The Arizona track and field teams went separate ways this weekend, as a few athletes traveled to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational and the rest of the team hosted the Jim Click Shootout at Drachman Stadium.
At the Stanford Invitational, the Wildcat distance runners were led by sophomore Robert Cheseret, who claimed the title in the Open/Collegiate section of the 10,000 meters with a USA-leading time of 28:25.62.
In the same event, senior Kyle Goklish finished ninth, clocking a time of 28:59.49. Cheseret and Goklish earned automatic qualifying times for the NCAA Championships in June.
Junior Josh Ludwig finished 10th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:57.52, earning him a ticket to the Pacific 10 Conference and NCAA Regional Championships.
"We think, overall, we had a great weekend of competition," said UA head coach Fred Harvey. "We know how good Robert is, (but) Kyle's performance is a lot more special because we know he's really coming around."
Back in Tucson, sophomore Angel Perkins dominated the women's sprints competition. Perkins secured NCAA regional qualifying times after winning both the 200 and 400 meters with times of 23.81 and 54.10 seconds, respectively. Fellow sophomore Marquita Taylor was second in the 100 meters at 11.79 seconds, an NCAA regional qualifying time.
Junior Sharifa Jones will be returning for the NCAA Regional Championships, as she came in second in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 13.47. Freshman Tiffany McDonald finished third (13.87) and will be joining Jones at her first NCAA Regional.
In the women's pole vault, senior Connie Jerz continued her successful season, as she won the event with a height of 13 feet, 5 inches, surpassing the Pac-10 and NCAA regional qualifying marks.
The senior said she is proud of Arizona's accomplishments at this point in the outdoor season.
"A lot of people are working really hard and have been progressing steadily so far throughout the year," Jerz said. "We've had a lot of big performances and are hitting marks individually and helping out the team."
On the field, the Varner sisters claimed second and third place in the discus competition. Rachel finished second with a distance of 160 feet, 5 inches, while Amber was third with a personal best of 158 feet.
On the men's side, senior Jevon Mason dominated the track with two personal bests and two NCAA regional qualifying times in the 200 and 400 meters. In the 200, Mason finished second at 21.29, while he was victorious in the 400 with a time of 46.89. Senior Matt McInvale crossed the line second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 9:29.36.
Senior Kevin Opalka was victorious in the men's pole vault with a season-best mark of 17 feet, 6 inches, improving his previous height for the Pac-10 and NCAA Regional competitions. Fellow senior Chris Chappell claimed third with a vault of 16 feet, 8 inches.
In the men's throws, senior Matt Wagner claimed the crown in the javelin with a throw of 240 feet, 10 inches, exceeding his previous season's best by more than 18 feet. Freshman Adam Kuehl finished second in both the shot put (a personal best 56 feet, 8 inches) and discus (182 feet, 9 inches). Fellow freshman Jarred Sola will be traveling to both postseason meets after he earned third place in the shot put with a distance of 55 feet, 10 inches.
Senior J.R. Harrison was victorious in the men's triple jump with a leap of 51 feet, 8 inches.
"Our goal was to come in and get as many early season NCAA qualifies as possible," Harvey said. "We had 17 NCAA regional qualifiers. When you are able to do that, it's pretty special. We had tremendous performances."
Both teams will be on the road for much of April. Their next meet is the Mesa Classic on April 9.