MEET SCHEDULE 3000 SECTIONS LIVE RESULTS LIVE VIDEO
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's and men's track teams begin their 2015 schedules at the University of Washington Preview Saturday.
Gonzaga added an indoor schedule to its program just four years ago, and this will be the fourth consecutive season the Zags open their indoor slate at the UW Preview. The meet has been a great kickoff, as hundreds of athletes get their seasons underway on or within the purple oval.
"The University of Washington Preview is literally that, a starting point for most collegiate athletes to test their fitness level," Director of Gonzaga's track program Pat Tyson said. "There will be some great races. Anytime you see athletes entered from the University of Oregon, you know it is highly competitive. Thus, I am excited and I know the athletes are excited to lineup and compete this Saturday."
The UW Preview is the first of five regular season meets the Bulldogs will compete indoor this season. In addition to Saturday's meet at UW, the Bulldogs will participate in two other indoor competitions in Seattle this season. They will also travel to the University of Idaho and Washington State.
"I'm excited to have the women back after break and then to head into a quick indoor season," women's track head coach Patty Ley said. "We saw a lot of improvement in the fall and would love to see that continue this winter and spring. This first meet is a bit of a ‘rust-buster', so will really be a test of general fitness more than specific race readiness."
The UW Indoor Preview takes place at Dempsey Indoor, an 80,000-square-foot facility with a reputation as one of the fastest indoor tracks in the country. Subsequently, the meet attracts some of the country's top teams and athletes, including a number of professionals.
"The surface at Dempsey is exceptionally forgiving and actually very springy," Ley said. "So if an athlete can stay connected to the pack and stay competitive the surface yields fast times. An athlete who falls off the pack may find themselves farther back quicker than in some other venues. Runners have to be on top of things to get back on rhythm and take advantage of the venue. Great fields, great surface, great atmosphere yields great performances for those ready to take advantage of the situation."
One of those runners that too advantage of the situation at last year's UW Preview was Willie Milam. The now senior ran the fastest 3,000 meters in men's program history. He smashed the previous record by nearly 13 seconds, finishing with a time of 8:07.79, and was the top collegiate finisher in the event in fifth.
"Willie is such a great student-athlete," Tyson said. "He just made the President's List and continues to amaze me. I expect him to compete well Saturday. He has been nursing a sore leg but navigates around the pain pretty well. He has not worn the Gonzaga jersey since the NCAA Western Regional last May, so it will be fun to see Willie test where his fitness level is in mid-January."
Milam is one of 32 student-athletes the Zags are taking to Saturday's meet. He will compete again in the 3,000 along with teammates Nick Roche, Colin O'Neil, Troy Fraley, Danny Lunder and Kyle Branch. Roche ran the fifth best time in program history last year at the UW Preview, crossing the line at 8:22.53.
In the women's 3,000 meters, Maggie Jones returns after running an excellent race in 2014. She ran the fourth best time in GU history and best her personal record by two seconds with a time of 9:56.38. The now senior joins six other Bulldogs in the event this year.
"The 3,000 looks to be a strong event for us this year," Ley said. "Shelby Mills and Amelia Evans are joined by Jess Mildes and Maggie Jones, who both red-shirted cross country and are ready to run well."
The Zags had four top 20 finishes in the women's 600 meters at the UW Preview last year, and two of those runners return to the field this year. Emily Anderson and Molly Stroosma both opened their collegiate track careers at last year's meet, placing 15th and 18th.
Gonzaga has six runners in the men's mile. Ian Goldizen is fourth on the program's all-time list, and ran a 4:15.30 mile last year at the UW Preview in his sophomore season. He later ran a 4:13.67 on the same track. New in GU singlets, Brandon Pollard and Graham Wendle, will run in the event as well. Also making his Gonzaga debut is junior college transfer Mitchell Beard in the 800.
"From the indoor season, we'd like our athletes to simply take confidence that they can really explode this outdoor season," Tyson said. "Obviously we don't want to peak indoors, but it would be nice to set some school records and continue to reshape the all-time indoor lists. I am really proud of the name Gonzaga. I'd like our runners to compete well and show respect that lights up the arena and showcases us as a team that continues to be on the rise."
The meet begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. Alison Fraher and Shelby Mills open the meet for Gonzaga in the first heat of the women's 3,000 meters. The Zags final event, the men's 3,000, is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start. Live video provided by FloTrack and live results will be available on GoZags.com.
Gonzaga's Saturday schedule9 a.m.: Women's 3,000 meters
Heat 1:
Shelby Mills and
Alison Fraher9:12 a.m.: Men's 3,000 meters
Heat 1:
Kyle Branch and
Danny Lunder11:55 a.m.: Women's mile:
Olivia Evans12:20 p.m.: Men's mile:
Andy Phillips,
Ned Fischer,
Zac Garrard,
Brandon Pollard,
Ian Goldizen,
Graham Wendle 1:55 p.m.: Women's 600 meters:
Emily Anderson and
Molly Stroosma2:25 p.m.: Women's 800 meters:
Claren Fraher2:40 p.m.: Men's 800 meters:
Mitchell Beard3:35 p.m.: Women's 4x800-meter relay:
Olivia Evans,
Kelly Williams,
Maggie Riley and
Lauren Saunders/
Katy Culver,
Corrine Murray,
Christina Winters and
Jenny Albrecht3:50 p.m.: Men's 4x800-meter relay:
Andy Phillips -
Brandon Pollard -
Ian Goldizen-
Ned Fischer -
Graham Wendle -
Dan Amann -
Zac Garrard4:05 p.m.: Women's 3,000 meters:
Heat 2:
Amelia Evans,
Maggie Jones and
Jessica Mildes4:30 p.m.: Men's 3,000 meters
Heat 2:
Nick Roche,
Troy Fraley, and
Colin O'NeilHeat 3:
Willie Milam
