Large UW Contingent Meets At USA Championships
June 22, 2011 | Track & Field
June 22, 2011
USA Track & Field Championships
Eugene, Oregon - Hayward Field
June 23-26
Schedule & Results | Senior Start Lists | Junior Start Lists
SEATTLE - A number of Husky track and field standouts from the past, present, and future will converge on Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon this week for the USA Track & Field Championships. The national championships also double as the qualifying for the 2011 IAAF World Championships, so top-three finishes are what every athlete is hoping for.
The meet begins Thursday, June 23, and continues through Sunday, June 26. The meet will be televised at several points, beginning with Friday's action which will be shown tape delayed on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Pacific time. Universal will air Saturday's action live from 12 noon until 1:30 p.m. and then NBC will take over from 2-3 p.m. Pacific. Sunday will follow the same format with Universal starting coverage at 12 noon and NBC picking things up at 2 p.m. Runnerspace.com will also provide a free live webcast.
Sixteen members of the Husky family in all will be competing over the four days. The senior and junior championships are held in conjunction at Hayward Field. Nine Huskies will be in the senior competition, including four members of the 2011 squad. Seven more Huskies will compete in the junior division, including two current Dawgs coming off their freshmen seasons, and five more UW recruits set to start their Washington careers in the fall.
Athletes will be looking to make Team USA for the World Championships, with the senior championships held in Daegu, Korea from August 27-September 4. There is no junior World Championships this year.
In the senior events, multiple U.S. Champion Aretha Thurmond will throw the discus on Thursday. Thurmond was the pick of Track & Field News in its recent form chart. The Husky record-holder and three-time Olympian is looking for a fourth World Championship appearance.
2010 grad Katie Follett should be among the contenders in a tough 1,500-meter field. Her PR this year of 4:07.44 is the second-fastest time run by an American this year. She'll have semifinals on Thursday and finals on Saturday.
Javelin school record-holder Amanda Peterson will also be competing in her first USA Championships. She'll throw on Saturday.
Leading the men are pole vaulters Scott Roth and Brad Walker. Roth is coming off a win at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and his clearance of 18-9 ¼ was the best by an American all year until Walker, the American record-holder, just cleared 19-feet for the first time this year a week ago. With five NCAA titles between them, Roth and Walker should both be in the mix for spots on Team USA. The vault is set for Saturday at noon.
Current Huskies Maurice McNeal and Joe Zimmerman will both be in action. McNeal is coming off a great freshman season where he made the NCAA final site in both the 400-meters and 4x100-meter relay. He'll run the 400m with the first round on Thursday. Zimmerman was the U.S. Junior Champion a year ago in the javelin and now will go against the nation's best.
Former Husky great Jordan Boase has enjoyed a strong outdoor season, competing in several meets around the world, and winning the 200-meter dash at the Kansas Relays. The five-time All-American and former Pac-10 Champion will compete in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes this week.
Also competing on Thursday will be discus thrower Will Conwell, who was sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008.
In the junior events, current Husky freshmen Kayla Stueckle and Kasen Covington will both be in action, Stueckle running the 400-meter hurdles and Covington competing in the triple jump.
Joining Stueckle in the long hurdles will be California product Gianna Woodruff, UW's most recent signee, who ranks 10th among high school seniors in the 300-meter hurdles.
Men's recruits in action include Kent, Wash. native Derrick Daigre in the 800-meters, Eugene product J.J. Juilfs in the pole vault, and local javelin standouts Curtis Clauson (Edmonds, Wash.) and Quinn Hale (Tacoma, Wash.).
Huskies in the USA Track & Field Championships
Senior Championships
Women
Aretha Thurmond - Discus
Amanda Peterson - Javelin
Men
Jordan Boase - 200m, 400m
Maurice McNeal - 400m
Scott Roth - Pole Vault
Brad Walker - Pole Vault
Will Conwell - Discus
Joe Zimmerman - Javelin
Junior Championships
Women
Gianna Woodruff - 400m Hurdles
Men
Derrick Daigre - 800m
J.J. Juilfs - Pole Vault
Kasen Covington - Triple Jump
Curtis Clauson - Javelin
Quinn Hale - Javelin
Players Mentioned
