April 26, 2012
Video interview with Head Coach Drew Wartenburg
Tentative heat/flight sheets | Meet Schedule
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The UC Davis men's and women's track and field teams will look to win the 2011-12 Causeway Cup while continuing preparations for the upcoming postseason when they travel to face rival Sacramento State on Friday afternoon at Hornet Stadium.
The Aggies lead the Hornets 47.50-42.50 in the all-sports competition with five points available on Friday for each of the men's and women's competition. Field events will start with the men's hammer throw at 4 p.m. and the women's javelin at 4:15 p.m. and will continue through the triple jumps that start at 7:30. The 4x100-meter relays will commence events on the track at 6:15 p.m.
Ten running events for both the men and the women will be contested, capped by the 4x400 relays which start at 8:55 p.m. Points will be awarded on a 5-3-2-1 basis with a maximum of two scorers per team, except for the 4x100 and 4x400 relays which award five points to the winners and none to second place.
UC Davis and Sacramento State are meeting in a dual meet for the seventh time since 2005 with the Aggies looking to break strings of four straight Hornets' wins in each of the men's and women's competitions. Overall, Sacramento State lead 5-0-1 on the men's side and 4-2 in the women's meets since the duals started in 2005.
Sacramento State's men posted a 99-92 win at Woody Wilson Track last season while its women won 102-87. Junior Melanise Chapman captured the 100 and 200 for the Aggies' last year, setting a school record (24.09) in the latter while Nathan Strum (800) and Ethan Ostrom (pole vault) captured wins to help highlight the UC Davis men's meet.
"Any time you have a dual meet, regardless whether it's Causeway Cup-involved or not, it gives us a chance to focus on racing and competing against individuals and having performances matter. So it's a great tuneup for conference but it also, obviously, does carry the added (importance) of the Causeway Cup which is a good motivating factor for our athletes," said Aggie coach Drew Wartenburg.
It's the last meet in which the full Aggie teams will be in action prior to the conference meet. The Big West Multi-Event Championships take place next week in Irvine while the Big West Track and Field Championships are scheduled a week later, also at UC Irvine.
UC Davis is coming off a busy weekend last weekend with meets at Mt. SAC and at home with the Woody Wilson Classic. Outstanding performances netted Big West Athlete of the Week honors for a trio of athletes - Jonathan Peterson (5,000), Sarah Sumpter (5,000) and Emily Bush (pole vault). Peterson marked his award with a school record in the 5K (13:54,78), Sumpter had a career-best (16:26.74) and Bush set a school mark in the pole vault (4.02m, 13 feet, 2.25 inches).
