RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada track and field team will compete at the Cal-Nevada Championships at Drake Stadium at UCLA Saturday and Sunday.
The meet is made up of competitors from Nevada and California schools. All the field events will take place on Sunday while the track events will have prelims on Saturday and finals on Sunday. The distance carnival will be held Saturday night with the steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m.
Fans can follow the meet with live stats by clicking here.
"We are excited for the 2010 version of the Cal-Nevada Championships and we will have over 19 athletes representing Nevada," head coach Shantel Twiggs said. "This should be another weekend filled with personal best performances, national marks and possibly even some school records. This will be a really good test for our team. It will give an idea of where we are and how much further we have to reach our goals."
People to Watch:
Gina Deckard in the 100m hurdles and the 100m dash. Deckard is sixth all-time in the 100m hurdles (13.98).
"She did not make the finals in 2009 but will not be denied in 2010," Twiggs said. "She is running with a lot of confidence right now. We should see a big performance from Gina in the 100m hurdles. She will also run a leg on the 4 x 100m relay, which will be the first time this year that we have tried to load up the relay."
Alicia Echevarria in the pole vault. Last weekend Echevarria set a PR with a mark of 11'9.75 which is tied for 10th all-time at Nevada.
"Alicia is jumping with amazing confidence this year," Twiggs said. "She has already equaled her outdoor personal best and this weekend should not disappoint. She should be able to make an assault to hitting a performance that puts her among the top 48 in the pole vault for the west and making the NCAA first round in Austin, Texas in late May. We feel she has a really good shot."
Christy Works in the 800m. Works will be making her first outdoor appearance of the 2010 season.
"This will be Christy's first 800m race this outdoor season. Her training has been going well, she looks strong and has a serious shot at making the 800m final and hitting a personal best in the 800m," Twiggs said. "She will also run a leg on our 4 x 400m relay team. She is looking to improve on last season's performance."
La Tijera Avery in the high jump and long jump. Avery is seventh all-time in the long jump with a mark of 18'11.25 (2009).
"Coming off the awesome indoor performances and being named MVP, she is set up to have a great competition," Twiggs said. "La Tijera will lead the charge in both events as we try to improve our point production in the jumps."
Newcomers to Watch:
Cristina Hibbert in the 400m hurdles and 100m hurdles. Hibbert is fourth all-time in the 400m hurdles with a time of 60.79 set this year.
"Cristina has a legitimate shot at winning the 400m hurdles," Twiggs said. "The 400m hurdles school record could also fall this weekend. Her hurdling is constantly improving so we could also see another personal best in the 100m hurdles as well. Cristina will run anchor leg on both the 4 x 100m relay and the 4 x 400m relay."
Debbie Amoah in the triple jump and long jump. Amoah is fifth all-time in the triple jump with a mark of 39'1.25 set this season.
"Debbie has put together some awesome performances the past couple of weekends in both jumps and we should see some more," Twiggs said. "She has aspirations to jump in the mid-12 meter range and she has the tools to do it."
