SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth College goes into this week's Northwest Conference Championships in somewhat of an unfamiliar position. The Pirates are not considered one of the favorites as a team in either of the men's or women's competitions. Due to some key injuries and a wet spring, Whitworth hasn't been able to post of the kind of marks that put many individuals at the top of the events lists.
But head coach Toby Schwarz believes that the pieces are coming together for the team to excel and surprise many observers this weekend. The meet will be hosted by Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. "We have plenty of room to move up," said Schwarz. "And I am confident that we've done the training and will put in the effort to move up in several events." Whitworth's women, who finished second last season to three-time champion Willamette, will be led by some familiar faces. Senior Kristi Dickey returns to defend her title in the 10,000 meters, an event in which she has the best time in the NWC by more than two minutes. She will also compete in the 5,000, in which she finished second last year. Sarah Marken, another senior who scored in eight individual events last season, hopes that the injuries that limited her performance at the NWC Heptathlon championships last week have passed. She will compete in the 100 dash, 100 hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump and javelin, along with a relay or two. Sophomore Kristen Dormaier is Marken's heir apparent. She posted a strong fourth place showing a the NWC Heptathlon, giving the Pirates five points heading into the meet. She will compete in the 100 and 200 dashes, as well as the high jump and triple jump. Dormaier will also run one or two relays. The Pirates hope to get big points as well in the pole vault. Whitworth athletes are seeded third (Jenna Hays), fourth (Katherine Lane) and fifth (Kirsten Funrue) going into the event. Willamette looks like a strong favorite to repeat as champions, but could be challenged by Linfield as well. The Whitworth men are aiming to improve on last season's fifth place team finish, led by Derrick Dewindt, who goes into the meet as the top seed in both the discus (145'-11") and hammer (174'-7"). Sophomores Ben Spaun and Brandon Howell are highly seeded in a pair of events each. Spaun is seeded second in both the 110 high hurdles (15.53) and 400 hurdles (55.70), while Howell is seeded second in the 800 (1:53.42) and is a threat to score highly in the 400 (50.33). Miles Hewitson and Kory Kemp give the Bucs potential for big points in the javelin as the third and fourth seeds, respectively. Willamette's men have also won three straight titles. They will be challenged by a field that includes strong teams in Linfield and Puget Sound. Events will begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday. Results can be followed on the host website at: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/trackfield/2006NWC/ |
