Track opens new track, outdoors
After being on the road for the past seven weeks, the Arizona men’s and women’s track and field team will finally compete in its renovated home stadium tomorrow.
The team kicks off its outdoor season when it hosts the Wildcat Classic at 10 a.m. at Roy P. Drachman Track and Field Stadium.
“”It’s exciting ’cause it’s our own territory,”” said sprinter Marquita Taylor, who will compete in the 200- and 400-meter races and the 4×400m relay.
The stadium had undergone its first major renovation since 1994, when the track was resurfaced.
In addition to a resurfacing of the main track, the running surface that surrounds the high jump was enlarged and resurfaced, and the runways for the pole vault, long jump and triple jump were also redone for the first time since 1981.
“”They literally took it down to dirt and poured brand new concrete, so you have a much better running surface,”” said UA head coach Fred Harvey.
Some athletes will use this week to recover from injuries in preparation for the outdoor season, which runs through June 9.
Sprinter Troy Harris, the school record-holder in the 60m who’s been suffering from bronchitis, said earlier this week he was unsure if he would compete this weekend.
“”I’m on the upswing of this little virus,”” he said. “”No one’s said that I’m not (competing), so I’m going on thinking I am until I hear otherwise.””
Long jumper Jordan Powell, who placed second in last year’s Pacific 10 Conference Championships, will not compete this weekend after straining his right hamstring at the Mountain Pacific Sports Championships last Friday. Powell said he expects to return to practice next week.
Harvey may hold junior Nick Mossberg from competiting because of a sore Achilles tendon.
– Justin Adler
Men host non-conference UNLV
After whetting its appetite for conference play, the Arizona men’s tennis team will take a four-match non-conference break.
The Wildcats (2-6, 0-2), who host UNLV Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Robson Tennis Center, had a rough start to the Pacific 10 Conference season, losing to California and Stanford in their opening weekend. But UA head coach Tad Berkowitz felt it was good for the team to get their first conference matches out of the way.
“”It was nice for the guys to get a taste of playing Pac-10 on the road,”” he said. “”Now they know the level and what needs to be done. Now we can go back and do a few non-conference matches and get our confidence up.””
UNLV (3-5) could be a well-matched opponent for the Wildcats, as the Rebels have also struggled early in the season.
“”I think it is going to be good to play against a team that is not in the Pac-10,”” said junior Bruno Alcala. “”It will let us see where we are and how we can handle a team like UNLV.””
The men have struggled in their doubles play of late, as they have lost the doubles point in five of their last eight matches.
“”We know what we need to do as far as technique and strategy,”” Berkowitz said. “”Just from a mental state we need to come out with more freedom and not be timid.””
– Bobby Stover
Women’s tennis changes lineup again
More changes to the women’s tennis team lineup are coming this weekend, as it readies to host a pair of non-conference opponents.
Arizona meets No. 47 Tulsa (11-1, 2-0 Conference USA) Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. and No. 49 New Mexico (5-1) Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Robson Tennis Center.
After tearing down her lineup and rebuilding it against Stanford and California last weekend, UA head coach Vicky Maes said the Wildcats (5-5, 2-0) will revert back to the lineup from before those matches.
Sophomore Danielle Steinberg will return to the No. 1 singles position after switching with No. 2 Juliette Mavroleon. In addition, all three doubles teams will change partners, as senior Kasia Jakowlew and junior Natalia Toporowska return to the No. 1 position.
“”I liked the way we were playing against
Washington and Washington State,”” she said of the team’s Feb. 16-17 matches. “”That is our best lineup.””
Arizona will also go back to the doubles lineup that has won five straight team points. The Wildcats are 4-1 overall when it plays with that lineup.
Maes said that this weekend will be a chance for the team to regain some confidence before it heads back into tough Pac-10 matches.
“”Especially since we are a team that is in the middle of the road in the Pac-10, we need (teams like Tulsa and New Mexico) so we can get some wins and keep our confidence going,”” she said. “”It is important for the girls to balance out the wins and the losses.””
– Bobby Stover
