ERIC M. JUKELEVICS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Amy Linnen clears the bar during competition last Saturday at the Jim Click Shootout at Drachman Stadium. Linnen had the highest vault in the country this year with a 14-foot mark at the Stanford Invitational last weekend.

The UA men's and women's track and field teams entered last weekend's Stanford Invitational with one goal: to get their six distance runners to meet NCAA or Pacific 10 Conference qualifying standards.

When all was said and done, UA head coach Dave Murray and company left Palo Alto, Calif., with smiles on their faces and six NCAA and Pac-10 qualifying times.

The women's team, who came into the weekend ranked No. 5 in the nation, was well represented.

Sophomore Beth Hoge ran the 5,000m and finished in 16:24.89, which was good enough to claim eighth place and an NCAA provisional qualifying time.

"Hoge is very, very talented," Murray said. "Long-distance running is her specialty, and this is only her second 5,000m ever."

"We're real pleased with her performance, and she's a real bright spot in this team's future."

Senior Tara Chaplin also ran the 5,000m, and although she finished lower than expected, her time of 16:40.88 was still good enough to earn her a NCAA provisional qualifying time.

Junior Kim Bates was the lone woman Wildcat to run the 10,000m, and with her time of 35:00.53, she was able to earn a NCAA provisional qualifying time.

Sophomore Amy Linnen, whom UA coaches said they were only able to get into the meet at the last moment, was impressive.

"Amy vaulted 14 feet, which is the highest vault in the country this year," Murray said. "She won the B section, and that was an automatic NCAA qualifying mark."

On the men's side, sophomore Mark Anderson and senior Steve Smith represented the Wildcats in the 3,000m Steeplechase.

Anderson claimed 10th place with a Pac-10 qualifying time of 8:58.06, while Smith was also rewarded with a Pac-10 qualifying mark with his time of 8:59.22.

Senior Tom Prindiville finished strong in the 5,000m with a second-place finish and a Pac-10 qualifying time of 14:08.40.

"We had four personal records and lifetime bests," Harvey said. "Tom Prindiville, Beth Hoge, Mark Anderson and Kim Bates all had personal bests. Steve Smith also ran his best this year."

The Wildcats will begin preparation this week for their first head-to-head competition against two Pac-10 schools.

Saturday's meet in Tucson will be the California vs. Arizona Challenge, where the Wildcats will team up with Northern Arizona to compete against Stanford and UCLA in a dual scoring meet.