Zags Looking For Qualifying Marks At Mt. SAC Relays
4/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
SPOKANE, Wash. — Etched into a wall inside Hilmer Lodge Stadium are the words, "Where the world's best athletes compete." Gonzaga runners, for a few days at least, will be a part of that exclusive club.
Fifteen members of the GU track team are heading to Walnut, Calif., to compete in the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, a two-day meet that starts Thursday at 6 p.m. The rest of the squad, meanwhile, will stay behind in Spokane to run in the Whitworth Twilight Invitational, which takes place Thursday beginning at 2 p.m.
In addition to hosting Olympic trials and national championships in the past, Hilmer Lodge Stadium's real claim to fame is arguably the annual relays that take place at Mount San Antonio College. The event attracts thousands of elite athletes from around the world, with boisterous and appreciative crowds to match.
"It is a crazy atmosphere," GU women's coach Patty Ley said. "It's just all track all the time, and there are moments when it's zoo-like. You have to manage all of that, but we're excited for it because it's a great experience."
With just five weeks left in the season, the Mt. SAC Relays may be the Zags' best remaining opportunity to produce a mark good enough to qualify them for the West Preliminary Championships. Only athletes who boast the top 48 times in a particular event at the conclusion of the season will advance to the meet in Fayetteville, Ark.
"Mt. SAC is full of great teams from all over the United States and we've all got one objective," said Pat Tyson, GU's program director and men's coach. "We want to run a fast time, and we want to qualify for regionals."
Added Ley: "This is one of those meets where every guy you beat, you just knock them down on that top-48 list. These are the people you are going to see at the regional meet. You're going to be in some competitive heats, and that's a good thing."
The Bulldogs could not ask for better circumstances to produce one of those coveted times. The track at Hilmer Lodge Stadium is a fast oval and the weather is usually ideal for runners, especially for those competing in distance events. Moreover, the elite competition at this event often pushes athletes to produce fast, if not record-breaking, marks.
"We're going down there looking to enhance our chances at qualifying for regionals," Tyson said. "That's the goal, and this is the best venue to qualify."
According to Tyson and Ley, this meet is especially important for those runners competing in the 10,000 meters because this is essentially the last significant opportunity of the season for them to run in this event. Robert Walgren, Colin O'Neil, Matthew Crichlow and Amelia Evans will all participate in the 10k at Mt. SAC.
Walgren (27th) and O'Neil (47th) actually possess top-48 times among Western athletes, but in the 5,000 meters, not the 10k. Willie Milam, meanwhile, sits just three spots above the cutoff in the 5k, while Nick Roche (21st) and Patrick Richie (32nd) are clutching to qualifying times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
"The goal is to get that mark," Ley said, "or be very, very close to it."
If any of the Zags do accomplish that feat in California, those words on the Hilmer Lodge Stadium wall may not be too far from the truth.
