With the Big Sky Conference championships for the indoor track and field season a few weeks away, Weber State University is preparing for its second-to-last meet of the season.
The Wildcats will compete in Bozeman, Mont., at Montana State University on Friday. Along with WSU and MSU, the University of Montana will be at the meet.
Men’s Head Coach Dan Walker said he is looking forward to the meet and said the team enjoys competing at MSU.
“We are looking forward to this meet,” Walker said. “It’s a nice facility in Bozeman, and we usually perform very well there.”
The men’s team has qualified 12 athletes in 19 events for the conference championships, and the women’s team has 15 athletes qualified in 27 events.
Walker said last week the team improved upon some key things and that he hopes to see the Wildcats build off of that success.
“We made some really important improvements last week and need to continue to do so,” Walker said.
Walker continued, saying he hopes that this weekend the team will be able to see more athletes qualify for the tournament.
“We have a lot to do before the conference meet,” Walker said, “and we’re constantly looking to gain more qualifiers.”
Women’s Head Coach Jim Blaisdell said the team has been successful this season, and he also said feels that the team will be well prepared for the conference championships.
“We have a lot of momentum and are leading the conference in a lot of events,” Blaisdell said. “We have some good depth but still need to make some improvements and get some work done.”
Two members of WSU’s team will forgo the MSU meet and head to Washington to take part in the Flotrack Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. Sarah Callister and Taylor Thornley will both compete in the 5,000-meter on Friday night and in the 3,000 on Saturday.
Callister is currently tenth in the nation in the 5K, and Thornly is 11th in the nation.
Last week at the Mountain State Games in Pocatello, Idaho, WSU had seven new athletes qualify for the conference championships. The wildcats also saw 20 athletes set seasonal best times.
Amber Henry was recognized for the second straight week as Big Sky Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week.
Last week, Henry posted as a season best time in the 800, winning the race with a time of 2 minutes, 8.03 seconds. That time ranks as the best in the Big Sky this season, and the 19th best in the nation.
Henry also currently holds the ninth best time in the country in the 3,000.
On the men’s side last week, WSU had 17 season-best performances and saw two Wildcats qualify for the conference championship.
Following the meet at MSU, the Wildcats will return home for their final meet of the indoor season, which will take place on Feb. 18 in the Stromberg Gym. Following that meet, the Big Sky Indoor Championships will be held Feb. 24-25 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
After the Big Sky Championships, the NCAA Indoor Championships will take place in Boise, Idaho from March 9-10.
The team will then transition to the outdoor season, which starts on March 16 at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif.
