Beavers Head South for Pac-12 Meet
A young Oregon State track & field team hopes to make some noise this weekend at the Pacific-12 Conference championships at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.
Fifteen of OSU’s 22-woman contingent will be competing in their first conference championships, or returning after missing the 2014 meet. The Beavers will enter almost every event for the first time since track was reinstated for the 2007 season after an 18-year hiatus.
“We are very excited,” OSU coach Kelly Sullivan said. “It’s a pretty young and inexperienced group.
“We will have almost every event area covered … we have our first sprinter, and we will run the 4-by-400 relay for the first time” at the conference meet since 1988. “It’s a young, competitive group and it will be fun to see how we respond.”
Two Beavers have scored in previous Pac-12 meets. Junior Michele Turney placed seventh in the 2014 triple jump; redshirt sophomore Sara Almen, competing for the first time this spring after redshirting in 2014, took third in the 2013 high jump.
Junior Kara Hallock (long jump), sophomore Melissa Ausman (discus) and freshman Sam McKinnon (steeplechase) could also finish in the top 8 and score points. Hallock (19-5.25) is seeded 14th. McKinnon (10:30.81) is seeded sixth, Ausman (164-2) ninth.
“We also have some javelin throwers who can make the finals,” Sullivan added, as freshmen McKenzie Byrd (140-11) and Hannah Troutman (140-4.50) are top-18 seeds. “Never underestimate what Kerissa D’Arpino can do. She could sneak in” in the 100 and 200.
“Last year Kelsi Schaer was just one spot out of making the 800 final and Morgan Anderson was one spot out of making the 1,500 finals,” and they could also advance to Sunday’s finals. “We will be contending, and in position to do some good things down there.”
The meet starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. Sunday’s competition begins at 9 a.m.
For more information on the OSU track teams, follow the Beavers on Facebook at Facebook.com/OSUTrackCrossCountry or on Twitter at twitter.com/@beavers_track.
OSU’s projected entrants, with season-best in parenthesis:
SATURDAY
100 METER PRELIMS: Kerissa D’Arpino (11.89).
200 METER PRELIMS: Kerissa D’Arpino (24.27).
400 METER PRELIMS: Ahsha Mootz (58.25)
800 METER PRELIMS: Kelsi Schaer (2:11.40); Macaulay Wilson (2:14.43); Maureen Tremblay (2:15.63).
1,500 METER PRELIMS: Morgan Anderson (4:24.55); Holly Cavalluzzo (4:32.87).
3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE FINALS: Sam McKinnon (10:30.81); Nicole Goecke (11:21.82).
LONG JUMP FINALS: Kara Hallock (19-5.25); Kaitlyn Mason (18-8); Jasmin McKenzie (18-6.50); Lucinda Howard (18-5.25); Michele Turney (18-1).
HIGH JUMP FINALS: Sara Almen (NM).
JAVELIN FINALS: McKenzie Byrd (140-11); Hannah Troutman (140-4.50); Amber Peschka (135-1.50); Saskia McNairy (123-10).
SUNDAY
100 METER FINALS:
200 METER FINALS:
400 METER FINALS:
800 METERS FINALS:
1,500 METER FINALS:
5,000 METER FINALS: Holly Cavalluzzo (17:07.18); Kira Kelly (17:15.18); Sam McKinnon (NT).
4 X 400 RELAY FINALS: OSU (Kerissa D’Arpino, Ahsha Mootz, Kelsi Schaer, Macaulay Wilson, Morgan Anderson), 3:49.98.
TRIPLE JUMP FINALS: Michele Turney (38-7.75); Lucinda Howard (38-3.50).
DISCUS FINALS: Melissa Ausman (164-2).
POLE VAULT FINALS: Helen Ann Haun (12-0.50).
