2012 MPSF Indoor ChampionshipsFeb 22, 2012 by Jesse Squire
2012 MPSF Championships Preview
2012 MPSF Championships Preview
Here is the first in a series of previews of the weekend's top collegiate conference championship meets.
To see previews of the other western conferences -- Mountain West, Big Sky and WAC -- go to my blog at tracksuperfan.com.
References to national and regional rankings are my own rankings, and not those of the USTFCCCA.
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at Washington’s Dempsey Indoor
Championship Central
Flotrack coverage
Schedule | Meet Entries
Live results | LIVE MPSF Video
Men’s meet
Nationally-ranked teams: #6 Arizona State, #7 Arizona, #13 BYU, #16 Oregon, #18 Stanford
Regionally-ranked teams: #1 Arizona State, #2 Arizona, #3 BYU, #4 Oregon, #5 Stanford, #7 Washington, #8 Washington State, #12 Cal, #15 UCLA, #18 Colorado, #19 Long Beach State
Analysis
This meet is hard to gauge, as west-coast teams don’t take indoor track nearly as seriously as most of the rest of the country does. As a result, not everyone has shown their hand. I’d consider Arizona and Arizona State the favorites, but any of five teams could win this (including BYU, Oregon, and Stanford).
Events to watch
Pole Vault (4:00 PM Friday). UCLA’s Michale Woepse and BYU’s Victor Weirich are tied for 4th on the national list at 18’ ½“, and there are five other 17-foot vaulters in the meet.
High jump (10:30 AM Saturday). Bryan McBride (Arizona State) and Edgar Rivera-Morales and Nick Ross (both Arizona) have all cleared 7’ 4” or better this year and are ranked in the NCAA’s top five.
Mile (11 AM Saturday). BYU’s aptly-named Miles Batty broke the collegiate record at the Millrose Games, but Arizona’s Lawi Lalang almost beat him to it two weeks earlier in Arkansas. If these two both enter this race, it will be amazing. If not, hey, there are another three guys in the conference at 4:00 or better.
3000 (1:20 PM Saturday) and/or 5000 meters (5:30 PM Friday). How many other conferences can claim three runners who have already run Olympic ‘A’ qualifying times? Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu and Stanford’s Chris Derrick all did it at the Millrose Games. In all, the conference boasts eight men at 8:00 or under (3k) and eleven at 14:00 or under (5k). Who runs what is still up in the air, but regardless these races will f’in rock.
Women’s meet
Nationally-ranked teams: #1 Oregon, #6 BYU, #10 Stanford, #12 Arizona, #16 Washington, #25 Arizona State
Regionally-ranked teams: #1 Oregon, #2 BYU, #3 Stanford, #4 Arizona, #5 Washington, #6 Arizona State, #7 Cal, #10 Utah, #13 UCLA, #17 Colorado, #22 Washington State, #25 Long Beach State
Analysis
Oregon is one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championships, which is a double-edged sword when it comes to winning the MPSF. That’s good because they have many athletes performing at a high level. That’s bad because they may hold back a bit in order to peak for the nationals, which could open the door for BYU.
Events to watch
Pentathlon (all day Friday). Oregon’s Brianne Theisen is the collegiate record holder, and has been so good for so long that she doesn’t get nearly enough attention any more.
Mile (11:15 AM Saturday). Washington’s Katie Flood and Oregon’s Anne Kesselring are 1st and 3rd in the NCAA, and the Ducks’ Jordan Hasay is the defending NCAA indoor champion.
800 meters (12:40 PM Saturday). BYU has a potent 1-2 punch in Nachelle Mackie and Katie Palmer, currently 1st and 3rd in the NCAA. Oregon’s Laura Roesler will try to challenge them (and improve her chances for NCAA Championships qualifying in the process). In all, there are six women in the MPSF who have run under 2:06 this winter.
3000 meters (1:45 PM Saturday) and 5000 meters (5:50 PM Friday). Flood is one of the fastest in collegiate history in the 3k and Hasay is the defending NCAA indoor champion at that distance. Oregon, Stanford and Washington all have multiple runners in the NCAA’s top ten in the 3k and 5k, but another team has crashed the party: the Cal Bears. After a breakthrough season in cross country, Deborah Maier leads the nation in the 5k (15:29.24) and Chelsea Reilly is third in the 3k (9:00.86). In all, the MPSF has eight women at 9:20 or better and nine at 16:15 or better. Hasay has no time in the event and will be looking for the auto of 9:10.00.
High Jump (12:45 PM Saturday). As of the moment I write this, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett is tied for #2 in the world, trailing only Anna Chicherova, the reigning World Champion and Russian record holder. If she can improve by a single centimeter, she’ll tie the collegiate indoor record.
To see previews of the other western conferences -- Mountain West, Big Sky and WAC -- go to my blog at tracksuperfan.com.
References to national and regional rankings are my own rankings, and not those of the USTFCCCA.
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at Washington’s Dempsey Indoor
Championship Central
Flotrack coverage
Schedule | Meet Entries
Live results | LIVE MPSF Video
Men’s meet
Nationally-ranked teams: #6 Arizona State, #7 Arizona, #13 BYU, #16 Oregon, #18 Stanford
Regionally-ranked teams: #1 Arizona State, #2 Arizona, #3 BYU, #4 Oregon, #5 Stanford, #7 Washington, #8 Washington State, #12 Cal, #15 UCLA, #18 Colorado, #19 Long Beach State
Analysis
This meet is hard to gauge, as west-coast teams don’t take indoor track nearly as seriously as most of the rest of the country does. As a result, not everyone has shown their hand. I’d consider Arizona and Arizona State the favorites, but any of five teams could win this (including BYU, Oregon, and Stanford).
Events to watch
Pole Vault (4:00 PM Friday). UCLA’s Michale Woepse and BYU’s Victor Weirich are tied for 4th on the national list at 18’ ½“, and there are five other 17-foot vaulters in the meet.
High jump (10:30 AM Saturday). Bryan McBride (Arizona State) and Edgar Rivera-Morales and Nick Ross (both Arizona) have all cleared 7’ 4” or better this year and are ranked in the NCAA’s top five.
Mile (11 AM Saturday). BYU’s aptly-named Miles Batty broke the collegiate record at the Millrose Games, but Arizona’s Lawi Lalang almost beat him to it two weeks earlier in Arkansas. If these two both enter this race, it will be amazing. If not, hey, there are another three guys in the conference at 4:00 or better.
3000 (1:20 PM Saturday) and/or 5000 meters (5:30 PM Friday). How many other conferences can claim three runners who have already run Olympic ‘A’ qualifying times? Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu and Stanford’s Chris Derrick all did it at the Millrose Games. In all, the conference boasts eight men at 8:00 or under (3k) and eleven at 14:00 or under (5k). Who runs what is still up in the air, but regardless these races will f’in rock.
Women’s meet
Nationally-ranked teams: #1 Oregon, #6 BYU, #10 Stanford, #12 Arizona, #16 Washington, #25 Arizona State
Regionally-ranked teams: #1 Oregon, #2 BYU, #3 Stanford, #4 Arizona, #5 Washington, #6 Arizona State, #7 Cal, #10 Utah, #13 UCLA, #17 Colorado, #22 Washington State, #25 Long Beach State
Analysis
Oregon is one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championships, which is a double-edged sword when it comes to winning the MPSF. That’s good because they have many athletes performing at a high level. That’s bad because they may hold back a bit in order to peak for the nationals, which could open the door for BYU.
Events to watch
Pentathlon (all day Friday). Oregon’s Brianne Theisen is the collegiate record holder, and has been so good for so long that she doesn’t get nearly enough attention any more.
Mile (11:15 AM Saturday). Washington’s Katie Flood and Oregon’s Anne Kesselring are 1st and 3rd in the NCAA, and the Ducks’ Jordan Hasay is the defending NCAA indoor champion.
800 meters (12:40 PM Saturday). BYU has a potent 1-2 punch in Nachelle Mackie and Katie Palmer, currently 1st and 3rd in the NCAA. Oregon’s Laura Roesler will try to challenge them (and improve her chances for NCAA Championships qualifying in the process). In all, there are six women in the MPSF who have run under 2:06 this winter.
3000 meters (1:45 PM Saturday) and 5000 meters (5:50 PM Friday). Flood is one of the fastest in collegiate history in the 3k and Hasay is the defending NCAA indoor champion at that distance. Oregon, Stanford and Washington all have multiple runners in the NCAA’s top ten in the 3k and 5k, but another team has crashed the party: the Cal Bears. After a breakthrough season in cross country, Deborah Maier leads the nation in the 5k (15:29.24) and Chelsea Reilly is third in the 3k (9:00.86). In all, the MPSF has eight women at 9:20 or better and nine at 16:15 or better. Hasay has no time in the event and will be looking for the auto of 9:10.00.
High Jump (12:45 PM Saturday). As of the moment I write this, Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett is tied for #2 in the world, trailing only Anna Chicherova, the reigning World Champion and Russian record holder. If she can improve by a single centimeter, she’ll tie the collegiate indoor record.