UA track and field athletes will get their last chance to qualify for post-season play this weekend when the Wildcats travel north to Flagstaff to battle in-state rivals Arizona State and Northern Arizona University.

Saturday's dual meet will be a final tune-up before the indoor Mountain Pacific Conference Championships Feb. 21-22. Already with a strong indoor season, the 20th-ranked Wildcats look to qualify a few more athletes for the postseason while staying sharp for the upcoming championships in Boise, Idaho.

For head coach Fred Harvey, Flagstaff will represent one more stepping stone to getting his Wildcats where he feels they should be in the upcoming weeks.

"We have some kids who are on the fringe of qualifying," said Harvey. "There is still a lot of qualifying left to go."

The first-year coach will be looking to defeat the Sun Devils and Lumberjacks while not jeopardizing his team's chances next weekend in Idaho.

"It's going to be a fun meet. We're looking to do well. We're looking to win."

Despite having several athletes who have already qualified for the indoor championships, winning is still important to Harvey and his Wildcats.

"Anytime you're competing against ASU, I don't care if you're taking half a person up there, we're going after you," the coach said. Harvey, in his 17th year with Arizona track and field, keeps his team's goals in perspective, however.

"We want to keep in mind that next week is our conference championship."

For Harvey, the matchup with the Sun Devils represents a chance to bring the I-10 college rivalry to a new level. ASU head coach Greg Kraft was a teammate of Harvey's when the two competed at Cal-Poly San Obispo. Kraft's assistant sprinter's coach, Darryl Anderson, was not only Harvey's teammate at Cal-Poly, but his roommate as well. Kraft's wife Maggie was even a teammate of the three coaches at Cal-Poly. "He didn't like (former head coach) Dave Murray beating him, he's certainly not going to like me beating him," said Harvey of Kraft. "It's kind of like a little family rivalry here."

The altitude of Flagstaff promises to be as tough as the competition. Although the thin air of northern Arizona puts strains on most athletes, others such as high hurdler Jeff Hunter look to benefit from the altitude. Hunter is .004 seconds off a MPSF qualifying mark.

"We could put all our eggs in a basket this week at 7,500 feet and have nothing for the following week, we're going up there and we're going to perform very well," said Harvey.

"We're not going to overrun our kids and overthrow them. We have enough talent across the board where we don't have to triple kids up to score points."

Amy Linen will not be joining the Wildcats in Flagstaff this weekend. The junior pole vault specialist will instead travel to Fayetteville, Ark. to compete in the 2003 Razorback-Tyson Invitational on Saturday. Linnen holds the Arizona school mark for indoor and outdoor vaults as well as the indoor NCAA record at 14 feet 10 inches. The Mt. Sinai native has already claimed an NCAA qualifying position this season. Her leap of 13 feet 10 inches is tops among all collegiate female athletes this season.