Event: Aggie Twilight
Host: UC Davis
Where: Woody Wilson Track at Toomey Field
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Who to watch: A handful of Aggies have already gotten NCAA regional-qualifying marks under their belts, but others are still vying for the prestigious postseason qualification.
Among those to keep an eye on this weekend are sophomore pole vaulter Tessa Fraser, senior sprinter Nicole Theus, senior jumper Tolu Wusu and junior thrower Matt Swarbrick.
Did you know? Junior high jumper Jah Bennett has already met the regional qualification with his 2.10 (6-10.75) mark established at the Causeway Classic Dual on Apr. 25, and now has his sights set on the highest-possible track and field standard mark. The San Jose, Calif. native will be looking to get an Olympic Standard mark for Liberia at Saturday’s meet.
Preview: As the 2008 track and field season winds down, the Aggies will temporarily turn their attention away from the team game and work on individual marks.
“Aggie Twilight will basically be a meet just to get qualifying marks, so it’ll take a little off from being a team event,” said women’s head coach Deanne Vochatzer. “This being an Olympic year, people need to chase marks for the Olympics in this country, and there’s also the NCAA Regionals.“
Junior Sirena Williams has run the fastest times in the 100-meter hurdles for four-straight weeks, and will be among the handful of Aggies already qualified for regionals looking to improve on their marks.
On the men’s side, freshman Ray Green will look to do the same in the long and triple jumps. Green currently holds the team’s season highs in both events.
“Ray has the regional, but we want him to get better marks so he can have some more confidence going into the championships,” said assistant head coach Byron Talley.
The Big West Conference Track and Field Championships will begin on May 16 with the NCAA Division I West Region Championships taking place the week before, making the Aggie Twilight event UC Davis‘ last chance to earn more qualifiers.
“We’re just going to go hunting and see what we can get,” Vochatzer said. “There’ll be some good competitive teams and we’re looking forward to it.“
Among the teams expected to send athletes are Stanford, California, Sacramento State and Nevada-Reno.
