The Arizona track and field teams eagerly began the outdoor season on Saturday at the first annual Wildcat Classic.
The non-scoring event featured Central Arizona College and University of Louisville, along with several club teams. Though the competition was less than intense, the Wildcats walked away with nine Pacific 10 Conference and nine NCAA Regional qualifying performances.
"This event was not designed to be a high-powered competition but (was an opportunity) to get things accomplished from a training standpoint," said UA head coach Fred Harvey.
"It was a good meet to start with and get our confidence levels up," junior sprinter and hurdler Chelsea Powell said. "It set a good tune for the rest of the year. There were some elite athletes, but just not all the way across the board."
Powell led the way for the Wildcat women on the track, finishing first in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. In the 100 meters, Powell was clocked at 14.66 seconds, while teammate Lindsay Scarborough came in a close second at 14.67 seconds. In the 400-meter hurdles, Powell had a Pac-10 qualifying time of 1:01.55.
In the 200-meter sprints, sophomore Marquita Taylor earned a Pac-10 qualifying time of her own, as she came in second with a time of 24.36 seconds. Freshman Tiffany McDonald finished second in the 100 meters with a time of 12.17 seconds.
Sisters Amber and Rachel Varner dominated the throws competition. Rachel placed second in the discus, with a Pac-10 and NCAA regional mark of 176 feet, 4 inches, the fifth-best distance in Arizona history.
Amber also earned bragging rights, as she finished first in both the shot put (47 feet 3 inches) and hammer throw (175 feet 8 inches). Amber received Pac-10 and NCAA Regional qualifying marks for both events.
The Arizona men did not disappoint in the season's first home meet.
Senior Matt Wagner won the javelin with a throw of 222 feet, 8 inches. In his first collegiate outdoor meet, freshman Adam Kuehl won the shot put (54 feet, 11 inches) and placed second in the discus (174 feet, 8 inches), earning him two qualifying marks.
In the pole vault, senior Kevin Opalka had a personal best height of 16 feet, 8 inches, good enough to qualify him for the Pac-10 and NCAA Regional Championships.
On the track, freshman Avery Sneed finished second in the 100 meters, clocking a time of 11.13 seconds.
"This meet was very promising because our national-level athletes saw where their fitness level was, and it gave our young athletes a lot of confidence for future events," Harvey said.
"We traditionally go to Arizona State this weekend each year, and we always come home depressed. This was the first time we hosted this particular competition and we felt very satisfied with (it)."
In other track news, eight Wildcats spent the weekend in Seattle competing in the Washington Last Chance meet, where Arizona had three qualifying performances.
In the pole vault, senior Connie Jerz automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, with a height of 13 feet, 9 inches.
The men's distance medley relay followed in a similar fashion, also earning at automatic invitation to Arkansas. The team set a new school record with a time of 9:34.27, shaving more than seven seconds off the previous record. The team was composed of Robert Cheseret, Tim Ramirez, Jevon Mason and Jin Daikoku.
Next weekend the Arizona qualifiers will compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The rest of the team looks forward to the Willie Williams Classic on March 19 and March 20 at Drachman Stadium.