The Arizona track and field teams expanded their list of NCAA-qualifying performances in their weekend action at the Pac-10 Invitational in Seattle.
On the women's side, sophomore Angel Perkins had the fastest NCAA qualifying time of 7.51 seconds in the 60-meter preliminaries. Fellow sophomore Marquita Taylor also qualified with a time of 7.63. In the finals, Perkins took home a second-place finish at 7.52, while Taylor came in a close third with a time of 7.63.
Taylor also had a season's best in the 200-meters with a time of 24.80, earning her a second-place finish.
In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Sharifa Jones and freshman Tiffany McDonald had NCAA provisional qualifying times of 8.29 and 8.46, respectively. In the finals, Jones came in second at 8.33 seconds, breaking a school record.
Wildcat sophomore Robert Cheseret set the standard for the men's squad, as he finished second in the 3,000 meters with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 7:55.37. Senior Jevon Mason claimed the title in the 200 meters with a time of 21.52.
In the field, junior Mark Ramos was second in the long jump, logging a personal-best distance of 24 feet, 1 inch. Senior Ryan More placed second in the weight throw with a toss of 60 feet, 6 inches.
"Overall, it was an excellent competition and we were able to get a number of people qualified (for the NCAA Indoor Championships)," said head coach Fred Harvey. "Everyone held up to expectations and we were tremendously more competitive,"
Harvey noted dramatic improvements in the performances of senior Jevon Mason and newcomer Tim Ramirez.
Over the next two weeks, Harvey said practices will change a bit.
"There will be more fine-tuning to prepare those athletes already qualified, and we will also make sure that the other athletes can earn qualifying times," he said
The Wildcats return to Seattle for the Mountain-Pacific Conference Championships Feb. 27 and 28.