Event: Causeway Classic
Where: Hornet Stadium – Sacramento, Calif.
When: Friday at 4 p.m. (field), 5:30 p.m. (track)
Who to watch: Junior Alex Wilright broke a 27-year-old school record in the 400m last weekend, clocking 47.26 to edge teammate Thomas Phillips, who was second in 47.28.
“I told him [Phillips] that I was going for the record, and that I was going to get it,” said Wilright. “I told him that whoever has the most juice left at the end is going to be the man to take it down. We both knew that it would be close.“
Wilright also has the school record in the 400m hurdles (50.60), and is currently tied at No. 10 in the nation in that event.
“I am hoping that it means the next time I step on the track, I will be able to run either in the low 50 or high 49 range,” Wilright said. “I want to run 49 by the end of the season.“
Did you know? The Aggie men have never won the Causeway Classic.
Last year, the meet was tied heading into the final event – the 4x400m relay – with Sacramento State edging UC Davis for the event and overall win.
The closest finish came in 2006. UC Davis led 93-91 going into the 4x400m, but a loss in that event led to the only tie in Causeway history.
Preview: The Aggies are looking for some revenge after last year’s loss to Sac State.
“We had a team meeting [Tuesday] and all the guys who were in the meet last year when we lost came up and told the guys what they had to do to step up and win it,” said coach Jon Vochatzer. “As the guys got up you could feel the intensity, you could feel the excitement and you could feel the heart beat of the team.“
This meet is different than many of the recent invitationals, as it is all about placing well, not necessarily getting good marks.
“This weekend is all about scoring points,” Vochatzer said. “It is a preview of the energy we can bring to the track before conference. When we hit the track, it’s all about the team. This meet is about beating Sac State.“
The meet begins with the hammer throw, which starts 90 minutes before the first running event.
“We’ll go watch the hammer,” said Vochatzer, “cheer on the hammer, let those guys know we’re there. I want every person who’s not competing to be on the rail, yelling, hollering, cheering. Let them know we’re out there.“
– Alex Wolf-Root
