Cougars Set to Compete at USA Track & Field Championships - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Cougars Set to Compete at USA Track & Field Championships

WSU contingent of competitors in Eugene comprises five current, one incoming and 10 alums.

Joe Abbott is the second-highest ranked 800m runner in the USA Junior Champioinships.

June 22, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

WASHINGTON STATE WELL-REPRESENTED AT USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: One incoming freshman, five returning and 10 alumni will give Washington State track and field a solid representation this week at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships or the 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held in Eugene...events begin Thursday, June 25, and continue through Sunday, June 28, at Hayward Field...top three finishers in each event will qualify for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, or the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Trinidad...for a complete events schedule and LIVE RESULTS, go to the USA Track & Field website (www.usatf.org).

LIVE TV COVERAGE OF 2009 USA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Friday, June 26, 5-7 p.m. PT, ESPN
Saturday, June 27, 4:30-6:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Sunday, June 28, 1-3 p.m. PT, NBC

2009-10 COUGARS AT NATIONAL MEETS:

Jeshua Anderson - 400m hurdles champion - will compete at USA Senior Championships
USA Junior Championship meet:
Joe Abbott - 800m
Christian Crain - long jump
J Hopkins - 400m hurdles
Courtney Kirkwood - javelin
Stephan Scott-Ellis - incoming freshman, triple jump

ABOUT THE 2009 USA JUNIOR OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Junior Championships will serve as the selection meet for the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, July 31-Aug. 2, at Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad...two athletes per individual event will select themselves through head-to-head competition at the Junior Championships for the USATF Pan American Junior Championships Team...in addition, USATF will select up to two additional athletes for each relay team/pool, based on competitive considerations...in order to be eligible for the Pan Am Jr. team, an athlete must 16, 17, 18 or 19 years old on December 31, 2009.

COUGAR ALUMS AT USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: Washington State University will be represented by six men and four women competitors who are Cougar alumni at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships:

Women
Lorraine King - 400m hurdles
Diana Pickler - heptathlon
Julie Pickler - heptathlon
Blessing Ufodiama - triple jump
Men
Bernard Lagat - 800m. 5000m
Barry Leavitt - 400m hurdles
Rickey Moody - decathlon
Drew Ulrick - discus
Ian Waltz - discus
Moreno Zapata - triple jump

ABOUT THE 2009 USA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS: The top three rank order finishers in each event at the USA Championships will automatically select themselves to the USATF team for the 12th IAAF World Championships, Aug. 15-23, in Berlin, provided that each has achieved the applicable IAAF "A" Standard and meets all other qualifications...the next ranked order finisher shall serve as the alternate, provided that he or she has achieved at least the applicable IAAF "B" Standard...a reigning World Champion who competes at the Trials receives an automatic bye into the World Championships for the event in which he or she is reigning World Champion whether or not he or she has achieved the corresponding entry standard...qualifying standards can be found at www.iaaf.org.

ABOUT THE COUGAR COACHES: Head coach Rick Sloan just completed his 36th season with the Cougar track program; 15th year as a head coach, 14th year as mentor to the combined men's and women's program...he is joined by associate coach Debra Farwell, and assistant coaches Jason Drake (Head Coach Cross Country), Mark Macdonald, Ellannee Richardson and Matt McGee...Rickey Moody, Megan Johnson and Kyle Chandler are volunteer coaches.

MACDONALD NAMED WEST REGION MEN'S ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Washington State Assistant Coach Mark Macdonald, the West Region men's assistant coach of the year...Macdonald is a former All-American intermediate hurdler for the Cougs and has been on the coaching staff since 1992...during the 2009 outdoor season, Macdonald coached the Cougar men's hurdles corps and relay squad to a total of 37 of the team's 91 points for fourth place at the Pac-10 Championships, the best finish in over ten years for the Washington State program...WSU men's high and intermediate hurdlers scored 20 points at the West Regional meet where WSU finished third with 66 points...in addition to mentoring two-time Pac-10, West Regional, and defending NCAA, USA Junior and World Junior intermediate hurdles champion Jeshua Anderson, Macdonald also assists with the Cougar sprints corps including Justin Woods who finished second in 100 meters and 200 meters at Pac-10s and won the 200 meters and took second in the 100 meters at the West Regional.

ABOUT THE COUGARS AT THE 2009 USA OUTDOOR JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Joe Abbott, 800m (Sophomore Fall 2009, Reno, Nev.) • Finished 7th in 800m at 2009 NCAA West Regionals • 800m time of 1:48.97 run in prelims at NCAA West Regionals • Finished 13th in 800m at Pac-10 Championships

Christian Crain, Long Jump (Sophomore Fall 2009, Seattle, Wash.) • PR long jump of 7.34m / 24-1 came at Vandal Jamboree, Moscow, Idaho May 9 • Finished 9th in long jump at 2009 Pac-10 Championships • Finished 11th in long jump at 2009 NCAA West Regionals

J Hopkins, 400m Hurdles (Sophomore Fall 2009, Everett, Wash.) • Finished 7th in 400m hurdles at 2009 Pac-10 Championships • DNC at 2009 NCAA West Regionals • 400m PR time 51.57 run at VS Athletics/Long Beach Invite, Cerritos, April 18

Courtney Kirkwood, Javelin (Sophomore Fall 2009, Othello, Wash.) • PR throw of 52.01m / 170-8 came at Hartman Invite, Spokane, April 25 • Finished 7th at 2009 Pac-10 Championships • Finished 17th at 2009 NCAA West Regionals • Started as a pentathlete/heptathlete at WSU • Sister Christine will also be competing at USA Junior Championships

STEPHAN SCOTT-ELLIS, Triple Jump (Freshman Fall 2009, Tacoma, Wash.) • PR distance of 15.37m / 50-5 1/4 for 2nd in men's invitational section at 2009 Stanford Invite • Washington state 4A triple jump champion at the 2008 meet • Triple jump and long jump champion at 2008 Brooks Washington-Oregon Meet of Champions

ABOUT THE COUGARS AT THE 2009 USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Jeshua Anderson, 400m Hurdles (Junior Fall 2009, Woodland Hills, Calif.) • Two-time NCAA 400m Hurdles Champion (2008, 2009) • Two-time NCAA Outdoor All-American • Two-time NCAA West Regional Champion • Two-time Pac-10 Champion • Two-time Texas Relays Champion • All-American - 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, men's 4x400m relay, eighth • 2008 USA Junior Outdoor Champion • 2008 IAAF World Junior Champion • 2008 Olympic Trials, 9th (48.92 - semifinals) • School records: 400m hurdles (48.47), 4x400m relay (3:06.74i) • Three-time Pac-10 Male Track Athlete of the Week (2009- Mar. 30-Apr. 5, Apr. 6-12; 2008- Mar. 31- Apr. 6) • 2008 Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year • Hernia surgery in August 2008 • Wide receiver on WSU football team, played in 23 games in 2 seasons, 17 receptions and 4 touchdowns • Celebrated 20th birthday June 22

Lorraine King, 400m Hurdles (Graduated senior, Fontana, Calif.) • 22nd (prelims) at 2009 NCAA Championships • 2009 NCAA West Regional, seventh (1:00.34) • 2009 Pac-10 Champion (PR 57.51 - 2nd-best time in school history) • Also ran NCAA RQ times in 200m (23.82 - t5th in school records) and 400m (54.27 - t6th in school records) • 2009 indoor season ran on school-record Distance Medley Relay (11:17.92i) • 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, 14th semifinals (58.81) • Runner-up at 2008 NCAA West Regional (58.67) • Runner-up at 2008 Pac-10 Championships (59.55)

BERNARD LAGAT, 800m / 5000m (WSU '99) • 2008 USA team Olympian • 2007 World champion in 1500m and 5000m • Three-time Olympian (Silver and Bronze medals) • NCAA Indoor Athlete of the Year • Pac-10 Athlete of the Year • 11-time All-American

Barry Leavitt, 400m Hurdles (Graduated senior, Benton City, Wash.) • 12th (semifinals) at 2009 NCAA Championships • 2009 NCAA West Regionals, fourth (50.97) • 2009 Pac-10 Championships, fourth (51.00) • All-American - 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, men's 4x400m relay, eighth • School record 4x400m relay (3:06.74i) • 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, 21st (51.63), 4x400m Relay, 15th • 2008 NCAA West Regional, 3rd in 400m hurdles in PR time 50.44, 7th-best in school records • Served two-year church mission in French Polynesia, returned in 2007 and resumed training

Rickey Moody, Decathlon (WSU '08) • Second on WSU all-time decathlon list with 7,787 points (2008 Texas Relays) • All-American - Finished 8th in decathlon at 2008 NCAA Championships • 14th at 2008 US Olympic Trials (7,512 points)

Diana Pickler, Heptathlon (WSU '07) • 2008 Beijing Olympic Games DNF (hamstring strain) • 2008 USA Olympic Team • Finished 3rd in heptathlon at 2008 US Olympic Trials (PR 6,257 points) • Runner-up at 2007 US Championships • 2007 Pac-10 Champion • Four-time All-American • 2007 NCAA Indoor runner-up • School record-holder in 100m hurdles, pentathlon and heptathlon

Julie Pickler, Heptathlon (WSU '07) • Competed at 2008 US Olympic Trials but DNF heptathlon • 2005 Pac-10 Champion • Two-time NCAA heptathlon runner-up • Five-time All-American

BLESSING UFODIAMA, Triple Jump (WSU '04) • Collegiate PR indoor mark of 12.82m / 42-3 1/2i in 2004 at Husker Invite (Lincoln), 2nd-best in WSU history • Best outdoor collegiate mark was 13.24m / 43-5 1/4w at 2004 Mt. SAC Relays • Senior year finished third at NCAA West Regionals and at Pac-10 Championships; 18th at NCAA Championships

Drew Ulrick, Discus (WSU '07) • Collegiate best mark is 58.37m / 191-6 for 5th at 2007 Pac-10 Championships • Mark was 5th-best in WSU all-time history (now 7th) • Finished 11th in discus at 2007 NCAA West Regional • 18th in prelims at 2007 NCAA Championships

IAN WALTZ, Discus (WSU '00) • Two-time Olympian (2004, 2008) • 2008 US Olympic Trials discus champion • 2005, 2006 US discus champion, 2007 runner-up • 1997, 2000 Pac-10 discus champion • 1997 Pac-10 shot put champion • 8-time All-American • Collegiate best discus of 64.44m / 211-5 (Salinas, 1998) is still school record

Moreno Zapata, Triple Jump (Graduated senior, Lakewood, Wash.) • 6th at 2009 NCAA West Regionals • 5th at 2009 Pac-10 Championships • 2009 best mark is 15.55m / 51-0 1/4 at Pac-10 Championships (legal PR) • Wind-aided PR mark is 15.78m / 51-9 1/4w

WRISTBANDS FOR Shawn Swartz: The Washington State University track and field teams are selling wristbands to support freshman high jumper Shawn Swartz who is undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia...Swartz (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) was the 2007 B.C. Junior Champion...one of a trio of Cougars to clear 7-feet in the high jump this year....cleared 7-0 1/2 at the Husky Classic Indoor meet in Seattle, Feb. 14.,..qualified for the NCAA West Regional meet with mark of 6-10 3/4 (at Vandal Jamboree, May 9)...diagnosed just prior to the Pac-10 Championships and is undergoing treatment in British Columbia...wristbands are crimson in color with the saying, "Pride gives us the inner strength to persevere" in white lettering along with his initials, S.S./A.C. for his name and nickname, Air Canada...cost is $5 per wristband and they come in sizes medium and large...anyone wishing to order a wristband should contact WSU jumps coach Matt McGee at 509-335-0288 or by emailing mdmcgee@wsu.edu...not the first time the Cougars track and field teams have sold wristbands to support a teammate fighting cancer...teams supported intermediate hurdler Eric Nygard who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2005..Nygard is currently completing his post-graduate studies on his way to a career as a dentist and was a volunteer track coach at Eastern Washington University this past year.

COUGAR TEAMS AT 2009 CHAMPIONSHIPS:

WSU MEN
Pac-10 meet- 4th place team (91 pts), Jeshua Anderson (400m hurdles), Trent Arrive (high jump) champions
NCAA West Regional - 3rd place team (66 pts), Jeshua Anderson (400m hurdles), Justin Woods (200m) champions
NCAA Championships - t-17th place team (14 pts), Jeshua Anderson (400m hurdles) champion, Matt Lamb 5th (discus), Trent Arrivey 9th (high jump)
WSU WOMEN
Pac-10 meet - 9th place team (44 pts), Lorraine King (400m hurdles) champion
NCAA West Regional - t-16th place team (14 pts)
NCAA Championships - t-58th place team (3 pts), Marissa Tschida 6th (javelin)

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