Schedule in PDF Format

March 27, 2008

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - With spring in the air along Colorado's Front Range, the 2008 Rams outdoor track and field team is ready to host the Rob Upton Invitational Saturday at Jack Christiansen Track on the east side of the main CSU campus. The meet will feature 13 men's and women's teams, including MWC challenger Wyoming and perennial rival Colorado.

"Last weekend was a good opportunity for some kids who were still in the area to get a meet in," said Head Coach Brian Bedard. "The rest of the team will get their first meet in this weekend. It is an opportunity to get Kevin Johnson, Janay DeLoach and Katie Lloyd some competition and back into the swing of things. It is always our goal to hit regional marks. This is another opportunity to get those. Our distance runners are going to run some off events to see where they are. They will focus a little more on speed work this weekend."

The Rams have had a good early season with five individuals qualifying for the NCAA regional meet already this year. Drew Morano (400 meters), Cameron Carter (discus), Kirsten Anthony (5,000 meters), Kristen Hemphill (5,000 meters), Missy Faubus (discus) and Meagan Berg (hammer) each have made the regionals in the Rams' optional meets this outdoor season.

Morano's time in the 400 meters is second in the Mountain West this season, and freshman Brian Fox owns the sixth-best league time in the event. Johnson, who returned to the Rams for the outdoor season, holds the fifth-best time in the 110-meter hurdles. Nigel Joseph, who joined CSU in January, has the fourth-best time in the 400-meter hurdles.

The women's distance cadre leads the Mountain West with the top four times in the 5,000-meter event, led by Anthony and Hemphill. Allison Gohl and Ellie Rastall, both freshmen, round out the top four times. Sophomore Tanesha Johnson is eighth in the 100-meter race and holds 10th place in the 200 meters. Emily Pearson ranks second in the 100-meter hurdles and fifth in the javelin. Niomi Ridge holds fourth in the 400-meter hurdles competition. DeLoach, an All-American last year, holds the top spot in the long jump and is second in the 100-meter event.

In the field for the women, Kate Colvin holds the No. 10 vault in the pole vault competition. The throws for the Rams are led by Faubus with the best mark in the discus and the fifth-place throw in the hammer. Berg holds the top spot in the hammer throw while Amanda Johnson has the third-best throw in the event. Jennifer Ugochukwu is fifth in the women's shot.

Results from the weekend's meet will be available at CSURams.com.