Lumberjacks to Defend Conference Titles in Bozeman

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CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 20, 2019) – Northern Arizona University's track & field program will head to Bozeman, Mont., for Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 22^nd and 23^rd.
 
Championships will be held at Worthington Arena with day one of the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon taking place on Thursday Feb. 21^st and the remainder of field and track events being conducted throughout Friday and Saturday.
 
This will be the second time NAU has competed at Montana State this indoor season. The 'Jacks participated in the Bobcat Preview on Dec. 1^st, which was also NAU's first meet of the year.
 
Both men's and women's teams are looking to defend their conference titles from a year ago. If the Lumberjacks are able to sweep again it will be the 11th time in school history that has happened. The men are searching for their 21^st Big Sky indoor title and the women will compete for their 13^th.
 
THROWS
In the men's throws department Parker Joens is ranked no.47 nationally in the shot put. His mark of 18.18m was earned at the Mountain T's Invite earlier this season. Brady Williams and Kevin Cooney are both ranked nationally in the weight throw. Cooney is ranked no. 40 (19.92m) and Williams is no. 43 (19.80m).
 
The women's throws team will have some big shoes to fill after the graduation-departure of senior Brooke Anderson. Last year Anderson set a Big Sky and school record in the women's weight throw with a toss of 22.25m.
 
Alexa Dragone and Sykora Walker will be competing in the weight throw for the NAU women. Walker won her first collegiate event while also PR'ing last week at the NAU Tune Up meet after she threw for 17.20m in the weight throw. Dragone will be joined by Matilde Roe in the shot put. Roe PR'd in the shot put competition at NAU Tune Up with a mark of 14.20m.
 
JUMPS
Jumps will see Obang Odol in the men's high jump and Khalil Dorsey and Cameron Rayford in the long jump. Rayford will also be participating in the men's triple jump. Rayford is currently ranked no. 73 nationally in triple jump after hitting a mark of 15.21m at the Don Kirby Invitational earlier this year.
 
On the women's jumps side Jenna Figueroa and Kaitlyn Wayne will be representing NAU in the triple jump. Figueroa's best triple jump this season came at the Lumberjack Team Challenge meet when she hit a mark of 10.95m. Wayne PR'd in the triple jump at Mountain T's with a mark of 10.63m. They will also both compete in the long jump with teammate Helena McLeod.

SPRINTS
The men's sprint team will see a lot of action this weekend. Khalil Dorsey will be competing in the 60m Hurdles and 60m Dash events along with his long jump appearance. Christopher Grant will be racing in the 60m Dash and 200m Dash. Grant has placed first in three of the four times he has ran the 60m Dash this indoor season. His mark of 6.74 in the 60 at Mountain T's was one of the top three finishes in NAU history in that event.
 
Tyren Wolfe will be joining Grant in the 200m Dash. Wolfe will also race in the 400m race this weekend along with Michael Marchica. The 4x400 team is also likely to make an appearance at conference; however, those running for NAU have not been confirmed yet.
 
Women's sprints will see plenty of competition this weekend too. NAU is sending an extremely competitive sprints squad to conference that features Jasmine Malone, Jada Jackson, Clarissa Maxey and Miracle Onyemaobi to name a few. Malone will be running in the 400m and 200m Dashes. Malone has finished first in three 200m and two 400m races this season. Maxey and Jackson will compete in the 60m Dash with Rita Sakharov as well.
 
At last year's indoor championships Malone set new school and conference records in picking up gold in both the 200m (23.75) and 400m (52.39) Dashes.
 
The women's 4x400 squad is also likely to make an appearance as well but have also not confirmed contestants yet. Last year's group set the new Big Sky and NAU record in the 4x400m relay (3:40.23).
 
DISTANCE
The men's squad will see some of the NCAA Division I's best distance athletes compete for NAU at Big Sky Indoor Championships. Geordie Beamish, Tyler Day, Luis Grijalva, Blaise Ferro and Peter Lomong are just some of the names Lumberjack fans can expect to follow this weekend. The 3000m and 5000m races will be stacked with Beamish, Day, Grijalva, Ferro and Lomong all making appearances alongside Kyle Havriliak, Ryan Raff, Jack Shea and Aldo Marquez.
 
Currently Day has the fastest converted 5000m time in the country with his 13:31.36 performance at the Bobcat Preview. Three other 'Jacks are also ranked within the top-75 NCAA Division I 5000m times (Beamish-28^th-13:53.62, Ferro-43^rd-14:00.74, Hasty-71^st-14:10.40).
 
The men's 800m race will see Cade Burks and Ryan Lanley represent the Blue & Gold. The men's mile will feature Beamish, Day, Ferro, Grijalva, Marquez, Raff and Harvey Nelson. Beamish currently has the ninth best mile time in the country with a time of 3:57.99 ran at Mountain T's.
 
NAU's women's distance team will include some of the conferences premier athletes such as Maggie Carruth, Delaney Rasmussen and Miranda Myers to name a few. Last year Rasmussen took the top spot in the women's mile after crossing the finish line at 5:07.63.
 
Carruth will race in the 800m Run with Behunin and newcomer Emma Sjolund. Carruth will also participate in the 400m Dash with the sprinters.
 
Jesselyn Bries, Pipi Eitel, Mikayla Malaspina, Jenna McCaffrey, Shannon Molvin and Miranda Myers will all be running in the 3000m and 5000m races. Rasmussen and Sjolund will both run in the 3000m event but not the 5000m.
 
Rasmussen will look to defend her mile title alongside Behunin, Bries, Eitel, Myers and Sjolund.
 
NAU Entries
Women:
Weight Throw: Alexa Dragone, Sykora Walker
Long Jump: Jenna Figueroa, Helena McLeod, Kaitlyn Wayne
Shot Put: Alexa Dragone, Matilde Roe
Triple Jump: Jenna Figueroa, Kaitlyn Wayne
400m Dash: Maggie Carruth, Jasmine Malone, Clarissa Maxey, Miracle Onyemaobi, Dana Padget
60m Dash: Jada Jackson, Clarissa Maxey, Rita Sakharov
800m Run: Hannah Behunin, Maggie Carruth, Emma Sjolund
200m Dash: Jada Jackson. Jasmine Malone, Helena McLeod, Miracle Onyemaobi
3000m Run: Jesselyn Bries, Pipi Eitel, Mikayla Malaspina, Jenna McCaffrey, Shannon Molvin, Miranda Myers, Delaney Rasmussen, Emma Sjolund
5000m Run: Jesselyn Bries, Pipi Eitel, Mikayla Malaspina, Jenna McCaffrey, Shannon Molvin, Miranda Myers
DMR: Hannah Behunin, Maggie Carruth, Jada Jackson, Clarissa Maxey, Miracle Onyemaobi, Dana Padget, Delaney Rasmussen, Emma Sjolund
Mile: Hannah Behunin, Jesselyn Bries, Pipi Eitel, Miranda Myers, Delaney Rasmussen, Emma Sjolund
 
Men:
Weight Throw: William Beaudry, Kevin Cooney, Jacob Kaufman, John Murphy, Brady Williams
Long Jump: Khalil Dorsey, Cameron Rayford
Shot Put: Jake Arnold, William Beaudry, Parker Joens, Brady Williams
Triple Jump: Cameron Rayford
400m Dash: Michael Marchica, Tyren Wolfe
60m Hurdles: Khalil Dorsey
60m Dash: Khalil Dorsey, Christopher Grant
800m Run: Cade Burks, Ryan Lanley
200m Dash: Christopher Grant, Tyren Wolfe
3000m Run: Geordie Beamish, Tyler Day, Blaise Ferro, Luis Grijalva, Kyle Havriliak, Brodey Hastey, Peter Lomong, Aldo Marquez, Harvey Nelson, Ryan Raff, Jack Shea
5000m Run: Tyler Day, Blaise Ferro, Luis Grijalva, Kyle Havriliak, Peter Lomong, Aldo Marquez, Harvey Nelson, Ryan Raff, Jack Shea
DMR: Geordie Beamish, Cade Burks, Brodey Hasty, Ryan Lanley, Michael Marchica, Obang Odol
Mile: Geordie Beamish, Tyler Day, Blaise Ferro, Luis Grijalva, Aldo Marquez, Harvey Nelson, Ryan Raff