In their final season before they shift their focus toward the 2008 Olympic Games, Adam Kuehl and Jake Arnold both had stellar years for the track and field team.
Arnold a redshirt senior finished the indoor season with a school-record-breaking performance in the heptathlon with a score of 5,909 points.
Kuehl, also a redshirt senior, landed in fifth place at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a personal best throw in the shot put of 19.40 meters.
In the outdoor season Kuehl has won seven of eight of his last discus competitions. He is also currently ranked first in the discus in the Trackwire Dandy Dozen.
On the women’s side, sophomore Gabriella Duclos broke her own Canadian junior world record in the pole vault with a jump of 4.20m. Her mark is currently the fourth highest in the nation.
Duclos also plans on training with the Canadian Olympic team in hopes of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics.
The men’s team placed 14th at the Indoor Championships and the men’s and women’s squad combined with California to win the Jim Click Shootout, which pitted the Pacific 10 Conference against the Southeastern Conference and the Big-12 Conference.
Jake Arnold continued Arizona success on the men’s side by defending his Pacific 10 Conference title as the decathlon champion Sunday with his 7,755-point performance in Palo Alto, Calif.
“”I never would’ve thought I would be a two-time Pac-10 Champion when I walked on five years ago,”” said Arnold, who finished more than 600 points ahead of second place.
Arnold won the shot put and long jump with personal best marks in each event. After day one he led the competition and was on pace to break the school record of 8,075 points.
However after posting a sub par score in the discus on the second day, Arnold decided to coast to victory and reserve some of his energy for this weekend’s Pac-10 Championships.
UA multi-events and jumps coach Sheldon Blockburger said that had Arnold needed to he could have easily beat his personal best score of 7,946.
Sophomore Shevell Quinley finished fourth in the heptathlon with a personal best score of 5,657 points.
“”Coach Blockburger says that there’s a lot more in me and we just got it take it step by step,”” Quinley said. “”I didn’t believe it at first but now I’m more confident.””
“”It was a long two days,”” Blockburger said. “”The results were the best we could’ve imagined our team doing.””
This weekend Quinley and Arnold will join the rest of the UA team for the Pac-10 Championships in Palo Alto, Calif.
UA head coach Fred Harvey said the goal of the men’s team is to finish in the top three.
“”Our philosophy has always been if you finish in the top three, you have the capability of winning,”” Harvey said.
The women’s team will try to rebound from the 2006 season where they finished in ninth place.
“”Our goal is top five,”” said Harvey of the women’s squad. “”We’re much improved, we should absolutely have the ability to do so.””
After the Pac-10 Championships the team will host the Tucson Elite Classic May 19, as a final preparation for the NCAA West Regional Championships May 25-26.
The season will conclude with the NCAA Championships June 6-9.