PROVO -- After capturing individual conference titles just more than a week ago, senior triple jumper Rodrigo Mendes and super sophomore Amy Menlove lead the BYU track and field team into the NCAA West Regional Championships this weekend in Eugene, Ore.
Mendes heads to the competition as the No. 1 triple jumper in the nation, while Menlove is the top-seeded long jumper in the regional competition. She will also compete in the 100-meter hurdles.
The men's team will send 23 athletes to compete in 13 different events, while the women's team has declared 17 athletes to compete in 10 events.
The top collegians from the West Coast states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Utah will do battle in the 2005 West Regional Championships, scheduled for Hayward Field in Eugene, Fri.-Sat., May 27-28 (and one of four held simultaneously around the country).
The top five finishers from each regional individual event (and top three in each relay) automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. The following Monday, another 5-8 athletes per event that finished sixth, seventh or eighth in their regionals will also be selected by the NCAA championships committee via an at-large method based on season bests.
The men's team will look for strong performances several different athletes.
Senior Bryan Lindsay has the third-best time in the region in the 1,500 meters this season. Mountain West Conference champion Josh McAdams has the third-best mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Mendes and Robbie Pratt go into the triple jump and pole vaults with the top marks in the region.
Pratt's teammate on the pole vault squad, All-American Trent Powell, has the second best mark in the region.
On the women's side, Menlove, Rena Chesser and Kamila Rywelska are expected to compete for regional titles.
Chesser holds the fourth-best mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She has been running well of late, capturing both the steeplechase and 5,000 meters individual titles at the MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Chesser will be accompanied by All-American Michaela Mannova, Sarah Ingebretsen, Lisa Pratt and Kristy Barrus in the steeplechase.
Rywelska has the fourth-best mark in the region in the triple jump. She is a two-time indoor triple jump All-American, hoping to earn her first outdoor All-American citation.
On Friday, the first field event is at noon (men's discus), the first running event is at 4 pm (women's 4x100 relay prelims), and the final event gets over at approximately 8:30 pm.
On Saturday, the first field event is at 11 am (women's discus), the first running event is at 2:45 pm (women's 4x100 relay), and the last event ends at approximately 6:30 pm.
Stay tuned to www.byucougars.com for daily recaps of the Cougar athletes competing in the regional meet.