Stellar Field at High Performance Meet - Oregon State University Athletics

The third annual High Performance Meet will set a new standard for excellence at the Whyte Track & Field Center.

More than 700 male and female athletes from teams and running clubs all around the nation will compete at Friday’s meet, which begins at noon with the javelin. Running events begin at 4 p.m. with the 4x100 relay and conclude with the women’s 10K at 8:45 p.m.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal meet,” Oregon State coach Kelly Sullivan said. “Each year it’s gotten progressively better.

“It’s a great cross-section of sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws. The middle distance and distance events stand out the most, because of the interest. Many people are flying in to compete.

“The throws are very good too. It’s nice, we have the four in-state Division I schools (OSU, Oregon, Portland State, Portland) sending teams here” for what promises to be an afternoon and evening of outstanding competition.

The in-state competitors will be joined by athletes from Seattle University, Eastern Washington, Middle Tennessee State, Lipscomb University, Alaska-Anchorage, Concordia, Western Oregon, Simon Fraser, Oklahoma City University, Montana, and several regional Division III schools and community colleges.

“It’s going to be great to bring back some of the Northwest athletes back to Corvallis,” said Lipscomb coach Bill Taylor, who directed the cross country and track programs at Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash., from 1994-2004.

“I have been friends with Coach (Kelly) Sullivan for a long time and I’m excited to come back to a program that is up-and-coming. The great conditions will help our athletes goal to reach qualifying times for NCAA events later this season.

“We are growing the Lipscomb program, much like Coach Sullivan is at Oregon State, so it’s a great opportunity to witness what is going on at Oregon State, especially for someone like me [who is] from the Pacific Northwest. This is a terrific opportunity for my team to compete in a talented meet under great weather and track conditions.”

Athletes from the Oregon Running Club and other non-collegiate entrants will compete as well.

One of the top unattached entrants is former Oregon javelin specialist Haley Crouser, the national high school record-holder who left college earlier this month. She PRed at 164-5 in 2014, the ninth-best throw in Oregon history.

Crouser leads a strong field that also features two-time NCAA qualifier Liz Brenner of Oregon; University of Portland school record-holder Kaylie Van Loo; NAIA standout Emma Buchholz of Concordia, and Hannah Troutman, McKenzie Byrd and Amber Peschka, who rank 2-3-4 on OSU’s all-time list.

“This event has grown without us trying to grow it,” Sullivan said, from about 225 entrants in 2013 to this year’s 500-plus. “That’s a lot. The difference between 225 and today is just tremendous.”

OSU junior standout Kara Hallock will not compete; she is preparing for the May 9-10 Pacific-12 Conference heptathlon completion in Los Angeles. A transfer from Lane Community College, Hallock already ranks third all-time at OSU in the long jump (19-5.25) and heptathlon (5,380); fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (14.29), and 10^th in the 400-meter hurdles (1:02.46).

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

OSU’s projected entrants:

100 METERS: Kerissa D’Arpino, Allie Church.

200 METERS: Kerissa D’Arpino.

400 METERS: Ahsha Mootz, Kelly Audiss, Bridget Regan.

800 METERS: Kelsi Schaer, Macaulay Wilson, Kala Kopecek, Ahsha Mootz.

1,500 METERS: Morgan Anderson, Holly Cavalluzzo, Maureen Tremblay.

5,000 METERS: Adrienne Demaree, Sam McKinnon.

10,000 METERS: Samantha Lewis.

3,000 STEEPLECHASE: Monica Anderson, Sam McKinnon, Adrienne Demaree.

4 X 100 RELAY: OSU (Allie Church, Michele Turney, Jasmin McKenzie, Kerissa D’Arpino).

4 X 400 RELAY: OSU (Allie Church, Ahsha Mootz, Kala Kopecek, Kerissa D’Arpino).

POLE VAULT: Helen Ann Haun, Annie Sidor.