Top field expected for HPM

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Former Olympians, future Olympians, former NCAA champions and Oregon State's strongest team since the program's reinstatement will compete this weekend at the fourth annual High Performance Meet at the Whyte Track & Field Center.

NCAA champion sprinter/long jumper Jenna Prandini and 2012 Olympian/10-time All-American Geena Gall highlight a stellar list of entrants for the event, which begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday with the pole vault and the Distance Carnival. Competition resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday with the javelin; running events will start at 1 p.m.

“It's going to be a phenomenal meet,” Oregon State coach Kelly Sullivan said. “It's a great cross-section of sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws, with a wonderful combination of athletes.

“We'll have the four in-state Division I schools (OSU, Oregon, Portland, Portland State), and many other schools and unattached athletes from running clubs nationwide, competing in what promises to be two days of outstanding competition.

“It's a great opportunity to showcase our team, and our outstanding facility, in what should be the biggest and best meet ever since the track opened.

“We are super-proud that this meet has turned into an event that people from all over the country fly in to compete in, to try and attain qualifying marks for their respective national-championship meets.

“Our team loves this meet. They love the comfort of competing at home and we take a lot of pride in putting on a great meet.”

Prandini will run the 200 meters on Saturday. She ran 10.95 in the 100 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 16 in her 2016 outdoor debut. She was the 2015 NCAA champion in the 200 and also won that event at the 2015 USA Championships.

Olympian Geena Gall, OSU's director of operations, will compete in the open 400 and serve as a pacesetter in the 1500. She was a 10-time All-American at Michigan and competed in the 2012 London Olympics for Team USA.

Sprinter Ryan Bailey, a McKay High School graduate who was a 2012 Olympian and now runs for Nike, is entered in the 100 and 200.

This is the first year of a two-day meet, and the introduction of the Distance Carnival. It features the 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

It is also the lone home appearance for the Beavers, who have set 10 school records since starting the outdoor campaign at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Invitational on March 19. They also have posted 39 all-time top-10 times or marks.

OSU school-record holders expected to compete are Kerissa D'Arpino in the 100 (11.77); Devin Collins in the 100 hurdles (13.45); Michele Turney in the triple jump (40-0.75); Gillette Field in the pole vault (12-5.75); Melissa Ausman in the discus (173-7); Rachel Picknell in the hammer (169-4); McKenzie Byrd in the javelin (143-0.75), and the 400 relay foursome of Jasmin McKenzie, Venessa D'Arpino, Kerissa D'Arpino and Collins (46.01).

Competitors from Division I programs Utah, Eastern Washington, Nevada and Seattle University, and from regional Division II, Division III and NAIA schools will join the four in-state Division I teams at the meet. They will be augmented by numerous club and unattached athletes to form the largest and deepest field in meet history.

Normal OSU parking regulations are in effect until 5 p.m. Friday. Spectator parking is available in the Reser Stadium lot, in the Parking Garage, or in nearby Avery Park, on both days. The gravel lot adjacent to the track is reserved for meet officials and volunteers.

For more information on the Oregon State track and field program, follow the Beavers on Facebook at Facebook.com/OSUTrackCrossCountry, or on Twitter at twitter.com/@beavers_track.

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Friday's projected entrants

POLE VAULT: Helen Ann Haun, Gillette Field, Annie Sidor.

HAMMER: Rachel Picknell, Melissa Ausman.

1500 METERS: Morgan Anderson, Juliana Mount, Holly Cavalluzzo, Kristiane Width, Emily Weber, Kira Kelly, Gwyneth McMorris.

5000 METERS: Samantha Lewis, Adrienne Demaree, Rachel Johnson.

Saturday's projected entrants

100 METERS: Venessa D'Arpino, Kerissa D'Arpino.

200 METERS: Venessa D'Arpino.

400 METERS: Kimberly Solberg.

800 METERS: Kelsi Schaer, Juliana Mount, Maureen Tremblay, Kara Kopecek, Gwyneth McMorris.

100 HURDLES: Alba Villaronga.

400 HURDLES: Devin Collins, Kerissa D'Arpino, Dakota Steen.