It was the unofficial start of the Arizona track and field season Saturday, but Coach Fred Harvey was officially brimming with enthusiasm about his male and female athletes.
The Wildcat red team won bragging rights by defeating the UA blue and white teams in the UA intra-squad competition. Hundreds of high school, community college and unattached athletes also competed at the All-Comers Meet at Drachman Stadium.
Harvey said he was confident that his men’s team “will be extremely competitive on the Pac-12 level” and could finish among the conference’s top three teams. The Pac-12 championships will be held May 11-12 at Drachman Stadium.
Among the returning athletes who drew raves from Harvey was sophomore Maksims Sincukovs, who recorded his fastest time, 1:18.26, in the 600 meters.
The veteran coach was equally as happy that seven other runners — Zakee Washington, Collin Dylla, James Smith, Umajesty Williams, Daniel Egbo, Tanner Hagstrom and Andy Buchanan — all ran under 1 minute, 22 seconds in the event.
“That’s huge,” Harvey said, in providing options “for who will run in the relays.”
Then, of course, there was Jordan Geist, the sophomore All-American, who captured four events Saturday. In the shot put, his specialty, he heaved the 16-pound iron ball 65-10½ and hurled the discus 176-6 in his secondary event. He also won the javelin and hammer throw.
Freshman P.J. Austin won the 60-meter dash in 6.86 and is expected to be a top competitor in both the long jump and the triple jump. Carlos Villarreal breezed to victory in both the 1,000- and 3,000-meter runs.
Justin Lewis, a transfer from Worcester State, said he was disappointed with clearing “only 6-8” in the high jump. Lewis, a two-time Division III high jump champion, said he was not worried about his performance since it was an unofficial meet in the preseason. His personal-best jump is 7-1¾.
Lewis is expected to duel with Justice Summerset, the junior high jumper who placed third as a freshman in the NCAA outdoor finals. Harvey said Summerset did not compete Saturday after sustaining a concussion during a jump in practice.
The jumpers are being coached by highly regarded Sheldon Blockburger, a former UA coach who returned to Tucson after three years at USC.
On the women’s team, senior Tatum Waggoner won the 300 meters in 38.18 and anchored the winning 4x300-meter relay team. Diana Gajda and Karolina Pahlitzsch finished first and second in the 600 meters.
They teamed with Waggoner last season as second-team All Americans in the 4x400-meters relay.
Freshman Neysia Howard, the defending Arizona high school champion in the 100 and 200 meters, made her UA debut by sprinting to victory in the 60-meter dash in 7.67.
2012 Olympian Georganne Moline, running unattached, sizzled around the track to win the 600 meters in 1:28.56. Moline, a volunteer UA assistant coach, is training with Harvey for the 2019 World Championships.
