Pirate Men Look Like Strong Championship Contenders
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University will host the 2010 Northwest Conference Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday at Boppell Track in the Whitworth Pine Bowl. And while the Pirates do not want to be considered ungracious hosts, the men's and women's teams have a chance to claim quite a bit of the award hardware for themselves. Click here for an overview of the entire conference championship field. The Whitworth men enter the meet ranked third in the latest USTFCCCA Division III poll and are a strong favorite, along with defending champion Willamette, to win the team title. The Pirates return five defending event champions from 2009 and come into the meet with the top seed in eight of the 21 events. Whitworth finished second last season after winning the title in 2008. The men's depth begins in the throwing events. Jeff Kintner has the NWC's best mark in the shot put and is a contender in the discus and hammer throw. Ron Whitley leads the hammer and is second in the discus. Carter Comito leads the discus. And Alex Hymel has the NWC's best mark in the javelin. Michael Nahl (shot put) and Joseph Ingman (javelin) would also be considered contenders for the top of the podium in their events. Cody Stelzer comes into the weekend as both the meet record-holder and the three-time defending champion of the high jump. He has a strong chance to post the rare feat of winning the same event four years in a row. He will also lead a deep group of Pirates in the other jumping events. Stelzer, Shannon Winant and John Ingman are all seeded among the top five in the long jump. That trio, along with Frank Lima, could also score in the triple jump. Emmanuel Bofa leads a strong group of Pirate middle-distance runners. Ironically, Bofa is a two-time defending national champion in the 800 meters who has yet to win at the NWC championships. His best time of 1:48.69 leads the nation (DIII) by a wide margin this spring. Dusty Caseria is the defending champion in the event, while Steven Acosta and Tyler Alsin give the Pirates four of the top five entry times in the 800. Acosta and Caseria, along with Trevor Berrian, should score significant points in the 1,500 meters as well. Nick Gallagher is the defending champion of the 10,000 meters. He will try to defend his title in that event and add a championship in the 5,000 meters. The Whitworth women will have a chance to add their own hardware. While not as strong a favorite for the team championship like the men, the Pirate women will make their own mark. Joy Shufeldt and Tonya Turner give Whitworth a strong 1-2 punch in the distance events and both should be considered favorites in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Shufeldt has the conference's best time this season in the longer distance, while Turner was the runner-up in that event last season. Dana Misterek gives the Pirates a championship contender in both the 800 and 1,500 meters. That trio comprised the top three runners from Whitworth's women's cross country team that finished sixth in the nation last fall and won the NCAA West Region. Allyssa Thompson, one of Whitworth's best all-around athletes, has suffered a variety of injuries all spring. But she appears to be healing in time to challenge for titles in the high jump, long jump and possibly even the triple jump. And the Pirate women will also be strong in the throwing events. Erica Cox is the conference leader in both the discus and hammer heading into the weekend. Amy Wyatt has a chance to win the shot put and Rachel Busick has the NWC's third-best javelin mark. Go to Athletics Home Page > Track & Field > Sports Releases > |
||||||||
