The NAU men's and women's track and field teams will be looking to defend their Big Sky Conference indoor titles this weekend in Bozeman, Mont.
Here is how the Lumberjacks stack up in Bozeman:
DISTANCE
It has been quite a season for senior David McNeill. The Australian native managed to break two school records, and two conference records in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter events, on his way to leading the Big Sky, and the nation, in those same races. He won the 3k at the Husky Classic in a time of 7:47.52, and returned to Flagstaff to break the 5k record the following Friday (13:39.32). This will be the first Big Sky Indoor Championships for McNeill as he has had to deal with injuries the two previous years.
His teammates have been no slouch either this year. Nine other distance runners aside from McNeill are ranked in the top 10 of their respective events going into the championship meet.
The men's 800-meter run proves to be exciting as Jordan Chipangama heads into the event as the conference leader. Sophomores John Yatsko and Darius Terry will join Chipangama in the event.
Haley Lawrence will be the lone member of the women's squad to take part in the mile as the men's team has four members in the event. McNeill leads the Lumberjacks in the event and is followed closely by Chipangama.
Nine Lumberjacks will compete in the 3k with senior Nell Rojas leading the women's squad in the event. She ranks fourth in the conference with a time of 9:46.80 that she collected at the Husky Classic. Five members of the men's squad including McNeill, junior Ben Ashkettle, sophomores Andrew Belus and Ahmed Osman and freshman Tim Freriks will take to the track for the Lumberjacks. Belus and Freriks will be competing in their first Big Sky Championship.
NAU will be looking for another 5k title from Rojas today. Last year the Colorado native collected the title in a time of 17:39.37.
Second-ranked Burton, and first-timers Lisette Michaels and Torin Shriver will also compete. Ashkettle, Belus, Frericks and Osman will all race in the 3k as well as the 5k. Osman and Ashkettle come into the event ranked first and second after recording NCAA provisional marks at the Husky Classic.
JUMPS AND HURDLES
The jumps group has been key to the Lumberjacks' success this season.
Junior TCU-transfer Amber Anderson has been a huge addition as she leads the conference in both the long and triple jump. She also has a NCAA provisional qualifier to her name in the triple jump (41-8.5).
Joining Anderson in both events will be junior Amanda Duarte, and freshman Amber Yingling. Sophomore Chanda Penney will take part in the triple jump.
Four members of the men's squad enter both the long and triple jump. Juniors Thremaine Johnson and Josh DeKonty and freshmen Edgar Panford and Charles White will be leaned upon to score big points for the Lumberjacks.
DeKonty looks to become the first member of the men's team to ever win a high jump title at the Big Sky Indoor Championships. He comes into the event ranked second in the conference, clearing 6-8.75.
THROWS
Four athletes from the women's squad will represent NAU in the shot put and weight throw. Junior Arshiya Hoseyni improved her season-best mark at the NAU Tune Up and comes into the postseason ranked second in the meet with a mark of 48-7.25. Juniors Nicole Elliott and Shelby McCray will join Hoseyni in the shot put.
Elliott will look to defend her weight throw title from a year ago when she takes to the circle Saturday morning. She comes into the event ranked second.
Javier Villarreal will be aiming for his fourth Big Sky shot put title. The senior has a NCAA provisional mark at 18.55m (60-10.5) and currently ranks 13th in the county. He also leads the conference by over five feet.
The men's weight throw may be the Lumberjacks most successful event at the indoor championships. Six will compete and for NAU with five members ranked in the top 10 in the conference. Senior Curtis Durocher leads the group with an NCAA provisional mark of 64-11.25. Trailing closely is Nicol (60-4) with junior Ian Nunya (58-8) rounding out the top three. Villarreal will also compete in the weight throw and ranks seventh heading into the event. Gehrke and junior Andres Rossini round out the Lumberjacks.
BASEBALL
Sinagua 12, Tucson Pueblo 7 Sinagua 13, Tucson Santa Rita 5
Robbie Ingram went 5-for-7 and was the winning pitcher in the opening game of a season-opening doubleheader sweep for the Mustangs at the Cowboy Up Tournament in Tucson.
Ingram, a senior, struck out eight and allowed four hits in four innings against Pueblo. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a home run in the first game, then went 2-for-3 to help Sinagua win in a five-inning game against Santa Rita.
Kevin Wirth got the win in the second game, striking out four in four innings.
"Our pitchers did a good job and the guys came out and hit the ball real well," coach Richard Contreras said. "We were working hard inside and I was kind of wondering what we'd do. They were aggressive."
Shane Brinkmann and Linden Whittemore each collected three hits in the doubleheader. Wirth went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the first game. Daniel Talbot went 2-for-3 with a double in the second game.
Talbot is slated to take the mound when Sinagua plays Tucson Catalina tonight at 7.
Avondale Agua Fria 13, Coconino 12
Trevor Kriesel's inside-the-park home run sparked a furious eight-run comeback in the top of the seventh inning as the Panthers rallied to tie, but the Panthers turned around and surrendered the winning run in the bottom half to drop their second straight game in the West Valley Tournament.
Kriesel went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Aaron Parks, Casey Sifling and Wally Brzynski also collected two hits apiece for Coconino, which surrendered 12 walks.
Parks was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs, Sifling was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs, and Brzynski was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
The Panthers play Dobson and Tolleson today.
