Pole vaulter Keisa Monterola named Big Sky Athlete of the Week; coaches looking for improved marks and last-minute qualifiers in Moscow

With just one weekend left before the 2012 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships, the Eastern Washington University track and field team will head to Moscow, Idaho, for the Vandal Jamboree, which will be EWU’s last chance to qualify for the conference championships held in Bozeman, Mont., May 11-12.

 “We’re taking a skeleton crew down to Moscow this weekend,” said men’s head coach Stan Kerr. “The Jamboree is putting our athletes in a position to punch their tickets to the conference championships.”

Among the athletes who will be going to Moscow include Collin Green and Nick Stearns.

Green is looking to improve on his time in the 400-meter run, where he currently has a time of 49.48, which places him 19th in the Big Sky. However, his time is less than half a second from ninth place in the Big Sky. Regardless if an athlete meets the qualifying mark, the top 14 performers attend the championships.

Stearns, who has already qualified for the Big Sky Championships in the pole vault, will be looking to become a double qualifier in the 110 hurdles. His season-best time is 15.90 and the qualifying standard is 15.10.

Jasmine Stray, junior thrower, has her sights set on her first appearance in a conference championship since enrolling at Eastern. Stray’s personal best in the hammer throw of 154-9 is only a few feet off from the qualifying mark of 157-5.

“This is Jasmine’s best year yet at Eastern,” said women’s head coach Marcia Mecklenburg. “She has improved all season long so I’m very excited to see if she will qualify for the championships.”

 “No team in any sport goes through a season uninjured or without surprise,” said Kerr. “And trust me, we’ve had those. But we know we have a talented team and now it’s up to us coaches to handle the process the rest of the season. We will make sure to keep things moving forward.”

After a breaking three records (EWU, Pelleur and Roos field Records) in one jump, Indoor All-American Keisa Monterola was named the Big Sky Conference Athlete of the Week. Monterola won the pole vault at the 41st Annual Pelluer Invitational with a jump of 14-0, which places her fourth in NCAA Division I.

BIG SKY CONFERENCE QUALIFIERS

Men's Qualifiers/Records

Big Sky Conference Championships – May 9-12 – Bozeman, Mont.
First Round NCAA Championships – May 24-26 – Austin, Texas.
NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships – June 6-9 - Des Moines, Iowa
School Records Broken: None

Total Big Sky Championships Qualifying Marks Attained: 28 (3 new marks from Pelluer; Puccino/Long jump/Triple jump, Anderson/Discus)

400 Meters – 48.18 - Brad Michael - Sprints – Fr. – HS - Vancouver, Wash.
5,000 Meters – 14:10.42– Kyle King - Distance - Sr. - 3L - Coupeville, Wash. / Coupeville HS '08
10,000 Meters – 29:40.08 – Kyle King - Distance - Sr. - 3L - Coupeville, Wash. / Coupeville HS '08
5,000 Meters – 14:41.55 – Bowe Ebding – Distance – Sr. – 3L – Walla Walla, Wash. / DeSales HS '07
10,000 Meters – 30:48.76 – Bowe Ebding – Distance – Sr. – 3L – Walla Walla, Wash. / DeSales HS '07
110 Hurdles – 14.59 – Steven Warner - Hurdles - So. - 1L - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS '09
Hammer – 166-1 – Jon Buchanan - Throws - So. - 1L – Yakima, Wash. / East Valley HS '09
Shot Put – 51-5 – Jon Buchanan - Throws - So. - 1L - Yakima, Wash. / East Valley HS '09
Hammer – 172-1– Zach Nielsen - Throws - So. - 1L - Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS '09
Discus – 151-8 – Zach Nielsen - Throws - So. - 1L - Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS '09
Discus – 156-11 – Cody Humphrey - Throws - Jr. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '09
Discus – 153-4 – Marlyn Anderson - Throws - Jr. - 2L - Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS '09
Shot Put – 51-0 3/4 – Marlyn Anderson - Throws - Jr. - 2L - Snohomish, Wash. / Snohomish HS '09
800 Meters – 1:52.38 – Tim Pettit - Distance - So. - 1L - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS ‘10
800 Meters – 1:53.40 – Jordan Curnutt – Distance  - Jr. - 2L - Spokane, Wash. / Mead HS '09
200 Meters – 21.72 – Michael Okoro - Sprints - So. - 1L - Lakewood, Wash. / Clover Park HS ’10
400 Hurdles – 55.24 – Kramer Green – Sprints/Hurdles - So. - 1L - Buckley, Wash. / White River HS '10
High Jump – 6-7 – Cody Fishel – Jumps - So. - 1L - Covington, Wash. / Kentwood HS '09
Javelin – 188-8 – Max Pratt - Throws - Fr. - HS - Auburn, Wash. / Auburn HS ‘11
Hammer – 170-7 – Jaime Alnassim - Throws - So. – 1L - Olympia, Wash. / Capital HS '10
400 Hurdles – 55.08 – Armon Blackwell - Hurdles - Fr. - HS – Lakewood, Wash. / Clover Park HS ‘11
Decathlon – 6,735 - Kersee Lind - Multi - Sr. – 3L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS ‘07
High Jump – 6-5 1/2 - Kersee Lind - Multi - Sr. – 3L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS ‘07
Decathlon – 6,273 – Tim Armstrong - Multi - Sr. – 1L - Spokane, Wash. / East Valley HS ‘06
110 Hurdles – 15.01 – Tim Armstrong - Multi - Sr. – 1L - Spokane, Wash. / East Valley HS ‘06
High Jump – 6-5 – Warren Millier – Multi – So. – 1L – St. John, Wash. / St. John Endicott HS ‘10
Triple Jump - 46-7 1/4 – Phillip Puccino – Jumps – So. – 1L – Tacoma, Wash. / Steilacoom HS' 10
Long Jump – 22-10 1/2 – Phillip Puccino – Jumps – So. – 1L – Tacoma, Wash. / Steilacoom HS' 10

Women's Qualifiers/Records

Big Sky Conference Championships – May 9-12 – Bozeman, Mont.
First Round NCAA Championships – May 24-26 – Austin, Texas.
NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships – June 6-9 - Des Moines, Iowa School Records Broken: None

Total Big Sky Championships Qualifying Marks Attained: 17 (2 new marks from Pelluer Invitational; Monterola/PoleVault, Troyer/Pole Vault)

Javelin – 147-11 – Michelle Coombs - Throws/Jumps - Jr. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '08
Javelin – 134-1 – Taylor Walker - Throws - So. - SQ - Pullman, Wash. / Pullman HS '08
Javelin – 133-10 – Haley Tank - Throws - Fr. - HS - West Richland, Wash.
Shot Put – 44-2 – Mari Bingham - Throws - Sr. – 3L - Tacoma, Wash. / Mount Tahoma HS ‘07
Discus – 141-2 – Mari Bingham - Throws - Sr. – 3L - Tacoma, Wash. / Mount Tahoma HS ‘07
200 Meter – 25.02 – Whitney Leavitt - Sprints - Jr. – 3L - Benton City, Wash. / Kiona Benton HS '09
100 Meter – 12.22 – Whitney Leavitt - Sprints - Jr. – 3L - Benton City, Wash. / Kiona Benton HS '09
Pole Vault – 14-0 – Keisa Monterola - Jumps - Jr. – Caracas, Venezuela
Pole Vault – 13-0 1/4 – Robin Taylor - Jumps - So. – 1L - Blaine, Wash. / Blaine HS ‘10
Pole Vault – 11-6 1/2 – Amber Troyer - Jumps - So. – 1L - Spokane, Wash. / SCC
400 Meters – 57.14 – Angelica Rodriguez - Sprints - So. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '10
400 Meters – 57.33 – Nicole Nida - Sprints - Sr. - 3L - Cottonwood, Idaho / Prairie HS, ’07 / SCC
200 Meters – 25.20 – Nicole Nida - Sprints - Sr. - 3L - Cottonwood, Idaho / Prairie HS, ’07 / SCC
High Jump – 5-3 3/4 – Elise Jepsen - Jumps - Jr. - 2L - Kennewick, Wash. / Kamiakin HS '09
Steeplechase – 11:17.32 - Stephanie Dye - Distance - Sr. – 3L - Chatteroy, Wash. / Riverside HS ‘08
Long Jump – 19-6 1/4 - Shene Davis - Jumps - Sr. – 3L - Yakima, Wash. / Selah HS ‘07
Triple Jump – 38-9 1/2 - Shene Davis - Jumps - Sr. – 3L - Yakima, Wash. / Selah HS ‘07

RETURNING ALL-BIG SKY ATHLETES

The following Eagle athletes have earned All-Big Sky Conference honors (top three finish) in previous Big Sky Conference track and field championships (indoors and outdoors):

Jonathan Buchanan – (2011 Indoors: 3rd in shot put)
Kyle King – (2011 Indoors: Champion in 5,000, 3rd in 3,000)
Kersee Lind – (2012 Indoors: 3rd in heptathlon)
Brad Michael – (2012 Indoors: 2nd in 400, 3rd in 200)
Zach Nielsen – (2012 Indoors: 3rd in weight throw)
Michael Okoro (2011 Outdoors: Champion in 200)
Phillip Puccino – (2012 Indoors: 3rd in triple jump)
Nick Stearns – (2012 Indoors: 3rd in pole vault)
Brad Wall – (2012 Indoors: 3rd in 400; 2011 Outdoors: Champion in 400; 2011 Indoors: Champion in 400; 2010 Outdoors: Champion in 400)
Steven Warner (2012 Indoors: Champion in 110 hurdles)
4x400 Relay (2011 Outdoors: 3rd/Michael Okoro, Kramer Green, Collin Green, Brad Wall; 2012 Indoors: Champion/Collin Green, Michael Okoro, Brad Michael, Brad Wall)
4x100 Relay (2011 Outdoors: 2nd/Alex Flores, Michael Okoro, Kurt Williams, Brad Wall)

Michelle Coombs – (2009 Outdoors: Champion in Javelin)
Shene Davis – (2012 Indoors: 2nd in long jump; 2011 Outdoors: 2nd in long jump)
Keisa Monterola  - (2012 Indoors: Champion in pole vault)
Olivia Midles – (2011 Outdoors: 2nd in hammer throw)
Brianna Okoro - (2011 Outdoors: 3rd in long jump; 2010 Outdoors: Champion in 200, 3rd in 100, 3rd in long jump)
4x400 Relay – (2012 Indoors: 2nd/Whitney Leavitt, Nicole Nida, Angelica Rodriguez, Chelsea Lawhead)

SEASON NOTES

Big Sky Conference Preseason Polls
Voting is calculated with each team receiving nine points for a first place vote, eight points for a second place vote, etc. Coaches are allowed to vote for their respective teams. Below are the final results with the number of first place votes in parenthesis.

Men's Poll 

Team, Points (last year’s place)
Northern Arizona, 77 – 6 first-place votes (2nd, 167 points)
Montana State, 72 – 2 first-place votes (3rd, 116.5)
Sacramento State 55 – 1 first-place vote (1st, 204.5)
Eastern Washington 53 (4th, 96)
Weber State 47 (5th, 74)
Montana 37 (3rd, 116.5)
Idaho State 35 (7th, 44)
Northern Colorado 16 (8th, 38)
Portland State 13 (9th, 28.5)

Women's Poll 

Team, Points (last year’s place)
Sacramento State, 77 – 5 first-place votes (1st, 236 points)
Weber State, 73 – 4 first-place votes (5th, 66)
Northern Arizona 54 (8th, 63)
Portland State 47 (6th, 65)
Montana State 46 (4th, 75)
Montana 42 (2nd, 133)
Idaho State 28 (7th, 64.5)
Eastern Washington 27 (3rd, 78)
Northern Colorado 11 (9th, 33.5)

TOP SEASON PERFORMANCES

Keisa Monterola – Pole Vault - Jr. – Caracas, Venezuela
The All-America pole vaulter broke EWU’s school record, the Roos Field record and the Pelluer Invitational record with a jump of 14-0 at the 41st Annual Pelluer Invitational in Cheney, Wash.

Monterola broke the Big Sky Conference indoor record for the women’s pole vault, with a jump of 14-4 on Jan. 28 at the UW Team Invitational in Seattle, Wash. The jump automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships on March 9 in Boise, Idaho, where she placed fifth with an effort of 14-1 1/4.

The Venezuelan national record holder earned first team All-America honors after placing fifth in the pole vault on March 10 at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Indoor Championships hosted by Boise State University in Nampa, Idaho. She jumped 14-1 1/4, slightly lower than her personal best of 14-4.

Monterola made her Eastern debut on Dec. 3 at the Candy Cane Invitational. On her first jump, she broke Eastern’s pole vault record with a height of 13-11 1/4.  She has been named the Big Sky women’s Field Athlete of the Week four separate times, spreading through the indoor and outdoor seasons. She is also the owner of the Venezuelan national record. She has competed for her country on numerous occasions, including the Pan American Games this past fall. She placed fifth with a mark of 14-1 1/4.

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Monterola placed first in the pole vault at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Championships while competing for Clackamas Community College. She had a personal-best vault of 14-2 1/2 – a mark that improved the sophomore’s Venezuelan national record. She also placed first in the long jump with a mark of 18-0 1/2.

Monterola also claimed titles at the 2009 NWAACC Championships in the pole vault (12-8 1/4) and the long jump (17-8 1/4). While utilizing her redshirt season in 2010, Monterola won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games, where she set the games record with a mark of 13-9 1/4. In high school, Monterola was the 2005 IAAF World Youth silver medalist and South American Junior Champion. She cleared 13-11 1/4 in both competitions, setting new meet records in both.

Phillip Puccino  – Jumps - So. – 1L – Tacoma, Wash. / Steilacoom HS' 10
Puccino qualified for the conference championships in the long jump and triple jump at the 41st Annual Pelluer Invitational on April 27.  In the long jump, he had a season-best mark of 22-10 1/2. He hit 46-7 1/4 in the triple.
Shene Davis - Jumps - Sr. – 3L - Yakima, Wash. / Selah HS ‘07
Davis qualified for the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in both the triple jump and long jump at the Long Beach Invitational on April 20. She moved to third in EWU history in the long jump with a mark of 19-6 1/4, which also places her on top of the Big Sky Conference. Her mark of 38-9 1/2 in the triple jump put her fourth in school history.
Kersee Lind - Multi - Sr. – 3L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS ‘07
Lind, in his first decathlon of the season, broke his personal record and qualified for the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships with a score of 6,735 at the Mt. Sac Relays on April 19. The score puts Lind second all-time in school history.
Stephanie Dye - Distance - Sr. – 3L - Chatteroy, Wash. / Riverside HS ‘08
Dye shattered her personal record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by nearly 20 seconds at the Long Beach Invitational with a time of 11:17.32, earning herself a conference qualifying mark on April 20.
Robin Taylor – Pole Vault – So. – 1L - Blaine, Wash. / Blaine HS '10
Taylor moved into fourth all-time at Eastern with her jump of 12-5 1/2 at the WAOR V in Spokane. She broke her personal record at the Pelluer Invitational with a jump of 13-0 1/4.
Kyle King – Distance – Sr. – 3L - Coupeville, Wash. / Coupeville HS '08
With his 14:10.42 time in the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational (April 7), King completely shattered his own outdoor personal record by 25 seconds, moving him into third all-time in Eastern history.
Tim Pettit - Distance - So. - 1L - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS ‘10
Pettit placed second in the 800-meter run at the Al Manuel Invite (March 30) with a career-best time of 1:52.38. The time qualified him for the outdoor conference championships.
Angelica Rodriguez - Sprints - So. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '10
Rodriguez matched her career best in the 400 meters with a time of 57.14 at the Al Manuel Invite (March 30). The time places the sophomore ninth all-time in school history in the 400.
Michelle Coombs - Throws/Jumps - So. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '08
Coombs won the javelin with a throw of 147-11 at the Dusty Lane Invitational on March 17, the first time she’s thrown in nearly two years. As a freshman in 2009, she was the Big Sky champion in the event, but injuries have slowed her down since then. She ranks third in school history with a 163-1 throw in 2009.
Brad Michael – Sprints – Fr. – HS - Vancouver, Wash.
Michael, EWU’s freshman phenom, continued where he left off from the indoor season, by winning both the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Dusty Lane Invitational (March 17). His time of 48.18 in the 400 met the Big Sky qualifying mark. During the indoor season, Michael broke the school record in the 400 (46.97) en route to a second-place finish, and he placed third in the 200 with a time of 21.63 that ranks third in school history. He was also was part of the 4x400 relay team which won the Big Sky title with a school-record time of 3:11.04.
Steven Warner - Hurdles - So. - 1L - Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS '09
Warner, the 2012 Big Sky Indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles, finished the 110-meter hurdles in 14.80 March 31 at the Al Manuel Invitational.  His career best in that event is 14.60 set as a freshman in 2010. Warner had a school-record time of 8.07 in the 60-meter hurdles indoors earlier this season, good for second all-time.
Cody Humphrey – Throws - Jr. - 1L - Hermiston, Ore. / Hermiston HS '09
Humphrey, who is also an tight end for EWU’s football team, qualified for the Big Sky Championships with a career-best throw of 156-11 in the discus at the Dusty Lane Open on March 17.

LINKS

EWU Track and Field - http://goeags.com/sports/c-track/index
Big Sky Conference Men's Track and Field - http://www.bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?tab=outdoortrackandfield&path=motrack
Big Sky Conference Women's Track and Field - http://www.bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?tab=outdoortrackandfield2&path=wotrack
NCAA Track and Field - http://www.ncaa.com
Direct Athletics Performance List - http://www.directathletics.com/lists/track/63_919.html
More Information and Links are Available at - HTTP://WWW.GOEAGS.COM