Meet Notes

The University of Hawai'i women's track and field team will participate in the 2010 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships this week. This year's meet runs Thursday, Feb. 25 through Saturday, Feb. 27 at Jackson's Track at the Idaho Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho.

 

Last season, the Rainbow Wahine placed fifth and two years ago came within one point of their first WAC Championship. UH will send a 19-member contingent to Nampa, including defending high jump champion Amber Kaufman. Fellow high jumper Sarah Saddleton took silver at last year's championships and both have either NCAA automatic or provisional marks this season.

 

UH will be competing in its eighth WAC Indoor Championship since the program was revived in 2001. The Rainbow Wahine did not field their first full-squad at WAC Indoors until 2003. UH's highest finish was second in 2008. That year, the team set team records for highest finish, most points (121), and most medals (10) at the indoor championships.

 

Louisiana Tech is the four-time defending women's indoor champion. For the second consecutive year, the Lady Techsters captured the title on the meet's last event, edging Idaho (114) and Boise State (112).

 

What: Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships

When: Thursday, Feb. 25 through Saturday, Feb. 27

Where: Jackson's Track at the Idaho Sports Center, Nampa, Idaho

Host: Boise State

Defending Champion: Louisiana Tech (women)

UH High Finish: 2008, 2nd, 121 points

 

UH Participants: Ashley Aitken (800m, relay), Madara Apine (LJ, TJ), Samantha Balentine (Pent., HJ, relay), Anika Borden (WT), Cecilia Durocher (Pent., PV, relay), Jessica Forrester (mile, 3000m, 5000m, relay), Karen Guravska (PV), Ashlee Jimenez (400m, relay), Jamilee Jimenez (HJ, LJ), Amber Kaufman (HJ), TeRina Keenan (SP), Emma MacCorquodale (WT), Mariana Monasi (mile, relay), Careena Onosai (SP), Mallory Ramsey (PV), Sarah Rutsch (Pent., LJ), Sarah Saddleton (HJ), Tava Tedesco (3000m, 5000m), Natalija Waldhuber (Pent., LJ), Samantha Whitehall (800m, relay).

 

Recapping the 2009 WAC Indoor Championship: The Rainbow Wahine placed fifth and scored 72.5 points at the 2009 WAC Indoor Championships in Nampa, Idaho. UH multi-event specialist Annett Wichmann was named co-Outstanding Field Performer, as voted by the coaches, after scoring 25 points in the five events she was entered in and winning gold in the pentathlon (4,034 pts.) and bronze in the triple jump (38-8.75). The Jena, Germany native also placed fifth in the shot put (46-0.75), sixth in the high jump (5-5.75) and seventh in the long jump (17-9.75). UH swept the top three spots in the high jump for the second straight year with Amber Kaufman (5-9.25) leading the way, followed by Sarah Saddleton (5-9.25) and Emily Sheppard (5-8). Sheppard also placed fourth in the pentathlon (3,576 pts.) and won silver in the triple jump (39-2.25).

 

Nationally Ranked: Behind high jumpers Amber Kaufman and Sarah Saddleton, the Rainbow Wahine are ranked No. 35 in the latest USTFCCA Division I team rankings (Feb. 16), up four spots from the previous week. Individually, Kaufman is ranked No. 2 in the high jump while Saddleton is No. 24. Arizona's Liz Patterson has the nation's top mark of 6-3.5 (1.92m). Kaufman's mark of 6-3.25 (1.91m) was set in altitude at New Mexico's Lobo Challenge, Jan. 29, in Albuquerque, N.M.

 

Athlete of the Year Candidate: High jumper Amber Kaufman was recently selected as one of 10 athletes to the official watch list for The Bowerman, a recently-debuted trophy which is awarded to the top male and female collegiate athlete in the sport of track and field. The Bowerman committee will release its next update on Tuesday, March 2, 10 days before the start of the NCAA Indoor Championships. The three finalists will be named on June 15.

 

WAC Honors For Kaufman & Saddleton: Amber Kaufman was named the WAC's Field Athlete of the Week, twice this season, after performances at the UW Indoor Preview and Lobo Challenge. For Kaufman, she has been honored by the WAC five time in her career, including three times in 2009. Sophomore high jumper Sarah Saddleton was named the WAC's Field Athlete of the Week after her NCAA provisional performance at the UW Indoor Open. Saddleton cleared 5-10 (1.78m) to win the competition.

 

Back to Nationals: Amber Kaufman will make her second straight appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. This year's meet will take place March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark. Last year, Kaufman placed sixth in the high jump. This year will mark the fourth straight year that UH will send an athlete to indoor nationals. Last year, both Kaufman and pentathlete Annett Wichmann placed in the top seven of their respective events, each earning All-America status.

 

High Standards: Transfers Madara Apine and Karen Guravska come to the Rainbow Wahine track program with high expectations. Apine, a Florida transfer who helped the Gators capture the Southeastern Conference championship last season, is a triple jump specialist. In her first competition at the Sunset Opener, she broke the school record with a mark of 39-7.25 (12.07m). Guravska competed at Cerritos College the past two seasons and will focus on the pole vault and javelin for UH, two events in which she earned All-America status last year. Both Apine (Ikskile) and Guravska (Riga) are natives of Latvia.

 

All Are Welcome: Each year, the Rainbow Wahine traditionally hosts all-comer meets at the Clarence T.C. Ching Field. This season is no different as the team will host five Sunset Series meets in addition to six newly created Mini Meets. Are meets are open to the public and if interested contact uhtrack@hawaii.edu.

 

Two-Sport Star: Amber Kaufman was also a starter on the nationally ranked women's volleyball team and earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2009. In track and field, Kaufman placed sixth at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships and won the WAC indoor title that same year. During the outdoor season she ranked second with a mark of 6-4 (1.93m) and captured the bronze medal at the NCAA Championships. In 2008, the San Jose, Calif., native placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned a spot to the U.S. Olympic Trials, where she qualified to the main draw. She holds the school indoor and outdoor records. She also qualified for her second NCAA Regional last season.

 

Newest Inductee: Former UH track and field athlete the late Terry Albritton was one of four new inductees into the UH Sports Circle of Honor. Albritton broke the world record in the shot put (71 feet, 8 1/2 inches) at an all-comers meet at Cooke Field while a junior at UH in 1976. Later that year, he won the NCAA title. Albritton enrolled in Stanford in 1973 on a football scholarship and also competed in track, where he was second in the shot put in the Pac-8 in 1974. He transferred to Hawai'i in 1975 and was the NCAA runner-up that year.When UH dropped the men's track and field program after his world record breaking season, he transferred back to Stanford, where he won the 1977 NCAA shot put title. Following his competitive career, Albritton served as strength coach at UH from 1979-85, and is regarded as a pioneer in plyometrics and other fast-twitch muscle training techniques.