Long Beach State University Athletics
Track And Field Heads To MPSF Indoor Championships
2/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Indoor Track
Feb. 28, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - LONG BEACH - Long Beach State draws closer to the end of the indoor track and field season at the MPSF indoor championships. The 49ers head to Seattle for the two-day event beginning on Friday.
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships start this Friday in Seattle. The first event for the 49ers is the weight throw beginning at Noon, and the 49ers will close their time in Seattle with the men's 4x400m relay Saturday afternoon.
The MPSF works as a merger between the Big West and the Pac-10 to provide a conference atmosphere for sports that not all schools participate in, such as water polo and indoor track and field. However, the MPSF produces many of the top times annually and sends a number of athletes to the NCAA Championships.
In addition to the conference meet atmosphere as one of two Big West schools participating in indoor track and field, the 49ers will also focus on meeting qualifying marks for the NCAA Indoor Championsips, occurring two weeks from now in Fayetteville, Ark.
On the men's side the 49ers have a number of athletes who will be looking to make a solid mark in the team's first low-elevation meet this year. Sprinter Brent Gray already met an NCAA provisional mark in the 200m earlier this season at Northern Arizona, and will try to shave off the time necessary to qualify automatically after just missing the NCAA Championships last season. Gray enters the event as the top seed, and is also highly placed in the 60m and will serve as the anchor for the 4x400m relay.
Rob Jennings also recorded an NCAA provisional mark last season, and has a nice opportunity to qualify in the weight throw as one of the top seeds. Alex Freitas will also make a run at an NCAA berth in the 800-meter run after a recovery from an injury sustained last season.
Other athletes with a chance for a good showing at the MPSF championships include another 800m runner, Hudson Wilvers, as well as Kelsey Caesar in the 200m and 400m dashes as well as Alex Black in the high jump. Caesar has the second fastest times on the team in the intermediate sprints behind Gray, and Black picked up a second-place finish at NAU earlier this year while almost topping his lifetime best.
Decathlete Chris Richardson will not be participating in the indoor heptathlon, but will instead focus on the events that correspond to the outdoor decathlon as he trains for a potential NCAA victory later this year. Richardson will compete in the long jump, short hurdles and shot.
For the women, the field events provide a nice balance to the sprinters chances at NCAA competition. Jill Reynolds has a lot of experience in the pole vault, and with strong form at the MPSF Championships could qualify for a trip to Arkansas. Another jumper in Taylor O'Conner also has a good chance after winning her specialty, the high jump, in her second competition this year after setting a personal-best of 1.70 meters earlier this year.
Also out in the field, Jennifer Onyeagbako crushed the school record in the indoor weight throw at NAU earlier this year, and holds a high seed in that event for Long Beach State coming into this weekend's meet.
Out on the track, Ericka Feazell set a school record in the 60m hurdles earlier this season, and is in good position for a an NCAA mark in that race. Phylicia Johnson will also compete for the 49ers in that race, as well as the long jump as another athlete to watch for the Beach.
Long Beach State's distance runners will get their first chance to perform during the indoor season at this event as well. Sarah Apgar will be the 49er favorite in the 3000m and Missy Barclay will get a shot at in the mile for Long Beach State, as the two cross country standouts get their shot in indoor season. The 49ers also have put together a good team for the distance medley relay on Friday.
Results for both days events can be found here at www.longbeachstate.com following the conclusion of indoor track and field action in the Emerald City.
