Three Arizona Wildcat athletes are headed to the NCAA indoor track and field championships, while their teammates are reviewing last weekend’s Mountain Pacific championships and looking forward to a promising outdoor season that opens in 17 days.
Last weekend offered some bright spots with strong individual performances by freshmen and sophomores and a gutsy, event-winning throw by Jordan Geist in the shot put.
The Arizona women’s team provided a pleasant surprise for UA coaches by exceeding most observers’ predictions. They had been rated seventh among Mountain Pacific schools, but finished in fifth place. They finished higher than seven schools that were ranked higher nationally in last week’s ranking.
Defending national champion USC won the women’s meet, followed by Stanford, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona.
The Wildcats’ men team, rated sixth among Mountain Pacific schools, ended in sixth place, one place lower than coach Fred Harvey had sought. Ahead of the UA men were winner BYU, followed by UCLA and a tie for third among Cal, Oregon and USC.
“I’m really happy with our teams,” Harvey said, adding that his athletes’ performances bode well for the upcoming outdoor season and years to come.
Harvey was also happy to point out that both teams finished higher than ASU, earning two points for the Wildcats in the school-year-long Territorial Cup series. ASU tied for seventh in the women’s standings and finished 12th among the men.
The UA will be represented at the NCAA finals March 8-9 at the University of Alabama by Lillian Lowe, Jordan Geist and Carlos Villarreal. Only the athletes with the 16 best marks qualify for the championship meet.
Lillian Lowe leaped 5 feet, 10½ inches on Saturday to take first place in the high jump. Her best jump this indoor season of 5-11½ ranks her No. 10 in the NCAA list.
Geist remained undefeated, but it was not easy. He trailed going into his sixth and final throw. He entered the shot put circle, steadied himself, spun his powerful body around and propelled the 16-pound iron ball 68 feet, 2½ inches to win the event.
The clutch performance drew raves from Harvey. “It showed our team how you continue to fight even if things are not necessarily going your way,” the veteran coach said. “It taught them how to fight and how to work to be a champion.”
Geist, a sophomore, ranks second nationally in the shot put.
Villarreal will run the mile, where he ranks third in the NCAAs. He ran the 3,000 meters on Saturday, finishing fifth in 7:52.90. That placed him 20th in the country, just short of the top 16 level.
High jumpers Justin Summerset and Karla Teran, who are both juniors and have both appeared in previous NCAA championships, also fell short of making it to the top 16. Summerset finished second Saturday with a jump of 7-1. Teran was sixth among the women jumpers at 5-8½
With Lowe and Geist as the only first-place champions, the Wildcats piled up points with finishes from second to eighth place.
On the women’s team, freshman Neysia Howard provided a spark with a third in the 200 meters (24.22) and a sixth in the long jump (19-4¼). She also ran the leadoff leg on the 4x400 relay with senior Tatum Waggoner, sophomore Shannon Meisberger and senior Karolina Pavlitzsch, which placed third in 3:39.09.
Seniors Diana Gajda and Na’Asha Robinson, who have competed on the 4x400 team, were sidelined by injuries.
Waggoner captured fifth in the 200 (24.39) and fourth in the 400 (53.68) with Meisberger seventh at 55.04. Megan Dulaney was seventh in the shot put (49-9) and Amarissa Hawker placed seventh in the weight throw at 60-5.
The women gained 15 points in the high jump with Lowe taking first, Teran sixth and freshman Alexa Porpaczy seventh at 5-8½. Freshman Skylar Sieben ran a strong 800 meters to jump to place fourth in the pentathlon.
In the men’s competition, Geist also took second in the 35-pound weight throw at 67-7. Teammate Grayson Fleming was seventh in the event at 63-2. Sophomore Maj Williams placed fourth in the 200-meter dash (21.26) and seventh in the 400 (47.31). Freshman Phillip Austin took fourth in the long jump at 24-2½
The men’s 4x400 relay team of Williams, freshman James Smith, redshirt freshman Maksims Sincukovs and sophomore Zakee Washington placed third in 3:08.86. And the distance medley relay team of Smith, Sincukovs and juniors Collin Dylla and Villarreal also were third in 9:42.03
Some track and field events, such as the discus, the javelin, the 400-meter hurdles and the steeplechase, are not run indoors and Wildcat competitors in those events are eager to get going.
The Wildcats will be especially strong in the 400 hurdles and in the discus. Sincukovs finished seventh last year in the NCAA outdoor championships. Geist, who finished fifth in the shot put, was also 12th in the discus.
Arizona will open its outdoor season March 15-16 at home with both high school and college competition at Drachman Stadium. The UA will host the Pac-12 championships at Drachman on May 4-5 for the decathlon and heptathlon and on May 11-12 for other events.
