Track Schedule Indoor With First of Five Meets at Dempsey Indoor Date Meet Location Jan. 17 Husky Indoor Preview Seattle On the Track: Washington’s track and field teams seek to recapture the magic of an Jan. 31 UW Invitational Seattle exciting 2003 season on Saturday with the season-opening UW Indoor Preview at Feb. 7 Bronco Invitational Boise, Idaho Dempsey Indoor. With six of the team’s 11 NCAA Championships qualifiers returning, Feb. 14 Pac-10 Invitational Seattle and a recruiting class that boasts numerous prep and junior-college All-Americans, the Feb. 27-28 MPSF Championships Seattle Huskies will attempt to put together a fitting follow-up to the team’s 2003 campaign, Mar. 6 UW Last Chance Qualifier Seattle which featured one national champion, four All-Americans and a dozen school records. Mar. 12-13 NCAA Champs. Fayetteville, Ark. No fewer than 42 Division-I, small-college and club squads will be helping Washington Outdoor ring in 2004 on Saturday, including full teams from Oregon, Stanford, Sacramento State, Date Meet Location and Portland. Spectator seating is available for all events, and admission is free. Mar. 20 Cal Poly Invite San Luis Obispo, CA Mar. 26-27 Stanford Invitational Palo Alto, CA Vaulters Tune Up: Washington’s vaulters earned a jump-start on 2004 at last wekend’s Mar. 31-Apr.4 Texas Relays Austin, TX U.S. Summit in Reno, Nev. Senior All-American Brad Walker, who saw bid Apr. 10 Pepsi Invitational Eugene, OR for a second NCAA title cut short in May by a broken hand, made a triumphant return, Apr. 16-18 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, CA defeating U.S. record holder and reigning Olympic gold medalist Nick Apr. 17 Interstate Challenge Pullman, WA Hysong with a vault of 18-4 that trailed only 2003 U.S. indoor champ . Apr. 22-24 Drake Relays Des Moines, IA Freshman Stevie Marshalek also made her mark, becoming just the second UW woman Apr. 24 Oregon Invitational Eugene, ORE May 1 UW-WSU Dual Pullman, WA to clear 13 feet with a vault of 13-1, good for the win. Junior All-American Kate Soma May 7-8 Pac-10 Multi Events Tuscon, AZ cleared 12-9, as did sophomore Carly Dockendorf, while Sam Roberts, Fumi Nagahisa May 8 Ken Shannon Invitational Seattle and McKane Lee each made their 2004 debuts for Washington. May 14-15 Pac-10 Championships Tuscon, AZ May 28-29 NCAA Regional Northridge, CA Event Schedule: Following is a complete schedule of events for Saturday’s UW Indoor June 9-12 NCAA Championships Austin, TX Preview at Dempsey Indoor. All times are Pacific and subject to change. June 24-27 USATF Jr. Nat’ls Buffalo, NY July 9-18 U.S. Olympic Trials Sacramento, CA 9:00 a.m. 20-lb Weight Throw (W) 1:00 p.m. High Jump (W) Aug. 20-29 Olympic Games , Greece 9:30 a.m. Long Jump (W) Pole Vault (M) 10:00 a.m. Pole Vault (W) 400m Dash (W) Bold font indicates Husky home meet. All home 10:30 a.m. 35-lb Weight Throw (M) 1:15 p.m. 400m Dash (M) indoor meets held at Dempsey Indoor, all home 1:30 p.m. 60m Dash Final (W) High Jump (M) outdoor meets held at Husky Stadium. 10:45 a.m. 60m Hurdles Prelim (W) 1:35 p.m. 60m Dash Final (M) 11:00 a.m. Long Jump (M) 1:45 p.m. 800m Run (W) 11:10 a.m. 60m Hurdles Prelim (M) 1:55 p.m. 800m Run (M) For the latest information on Husky track and 11:30 a.m. 60m Dash Prelim (W) 2:00 p.m. Shot Put (M) field, including results, statistics and releases, Triple Jump (M) visit the official site of UW athletics at: 11:50 a.m. 60m Dash Prelim (M) www.gohuskies.com 12:10 p.m. Mile Run (W) 2:05 p.m. 200m Dash (W) 12:20 p.m. Mile Run (M) 2:25 p.m. 200m Dash (M) 2004 UW Track and Field Media Guide 12:30 p.m. Shot Put (W) 2:45 p.m. 3000m Run (W) The 2004 UW Track and Field Media Guide is Triple Jump (W) 3:00 p.m. 3000m Run (M) your source for bios and photos of the 2004 Hus- 12:35 p.m. 60m Hurdles Final (W) 3:10 p.m. DMR (W) kies, as well as records and a history of the first 12:45 p.m. 60m Hurdles Final (M) 3:25 p.m. DMR (M) century of Husky track. Media guides are on sale 12:50 p.m. 600m Run (W) 3:40 p.m. 4x400m Relay (W) for just $5 at all UW home track meets, and can 12:55 p.m. 600m Run (M) 3:50 p.m. 4x400m Relay (M) be purchased by phone at (206) 543-2230. Meet Results: Results will be posted periodically throughout the meet on a board at the south end of Dempsey Indoor. Following the conclusion of the meet, packets of results will be available at the finish line for coaches and meet officials only. Please allow 5-10 minutes following the conclusion of the final event for results to be processed and approved. Final results will be faxed to all local media and participating schools roughly 30 minutes following the conclusion of the meet, and will be posted to the official site of Husky athletics, www.gohuskies.com, within an hour. Any coach or SID wishing to have results e-mailed should send a special request to the UW Sports Information office at the e-mail address listed on the following page. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Jan. 14, 2004 • Page 2

Rankings Report: Washington’s men debuted in a tie for 23rd in the first Husky Track Quick Facts 2004 release of the Trackwire 25, a national ranking which attempts to University of Washington predict team scoring at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships. The Hus- Athletic Department, Box 354070 kies earned 10 points in the ranking, equaling the total given to Kansas, Seattle, WA 98195-4070 Connecticut and Purdue. Defending NCAA outdoor champion Arkansas claimed the top spot with 62 points, while reigning champs Louisiana State Enrollment: ...... 37,000 (26,000 undergraduate) ranked No. 1 among women’s teams with 71. The Husky women went Founded: ...... Nov. 4, 1861 unranked by Trackwire. The first release of the 2004 U.S. Track Coaches President: ...... Dr. Lee L. Huntsman Association Dual Meet Power Rankings is due out later this month. Director of Athletics: ...... Barbara Hedges Home Stadium: ...... Dempsey Indoor/Husky Stadium 2003 Indoor Season Recap: The 2003 indoor season will long be remem- Press Row Phone: ...... (206) 227-5709 bered as one of the most exciting in UW history, with school records, Conference: ...... Pacific-10 Head Coach: ...... Greg Metcalf (2nd year) American records, and top-10 world marks falling left and right. Eight Asst. Coach (Vault/Jumps): ...... Pat Licari (8th year) UW records were set during the team’s five weeks of competition at Asst. Coach (Sprints/Hurdles): Dion Miller (2nd year) Dempsey Indoor, including a pair of records by Courtney Inman in the Asst. Coach (Throws): ...... Bud Rasmussen (2nd year) 800m and mile runs. At the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships, Inman Asst. Coach (Distances): ...... David Bazzi (3rd year) was a top-10 finisher in the mile, Jeremy Park earned All-American hon- Asst. Coach (Distances): . Kelly MacDonald (2nd year) ors at 3,000m, and pole vaulter Brad Walker won his first NCAA title, Track Office Phone:...... (206) 221-2625 crushing the competition by nine inches. Walker’s mark of 19 feet, 0 1/4 Website: ...... www.gohuskies.com inch was three inches beyond the Pac-10 record, and tied for third in the 2003 Men’s Pac-10 Finish: ...... 9th world indoors in 2003. In fact, a glance at the 2003 IAAF World Rankings 2003 Men’s NCAA Finish: ...... N/A reveals dozens of marks set on the Dempsey Indoor track. As many as 2003 Women’s Pac-10 Finish: ...... 6th 2,500 spectators packed the facility each week, creating a highly-charged 2003 Women’s NCAA Finish: ...... 29th (tied) NCAA Competitors Returning/Lost: ...... 6/5 atmosphere that attracted such luminaries as two-time Olympic medalist Best Men’s Conference Finish: ...... 2nd (1976) , and fellow Olympians , Bolota Asmeron, Michael Best Men’s NCAA Finish: ...... 2nd (1929, 1930) Stember and Ja’Warren Hooker. Also, a pair of Masters’ athletes, Tony Best Women’s Conference Finish: .. 4th (1995, ‘96, ‘98) Young and Harold Morioka, combined for three all-time U.S.-best marks, Best Women’s NCAA Finish: ...... 10th (1988) while the Northwest’s top preps filled the facility on three weekends.

Husky Media Relations Dempsey Indoor: The 80,000-square foot home of Husky indoor track Brian Beaky, Track and Field SID opened in September of 2001 to rave reviews. The facility includes a per- E-mail: [email protected] manent 307-meter MONDO track (six lanes on the straightaway, five on Office Phone: (206) 543-2230 the oval) and a full 100-yard FieldTurf infield equipped to host the shot Mobile Phone: (206) 227-5709 put, weight throw, long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault events. Fax: (206) 543-5000 Already in 2003, Dempsey Indoor has played host to five former Olympi- ans and witnessed five top-10 world marks, three top all-time U.S. marks Final 2003 USTCA Dual Meet Power Rankings (though not officially records), eight UW indoor school records and doz- Men Women ens of NCAA-qualifying marks. In addition to its competitive use, the 1. Tennesee 375.48 1. N. Carolina 400.45 building is utilized as an indoor practice facility for Washington’s foot- 2. UCLA 373.16 2. UCLA 394.18 3. Florida 372.10 3. LSU 385.59 ball, softball, baseball and men’s and women’s soccer teams, and is con- 4. Florida State 369.08 4. Nebraska 379.88 sidered one of the premier indoor facilities on the West Coast. 5. BYU 365.68 5. S. Carolina 373.14 6. Minnesota 364.78 6. Florida State 369.82 Dempsey Indoor Draws World’s Best: If Washington’s home indoor 7. Nebraska 361.45 7. Penn State 368.95 meets last season seemed to shimmer in gold, it was likely due to the 8. Colorado State 352.03 8. Wash. State 362.00 numerous current and former Olympians who highlighted the fields at 9. Indiana 351.14 9. BYU 360.98 Dempsey Indoor. The Feb. 1 Husky Invitational featured four Olympic 10. Clemson 350.91 10. Florida 360.79 11. S. Carolina 347.50 11. Indiana 358.39 athletes, including former Husky and 2000 U.S. Olympian Ja’Warren 12. Texas 345.00 12. Rice 355.99 Hooker, who set a facility record in the 60m dash with a time of 6.63 13. Arizona 343.27 13. San Diego St. 351.29 seconds. Hooker was joined by fellow U.S. Olympians John Godina and 14. Penn State 341.54 14. Oregon 351.12 Seilala Sua, and distance runner Bolota Asmeron, who competed in 2000 15. Oregon 340.64 15. Arizona 350.22 for his native Eritrea. Godina, a two-time Olympic medalist, heaved the 16. Wash. State 339.86 16. Washington 340.09 shot 65-6 3/4 in a winning effort, while Sua took the women’s shot with a 17. Wichita State 339.16 17. Cornell 340.08 throw of 56-8, besting her own facility record. Asmeron, however, high- 18. Auburn 335.17 18. Idaho 339.91 19. Purdue 335.14 19. Nevada-Reno 338.78 lighted the competition, clocking the world’s sixth-fastest indoor 3,000- 27. Washington 328.06 20. Minnesota 334.61 meter time of the 2003 season with a mark of 7:49.68 which, at the time it was run, was the world’s best in 2003. Also, 2000 Olympian Michael * - Rankings as of June 1 Stember set a facility record in the mile at the UW Invitational. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Jan. 14, 2004 • Page 3

Walker Takes An Encore: A broken hand in May ended the 2003 Walker’s Steady Climb: Walker initially enrolled at Washington season for Husky senior Brad Walker, but has played a large role as a non-scholarship athlete who never cleared 17 feet at University in bringing the three-time All-American back this season. Though High School in Spokane, Wash. He blossomed during his sopho- Walker has exhausted his four years of outdoor eligibility, he has more season, improving by more than a foot en route to an All- competed just three seasons indoors, having redshirted the 2002 American indoor campaign. An undiagnosed foot injury hampered indoor season due to injury. By utilizing the remaining season, Walker outdoors, but he still finished 12th at the NCAA Champion- Walker can continue to train with his UW coaches in preparation ships before undergoing surgery. After redshirting the 2002 indoor for July’s U.S. Olympic Trials, while simultaneously defending his season, Walker posted one of the top outdoor seasons in UW his- 2003 NCAA indoor pole vault crown. Walker will compete for tory, shattering the UW pole vault record and earning Washington’s Washington through the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships, Mar. first Pac-10 pole vault title in 30 years. A second-place finish at the 12-13, before launching his professional career in the spring. NCAA Championships and the sixth-place finish at the USA Senior Nationals followed. In 2003, Walker upped the school record again, World-Class Walker: When Brad Walker returns to Dempsey to 19-0 1/4 with his performance at the NCAA Indoor meet, broke Indoor in 2004, he will be seeking to recapture the magic of the his own outdoor record in his first competition, and won his sec- finest indoor seasons ever posted by a U.S. collegian. The two-time ond-straight Pac-10 title. Pac-10 champion gave the nation a preview of the year to come in June 2002, clearing 18-6 in a sixth-place finish at the U.S. Senior Jamaican Sensations: Don’t blame second-year sprints/hurdles Nationals. After his performance at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Cham- coach Dion Miller for catching a bit of island fever — the island pionships, however, one had to go beyond the collegiate ranks to nation of Jamaica is producing some impressive track talent. find anyone who could compete with the Spokane, Wash., native. Washington’s 2003 roster includes two athletes from the Caribbean Walker’s clearance of 19-0 1/4 at the NCAAs was better than all but nation, juniors Patrick Davidson and Davaon Spence. The two two indoor marks in the world in 2003, and equaled the winning grew up friends at St. Jago HS in Kingston, Jamaica, and competed mark at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Walker, who together on 4x100m and 4x400m relay squads that swept Jamaican won the NCAA title by nearly nine inches, finished the indoor sea- national titles in 2003. After splitting up to attend junior colleges in son tied for third in the world with American Derek Miles and the U.S., the two long-time friends have reunited at Washington of , and tied Miles for the U.S. best. Even this season, providing the Huskies a pair of top-flight sprinters to with the handicap of having not competed at any of the major na- anchor a rapidly-improving unit. Davidson’s career-best marks of tional or international meets during the summer and fall, Walker 10.50 for 100m and 21.50 for 200m would each have scored at the still finished among the top-12 vaulters in the final 2003 IAAF World 2003 Pac-10 Championships, while Spence adds big-meet experi- Rankings. Walker crushed his own UW record by more than six ence gained from years of competition at the World Youth Champi- inches, and became the first Pac-10 vaulter ever to clear the 19-foot onships. The two should bring Washington its most exciting pres- mark, shattering by three inches the Pac-10 record of 18-9 1/4 set ence in the sprints since the graduation of 10-time All-American by Stanford’s Toby Stevenson. Ja’Warren Hooker in 2001, and add dangerous sprint talent to a men’s squad already strong in the distances and field events. Final 2003 IAAF World Indoor Rankings Name Country Mark 1. 19-1 Scandinavian Invasion: Jamaica may be the place to go for un- 2. Adam Ptacek Czech Republic 19-0 3/4 tapped sprint talent, but Norway is where it’s at if you need a dis- 3. Brad Walker United States 19-0 1/4 tance runner. If you happened to be at the Norweigian Track and Derek Miles United States 19-0 1/4 Field Championships this summer, you may recognize some of the Romain Mesnil France 19-0 1/4 new faces on the Husky roster. Washington boasts the odd coinci- 6. Oleksandr Korchmid Ukraine 18-10 1/4 Michael Stolle Germany 18-10 1/4 dence of having both of Norway’s reigning 800-meter champions 8. Jeff Hartwig United States 18-9 1/2 competing in purple and gold this season, including women’s champ Lars Borgeling Germany 18-9 1/2 Ingvill Makestad and men’s champ Stig Ellingson. Makestad, a Rens Blom Netherlands 18-9 1/2 junior, followed up her 800-meter national title this summer with a Vasily Gorshkov Russia 18-9 1/2 fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the Under-23 European Richard Spiegelburg Germany 18-9 1/2 Championships in , clocking a career-best time of 4:13.58. That time, if duplicated, would be the third-best in UW history, be- All-Time Collegiate Pole Vault Top-10 hind only Courtney Inman and Regina Joyce. Both Makestad and Name School Year Mark Ellingson, a native of Oslo, have competed for several years on the 1. Lawrence Johnson Tennessee 1996 19-7 1/2 European amateur circuit, and will have two years of collegiate eli- 2. Istvan Bagyula George Mason 1991 19-5 3. Jacob Davis Texas 1998 19-4 1/4 gibility remaining. Makestad was outsanding in competition for 4. Baylor 1991 19-2 3/4 Washington’s cross country squad in the fall, taking ninth at the 5. Oklahoma State 1985 19-2 1/4 Pac-10 Championships and fifth at the NCAA West Regional, tops 6. Brad Walker Washington 2003 19-0 1/4 among UW runners at both events. Ironically, at the West Regional Russ Buller Louisiana State 1999 19-0 1/4 in Portland, Makestad placed just a split-second ahead of USC’s Jim Davis Fresno State 2000 19-0 1/4 9. Doug Fraley Fresno State 1986 18-11 Iryna Vaschuk, the same athlete who finished behind Makestad in 10. Jeff Buckingham Kansas 1983 18-10 1/2 this year’s Norweigian 1,500-meter final. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Jan. 14, 2004 • Page 4

Triple Threat: Senior triple jumper Brittiny Roberts entered rare air last Monster PR of the Week: With only a handful of ath- season when she leapt 41-4 1/4 at the UW Invitational, nearly 10 inches letes competing at last weekend’s U.S. Pole Vault Sum- farther than the Huskies’ previous indoor best. She did herself one better, mit in Reno, Nev., the pool for Monster PR of the Week though, at March’s Stanford Invitational, clearing 41-4 1/2 to leapfrog was small, but that didn’t prevent freshman Stevie Michele Davis into second on the UW’s all-time outdoor list. Roberts’ Marshalek from literally rising above the crowd. In her success should come as no surprise, given that her cousin, U.S. track leg- UW debut, Marshalek soared 13-1 to win her flight, and end Ralph Boston, won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1960 Olym- become just the second UW woman to clear 13 feet. A pic Games in Rome. Maybe Roberts learned a thing or two from Boston Prep All-American out of Bothell (Wash.) High School, — in addition to the triple jump, she led all Huskies outdoors in both the Marshalek boasted a best of 12-11 1/2 entering 2004. high and long jumps. At the 2003 NCAA West Regional meet, the Fresno, Calif., native earned a return trip to her home state with a third-place fin- ish in the triple jump that guaranteed Roberts a spot at the 2003 NCAA 2003 Husky Track and Field Championships. The junior, who finished just 3/4 of an inch out of the Indoor Statistical Leaders lead with a mark of 41-4 1/4 at the Regional, is making an assault on the school outdoor record of 41-7 3/4 set by Tara Davis in 1995. Prior to Women’s 2003, Roberts had already joined an elite class of triple jumpers, clearing 60m Dash Rianna Moore 7.88 40-8 3/4 in a fourth-place finish at the 2002 Pac-10 Championships to 60m Hurdles Brynne Steward 8.78 rank third all-time at UW. Roberts is one of just six Huskies — including 200m Dash Rianna Moore 25.51 teammate Sidney Brown — to cover 40 feet in the triple jump outdoors, 400m Dash Lauran Dignam 57.48 and one of just three to accomplish the feat indoors. 800m Run Courtney Inman 2:08:39*% Mile Run Courtney Inman 4:40.24*# Triple Double: Teammates Brittiny Roberts and Sidney Brown be- 3000m Run Kate Bradshaw 9:49.37 came, in 2003, the first UW women’s tandem ever to triple-jump 40 feet 5000m Run Sabrina Monro 16:22.13*% in the same season, with Roberts’ best of 41-4 1/2 ranking second all-time 4x400m Relay Jensen/R. Moore/ 3:55.78 at Washington, and Brown’s 40-1 1/4 the UW’s sixth-best mark. For per- Dignam/Tentschert spective, only three UW women in the entire decade of the 1990s ever DMR Egerdahl/Dignam/ 11:54.68 reached 40 feet in the event, and only six (including Roberts and Brown) Chapman/Connelly have done it at Washington all-time. High Jump Sidney Brown 5-7* Pole Vault Kate Soma 13-3 3/4*% Garnering Acclaim: When hunting for breaking news, it can be easy to Long Jump Katelyn Waterhouse 18-3 1/4 overlook those for whom success is routine. Eric Garner has been so Triple Jump Brittiny Roberts 41-4 1/4* succesful over the past two seasons — both in track and field and cross Shot Put Cherron Davis 46-1 1/4* country — that his impressive results are too often taken for granted. All Weight Throw Kameko Gay 50-8 3/4 the senior has done over the past two years is to ensure that his name will come up in any future discussion of Washington’s legendary distance- Men’s running tradition. A graduate of Kelso (Wash.) High School, Garner burst 60m Dash Shelton Sampson 6.84 onto the scene in 2002 with a school-record 3:58.93 mile at Dempsey 60m Hurdles Marc James 8.10 Indoor, the first four-minute ever by a Husky on Washington soil. Garner 200m Dash Shelton Sampson 21.18*% took 13th in the mile that season at the NCAA Indoor meet, and returned 400m Dash Greg Forni 48.03 in 2003 to become the UW’s most prolific postseason qualifier, boasting 800m Run Ryan Brown 1:50.97* NCAA Regional marks at 800-, 1,500-, and 5,000 meters. Garner placed Mile Run Todd Arnold 4:06.65* third in the 1,500 meters at the 2003 Pac-10 Championships, and earned 3000m Run Jeremy Park 7:54.13# an NCAA berth with a fourth-place finish in the event at the Regional. 5000m Run Ben Koss 14:36.22 With one full track season remaining, Garner already owns all-time UW 4x400m Relay N. Williams/S. Williams/ 3:11.71 indoor marks in the mile and distance medley relay, ranks second in the Goodrich/Forni indoor 3,000 meters, and is sixth all-time at 1,500 meters. Additionally, he DMR Park/S. Williams/ 9:40.82% has led Washington’s cross country runners at all but one varsity meet Arnold/Garner over the previous two seasons, and in 2003 led the Husky men back to the High Jump Warren Eickhoff 6-9 1/2* NCAA Championships for the first time since the 1993 season. Pole Vault Brad Walker 19-0 1/4*# Long Jump Phillippe Cook 22-0 3/4 Ridiculous Records: Washington’s track and field athletes in 2003 ren- Triple Jump James Sims 49-3 3/4* dered the indoor school records section of the UW media guide completely Shot Put Brendan Tuohy 49-2 1/4 obsolete, posting 38 marks among the top-10 in school history. Included Weight Throw Brendan Tuohy 53-8 1/4 among the top-10 marks were a whopping eight school records, or one more than Husky athletes set in 2001 and 2002, combined. For a complete list of the top-10 indoor marks set by UW athletes in 2003, see the box on i - Indoor mark * - Pac-10 qualifier % - NCAA qualifier page six of this release. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Jan. 14, 2004 • Page 5

It’s Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight...: ... it’s the size of the Double-Duty Dockendorf: Freshman football/basketball star Nate fight in the dog. Junior pole vaulter Kate Soma may stand only an Robinson may be Washington’s most celebrated two-sport athlete inch above 5’-0”, but the Portland, Ore., native towers over all UW in 2003, but even he didn’t try to compete in two sports at once. female vaulters, past and present. Soma is one of just two Husky That’s was the feat accomplished by Port Moody, B.C., native Carly women ever to clear 13 feet in the pole vault, having done so both Dockendorf, a star for the Husky gymnastics team who in just four indoors and outdoors. In fact, only six UW women have ever cleared official UW competitions pole vaulted her way to second all-time 12 feet in the event, a feat Soma has accomplished in 26 of her 31- at Washington, and fourth in all of Canada this season. A redshirt career pole vault finishes, including the 2003 NCAA Champion- freshman, Dockendorf has improved weekly, culminating with an ships. Soma earned her first-career All-America honor by placing eighth-place finish at this year’s Pac-10 Championships, in 12-11 seventh at last year’s outdoor meet with a mark of 13-5 1/2, and 1/2, that trails only Kate Soma in Husky history. The weekend of might have gone higher if not for a broken pole that lacerated her Mar. 1, though, may have marked the most impressive display of right hand. The meet marked the third NCAA appearance for Soma, Dockendorf’s athletic ability. On Friday, Feb. 28, with the gym- who was the 12th-place finisher at the 2003 NCAA indoor meet, nasts needing a big performance from Dockendorf to extend an un- and 16th-place finisher outdoors in 2002. Soma vaulted herself in defeated home season, the redshirt freshman scored a perfect 10 on the Pac-10’s all-time elite at last year’s NCAA West Regional Cham- the floor exercise, just the sixth perfect 10 in UW history. Barely 12 pionships, clearing 13 feet, 10 inches to break her own Washington hours later, Dockendorf pulled on her track spikes and soared 12- record by more than eight inches and climb to eighth in Pac-10 feet, zero inches in the pole vault at the Pac-10 Indoor Track Invita- history. The sixth-place finisher at the 2003 Pac-10 meet, Soma was tional, a mark which would have ranked fifth all-time in UW his- bested at the Regional only by Oregon’s Becky Holliday, who set a tory. This season, she established herself as one of Washington’s collegiate outdoor record of 14-8 in her Regional win. At the Mar. 1 top gymnasts, earning All-America honors while tallying three per- Pac-10 Invitational, Soma broke her own indoor school record with fect 10s on the floor, including at the Pac-10 Championships, where a clearance of 13-3 3/4, continuing a record trend she began as a she shared the conference crown. A provincial pole vault champion freshman by setting UW benchmarks of 13-1 1/2 outdoors, and 12- as a prep, Dockendorf’s 2003 best of 12-11 1/2 is tied for fourth by 11 1/2 indoors. a Canadian woman this season, remarkable given that the redshirt freshman has only officially vaulted three times in her UW career. All-Time Pac-10 Pole Vault Top-10 Following is a list of the top-10 pole vault performances by Cana- Name School Year Mark dian women this season, through June 5: 1. Amy Linnen Arizona 2002 14-10 1/4 2. Becky Holliday Oregon 2003 14-8 3. Tracy O’Hara UCLA 2000 14-7 1/4 Athletics Canada All-Time Women’s Outdoor Rankings 4. Tamara Diles Wash. State 2003 14-3 1/4 Name Year Mark 5. Nikki McEwen Oregon 2003 14-1 1/4 1. Stephanie McCann 2002 14-3 1/4 Connie Jerz Arizona 2003 14-1 1/4 2. Dana Ellis 2003 14-1 1/4 7. Chelsea Johnson UCLA 2003 13-11 1/4 3. Ardin Tucker-Harrison 2002 13-9 3/4 8. Kate Soma Washington 2003 13-10 4. Kelsie Hendry 2003 13-8 1/4 9. Andrea Dutoit Arizona 2001 13-9 1/4 10. Erica Hoerning UCLA 2001 13-7 5. Trista Bernier 1998 13-7 1/4 6. Jackie Honey 2001 13-6 1/4 Arnold Steps Up: To say that junior Todd Arnold went from not 7. Simona Kovacic 2003 13-2 1/4 qualifying for the 2003 Pac-10 Championships to instead qualify- 8. Adrienne Vangool 2003 13-1 3/4 ing for the NCAA Championships is remarkable, but does not tell 9. Carly Dockendorf 2003 12-11 1/2 the whole story. Needing a mark of 1:51.44 to qualify for the Rebecca Chambers 1999 12-11 1/2 postseason at 800 meters, the Ocosta, Wash., native lowered his Melissa Feinstein 2000 12-11 1/2 half-mile best consistently all season, from 1:56 to 1:52 and 1:51.68. Amazingly, Arnold was able to lower his mark yet again, to 1:51.50 International Blend: Washington’s roster in 2004 features several at the season-ending Ken Foreman Invitational, but was still unable individuals from outside the United States, with Not surprisingly, to crack the Pac-10 standard. Recognizing his consistent improve- Canada is the foreign nation with the most athletes on the UW ros- ment, head coach Greg Metcalf designated Arnold one of two ter, sophomores Gaelle Banini (Richmond, B.C.), and Carly “wildcard” selections for the Pac-10 meet, given to each team to Dockendorf (Port Moody, B.C.) and junior Grace Vela (Toronto, bring athletes who did not otherwise qualify. Arnold rewarded his Ont.). Of the three, Banini has certainly carved the most unique coach’s faith with a personal-best in the 800-meter prelim, clocking route to Seattle, having been born in Cameroon, Africa, and moved 1:50.00 to not only earn a spot in the finals, but also a berth at the to France in 1987 before settling in Canada in 1994. Nearly as well- 2003 NCAA West Regional. A seventh-place finish in the Pac-10 represented as Canada is Norway, which sent both of its reigning final could have been a well-deserved reward for Arnold’s determi- 800-meter national champs to Washington in the form of Ingvill nation, but the junior had bigger plans. Seeded 10th overall in the Makestad (Odda, Norway) and Stig Ellingsen (Tromso, Norway). event at the Regional, Arnold qualified for the final but was shuffled Jamaican greats Patrick Davidson and Davaon Spence, both from back of the pack after starting in the outside lane. As was the case Kingston, will make their UW debuts this spring, while sophomoire all season, however, Arnold refused to give up, charging to fourth Vinh Chung will rack up plenty of frequent flyer miles traveling on the backstretch and holding on for the automatic NCAA berth. from Seattle to his hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand. UW TRACK AND FIELD • Jan. 14, 2004 • Page 5

Russell Rebounds: He may have been out of action for over two Star-Studded Staff: Washington’s coaching staff in 2003 is in no years, but if his performances over the past month of the 2003 sea- way short on accolades. Seventh-year vaults/jumps coach Pat son are any indication, junior John Russell hasn’t lost any of the Licari has directed three All-Americans, including Pac-10 and speed that led him to a fourth-place finish as a freshman in the 1,500 NCAA champion Brad Walker. First-year throws coach Bud meters at the 2000 Pac-10 Championships. Touted as the next great Rasmussen founded the prestigious Iron Wood Thrower Husky distance runner after that exciting debut season, in which he Development Camp, and in seven years at North Idaho College also cracked the school’s all-time top-10 indoors in the mile and mentored 82 NJCAA All-Americans, 18 national champions and placed 13th in the U.S. Junior National Cross-Country Champion- five NJCAA record holders. First-year sprints/relays coach Dion ships, Russell had his 2001 track season wiped out entirely by ten- Miller last year led Texas Tech sprinters to 13 All-America donitis, a condition that also kept him out of action during the 2001 accolades, and a Big 12 title in the 4x100-meter relay. Second-year cross-country and 2002 track seasons. The Spokane, Wash., native distance coach David Bazzi, a Washington alum, was the 2001 finally returned to competition during the fall of 2002, and steadily Pac-10 champion at 10,000 meters, and still holds three all-time improved throughout the fall and winter seasons. By April’s Or- school records. Rounding out the all-star cast is first-year distance egon Invitational, Russell was rolling, clocking a time of 3:44.65 in coach Kelly MacDonald, who graduated from Arizona State in the 1,500 meters to earn a Pac-10 and NCAA Regional qualifying 2002 with five All-America honors and three Pac-10 titles. The mark. In addition to setting aside questions of lost speed, the junior full-timers are joined by UW legends and volunteer coaches showed at the Pac-10 meet that he had lost none of his tenacity, Duncan Atwood and Ja’Warren Hooker. fighting through a physical race to take sixth. Finally, Russell com- pleted his comeback with an outstanding run at the Regional, plac- Head Coach Greg Metcalf: Former Husky All-American Greg ing fifth to earn his first-ever NCAA Championships appearance. Metcalf is in his second year as Washington’s head coach of track In all, Russell was off the track for 22 months, missing two full and field and cross-country, and his seventh year overall on the seasons of track, and one full season of cross-country. UW coaching staff. Inhis first season at the helm, Metcalf led the UW women to 29th at the NCAA Championships, equaling their 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships Recap: Without a doubt, the highest point total since the 1998 season, and guided seven UW 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships were nearly a perfect finish to distance runners to NCAA Championships appearances. In seven an outstanding indoor season for the University of Washington track years directing Washington’s cross country program, Metcalf has and field teams. Senior Brad Walker backed up his No. 1 ranking led the women’s cross country team to seven-consecutive NCAA in the pole vault, earning Washington’s 25th-ever NCAA individual Championships, the seventh-longest active streak in the nation. title with a vault of 19-feet, 0 1/4 inches that is the best-ever by a Metcalf has coached nine All-Americans, five Pac-10 champions, Pac-10 vaulter, third-best in the world in 2003, and tied for sixth- 13 school-record setters and 62 NCAA qualifiers. A 1993 UW best in NCAA history. Senior Jeremy Park earned All-American graduate, Metcalf was a two-time All-American in the steeplechase, honors with a 13th-place finish in the 3,000 meters, helping lead and ran in the 1996 U.S. Olympic trials. the Husky men to a tie for 20th overall at the meet. Senior Courtney Inman placed ninth overall in the mile, and sophomore Kate Soma was the 12th finisher in the pole vault, each improving their fin- ishes from the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Top-ranked Arkansas ran away with the men’s title, while LSU defended its indoor crown on the women’s side.

Husky Greats Give Back: Looking for an explanation for the Hus- kies’ success in the javelin last season? Look no further than 1984 U.S. Olympian Duncan Atwood, who has volunteered his time to his alma mater, working with second-year assistant coach Bud Rasmussen. The results speak for themselves: in 2003, four UW javelin throwers qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships, while senior Heather Reichmann earned All-America honors with a throw of 159-6 that was the 10th-best by a U.S. woman in 2003. Atwood joins second-year head coach Greg Metcalf, a two-time steeplechase All-American at UW and a participant at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, as well as two-time Husky All-American David Bazzi, now a UW assistant coach.