May 15, 2008

Weekly Release: at Big Sky Conference Championship

Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championship

Friday-Saturday, May 16-17, 2008

Sacramento, California • Alex G. Spanos Sport Complex • 9:00 a.m.

Championship Time

Northern Colorado and the rest of the Big Sky Conference heads to Sacramento to compete in the Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Since the Bears have no multi-event (heptathlete, decathlete) student-athletes competing, action begins on Friday. NC has nine men and 12 women competing in individual events, along with both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams for both genders. This is the first time the Bears have fielded teams at the Big Sky Outdoor Championship after the transition to Division I. Freshman Terrence McGaughy enters the championship with the top time in the 100 meters, while sophomore Rachel Stevens is tied with Idaho State's Cassie Merkley for the top mark in the high jump.

Clearing The Bar

Sophomore transfer Rachel Stevens became the first female student-athlete and the second overall to qualify for the NCAA Regionals with her clearance of 5-8.75 at the Front Range Championships, which was good for second place also. Stevens earned all-conference honors during the indoor season by placing third at the Big Sky Championship and is looking to better that mark this week at the outdoor championship.

He'll Always Be The First

Freshman Terrence McGaughy became the first student-athlete at Northern Colorado to ever qualify for the NCAA Regionals - the stepping stone to the NCAA Championship. McGaughy won both the 100 and 200 meters at the Ram Open, clocking in at 10.47 and 21.22, respectively to surpass the regional standards and earn co-Big Sky Runner of the Week honors for the second time this season.

Made To Be Broken

Sophomore Justine Sandersfeld broke the school record in the 400 meters for the second time this season, running a 55.60 at the prestigious Sun Angel Classic to break her own record of 56.10 from the Potts Invitational.