Feb. 28, 2013

BERKELEY - The Cal track & field team will be in action this weekend at different events with two separate goals. A handful of Golden Bears who are on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships will travel to Seattle for the UW Final Qualifier, while much of the rest of the squad will get its first taste of outdoor competition at the Stanford Opener.

• Cal's Best Indoor Marks
• Indoor Rankings by Event

Five team members will board a plane for Friday's meet at the Dempsey Indoor Facility on the University of Washington campus - weight throwers Shelby Ashe and Chioma Amaechi, triple jumper Taylor Kientzel, high jumpers Nick Ridge and Brian Carmichael, and miler Collin Jarvis.

Amaechi set a school record in the women's weight throw with a heave of 67-2.00 in late January, and Ashe set a Cal freshman record with her effort of 66-1.50 at last week's MPSF Championships. Amaechi currently ranks 19th nationally and Ashe is 25th, with the top 16 earning invitations to the NCAA meet March 8-9.

Kientzel was the MPSF runner-up in the triple jump with a season-best 50-10.75, and Jarvis ran an impressive 4:02.98 in the mile last weekend. Kientzel is just over a foot out of the 16th position on the national list, while Jarvis needs to shave about four seconds off his time to merit consideration for NCAA's.

In the men's high jump, Ridge set a PR with a 7-3 clearance at the MPSF meet, and Carmichael was right behind at 7-1. Both are just out of the top 16, as six jumpers are tied for 14th at 7-3.25. Carmichael owns an outdoor PR of 7-2.25.

Ray Stewart is virtually secured a spot at the NCAA Championships after running a school-record 7.68 in the 60-meter hurdles in the MPSF prelims, a time that ranks seventh on the national list.

In recent years, Cal has started the outdoor season with an opening event either in Berkeley or at Stanford. This year's meet is down on the Farm and will including competitors from Cal, Stanford and several area universities. Expect a number of newcomers to make their Golden Bear debuts, with many veterans getting their first opportunity to prove themselves outdoors after the indoor campaign.