NCAA Round One Schedule

PORTLAND, Ore--- Thursday marks the first day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships West Preliminary this week in Fayetteville, Ark.
 
In what has become the staple event over the years for Portland, they will have five men and three women competing in the 10,000-meter on Thursday evening. Redshirt juniors David Perry and Scott Fauble posted the sixth and eighth fastest times in the nation in the event, and both are ready to punch their ticket to the NCAA Nationals in Eugene in June.

"We are extremely excited to see our men battle it out with the best of the best," said head men's coach Rob Conner. "The field in the 10,000-meter is the deepest in history and there is not much wiggle room if you want to advance to the NCAA finals. It is going to take an "A" race to accomplish that goal. I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge."
 
Also competing for the men in Thursday evening's race will be Charlie McDonald, Timo Goehler, and Danny Martinez.
 
Merel van Steenbergen, Gina Paletta, and Sanna Mustonen will be running for the Pilots in the women's 10,000-meter tomorrow evening. Van Steenbergen and Mustonen ran the 26^th and 27^th fastest times in the West region this spring.
 
"I am thrilled to have three women in the 10,000-meter," said head women's coach Ian Solof. "All of them are ready to compete and see what they can do."
 
While the 10,000-meter is a Pilot staple, the javelin is not. Kaylie Van Loo is looking to change that notion Thursday. She set school record after school record this spring season and is more than ready for a good toss tomorrow.
 
"Kaylie Van Loo is capable of throwing over 160 feet and has a shot at getting to Eugene (the site of the NCAA Championships)," said Solof.
 
Van Loo is ranked 26^th in the West Region going into the competition.
 
Julia Fonk and Lorea Ibarzabal will take on the fields in the 1,500-meter and 800-meter, respectively. Fonk has run a season's best of 4:25.36 in her event and will try to best that mark tomorrow. In the 800-meter, Ibarzabal posted a mark of 2:08.36 at Oregon Twilight earlier this month.
 
"Our middle-distance runners are ready to fight for every sport," added Solof. "All of them are ready to compete and see what they can do."
 
A full schedule of tomorrow, and the rest of the weekend's action is posted above.