FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 29, 2021) - The Northern Arizona track & field program will travel to Tucson for the third time this season to compete at the Desert Heat Classic on Saturday.
The meet is scheduled to open with men's hammer throw at 12 p.m. MST, while the track events will begin at 5:40 p.m. with the women's 100-meter hurdles. Live results are available on the Finished Results Live app.
In their final meet before conference championships, the 'Jacks are looking to turn up the intensity.
The men's and women's jumpers will be back in action this weekend, competing in the triple jump and long jump.
Men's jumper (freshman) Mitchell Effing ranks third in both the long jump (7.54m) and the triple jump (15.26m) on the conference leaderboard. While fellow freshman jumper Jack Normand is knocking on the door of entering scoring position in the men's long jump (7.10m), but ranks sixth in the men's triple jump (14.69m).
As for the NAU women, they currently hold four of the top-eight slots in the triple jump, and three of the top-eight positions in the long jump on the league leaderboard.
Junior Jenna Figueroa and freshman Courtney Weisenberger are currently tied for third (12.17m) in the women's triple jump while freshmen Kenashalee Kerr and Lily Margolis rank fifth (12.05m) and eighth (11.87m) respectively.
In the women's long jump Margolis, Ker, and Weisenberger sequentially hold the third (5.83m), fourth (5.80m) and sixth (5.74m) positions in the Big Sky.
Freshman Cameron Peters (7.01m) will join the Lumberjack men in the long jump and triple jump, as freshmen Madeline Wilson will compete on the women's side in the long jump with the goal of improving their conference rankings.
Additionally, freshman Kenya Coburn will compete with the NAU women in both events, also looking to measure further in the triple jump, while recording her first outdoor long jump mark.
Meanwhile the sprinters and hurdlers are slated to compete in the men's and women's 200-meter, 400-meter women's, and the 400-meter hurdles, along with the women's 100-meter and 100-meter hurdles, and the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Currently junior David Dunlap (21.23) and senior Miracle Onyemaobi (24.08) occupies second-place in the conference for the men's and women's 200-meter dash respectively, and will race in the event again on Saturday.
As for the men's and women's 400-meter race, senior Erick Thompson Jr. (49.08) is on the cusp of entering scoring position for the Lumberjack men, while Onyemaobi (54.63) holds second-place in an additional event for the NAU women.
Competing in the 400-meter hurdles for the men will be seniors Carter Bracken, who currently ranks third (52.64) in the Big Sky, and Alex Alton, who is ready to improve from ninth (54.50) into scoring range for the 'Jacks.
On the women's side, freshman Kiana Kai (1:01.32) will race in the 400-meter hurdles, an event that Kai holds the second-best time for in the league.
The 100-meter dash will be sprinted by Onyemaobi and freshman Kenya Coburn; Coburn ranks eighth in the event right now, with Onyemaobi (12.14) looking to make a move into the top-eight slots.
Kai will also compete in the 100-meter hurdles alongside freshman Madeline Wilson; Kai holds fourth (13.99) in the conference as Wilson (14.75) focuses on joining her in the top-eight slots.
The men's 110-meter hurdles will feature the Big Sky's fourth-place holder, Bracken (14.18), along with freshmen Wil Peralta (14.60) and Karsen Burke (15.12) who seek a position within the top-eight.
Burke (59.20) and Peralta (1:01.21) are also entered to compete in the men's 400-meter hurdles, an event in which they also aim to earn top conference marks.
Transitioning to the field, the Lumberjacks are sending an assortment of throwers to compete in the men's and women's shot put, discus, and hammer throw; the men will also throw the javelin.
Women's freshmen Kimberly Buchanan, Alaina Diggs, and Carly Watts will throw the shot put on Saturday alongside junior Matilde Roe; Diggs (16.13m), Roe (14.49m) and Watts (14.21m) currently rank first, third, and fifth in the conference respectively, while Buchanan looks to advance into the top-eight slots.
On the men's side, seniors Parker Joens, and Nicholas Coghill, with sophomore Jake Arnold and freshmen Parker Bays and Jake Tucker will compete in the shot put; Joens (19.01m), Coghill (18.33m), Arnold (17.50m) and Bays (16.62m) rank second, third, sixth and eighth in league, with Tucker (15.40m) fighting to break into scoring position.
The women's discus will showcase conference leader, Roe (54.85m), along with Watts (47.83m) who sits in fifth-place at this time.
As for the men, Coghill and Joens and will compete with Lumberjack sophomores Will Beaudry, and Jay Nielsen, as well as freshmen CJ McMullen and Rudy Tapia; Joens (56.34m), Nielsen (52.94m), Beaudry (52.23m), and McMullen (51.07m) hold second, third, fifth, and seventh in the Big Sky, while Tapia (50.74m) and Coghill (50.21m) reach for the top-eight.
The women's hammer includes Buchanan, sophomore Jennifer Slater, and freshman McKenna Chaney; Buchanan (57.77m) and Chaney (52.99m) rank second and seventh in the league respectively, with Slater (51.27m) trying to settle into a scoring position.
Beaudry, senior Jacob Kaufman, junior John Murphy, and freshman CJ McMullen will compete in the hammer throw for the NAU men.
Leading the 'Jacks is Beaudry (60.63m) in third, with Kaufman (60.00m) close behind in fifth, and Murphy (56.23m) and McMullen (53.86m) just missing the qualifying mark.
Meanwhile, the men's javelin is composed of Beaudry, freshmen Trevor Hook, Brendon James, and Clayton Zupke; the NAU men are extremely motivated to improve their distance, as no NAU men occupy a scoring position in the event at this time.
Back on the track, the men's and women's distance crew will run the 800-meter and the 1500-meter, while the men will run a 3000-meter, and the women a 5000-meter.
The women's 800-meter race is filled by junior Melanie Loff (2:04.74), the current conference leader, sophomore Sophia Roach, and freshman Maggi Congdon (2:08.60) who holds third place; this will be Roach's first event of the season and her outdoor track debut.
Competing for the men is senior Ryan Lanley (1:49.10) and freshman Riley Human (1:56.54); Lanley leads the league as Human makes an effort to climb the event rankings.
The men's and women's 1500-meter race will be run by men's junior Ryan Raff, along with women's junior Meghan Van Pelt (4:45.91), and sophomore Elise Stearns (4:32.28); Raff will make his season debut, while Stearns and Van Pelt look to improve their times.
Freshmen Joseph Benson, Jordan Black and Human are set to compete in the men's 3000-meter race; this will be a first collegiate attempt at the event for all three NAU men.
As for the women's 5000-meter, Stearns, Van Pelt, senior Jenna McCaffrey, Junior Abby Riordan, and freshman Alexis Kebbe round out the Lumberjack lineup; all NAU women will record their first collegiate times in the event.
Stay tuned for updates on the NAU Track & Field and Cross Country Twitter and Instagram.
