• News
• |
• Schedule
• |
• Roster
• |
• Archives

Jan. 12, 2012

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - With a solid corps of returnees, Western Washington University gets its 2012 indoor track and field season underway Saturday, Jan. 14, competing in the Husky Preview at the Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus.

In all, the Vikings participate in four UW indoor meets during their regular campaign, culminating with the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 17-18 at Nampa, Idaho, and the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships on March 11-12 at Mankato, Minn.

WWU, coached by Pee Wee Halsell for the 25th season, is led by a quartet of potential All-Americans. They are women's pole vaulter Karis Anderson (Jr., Seattle/Roosevelt), men's weight thrower Michael Hoffman (Sr., Bellingham/Sehome), women's sprinter Eleanor Siler (Sr., Spokane/Lewis & Clark) and women's jumper Emily Warman (Sr., Sedro-Woolley).

Anderson tied for seventh in the pole vault at outdoor nationals last spring, clearing a personal-best 12-1/2.

Hoffman set a school record in the 35-pound weight throw in 2011 with a mark of 57-2. He also owns the WWU standard in the hammer of 206-3, placing 10th at outdoor nationals last spring.

Siler has made three straight trips to indoor nationals, last year competing in the 400 in which she holds the school record of 56.22 and distance medley relay. Siler helped WWU's DMR place ninth at nationals in 2009 and seventh in 2010.

Siler also holds school records in the 200 (25.03) and 4x400 relay (3:48.67). She won three events (200, 400, 4x400) at the 2010 GNAC Championships and took the 400 at that meet in 2009.

Warman, an all-star soccer player who sat out last season, won the national indoor title in the triple jump in 2009, and placed 10th in the triple jump and 11th in the long jump in 2010. Her personal bests of 39-11 1/2 in the triple jump and 18-10 in the long jump are both school records.

Another top returnee is men's sprinter Alex Tilley (Sr., Edmonds/Kamiak), who placed first in the 60 meters at the GNAC meet last year and was second in the 200. He holds WWU indoor standards in the 60 (6.91) , 200 (22.28) and 4x400 relay (3:22.68).

Two other school record holders back are Lindsay Wells (So., Seattle/Nathan Hale) in the women's 20-pound weight throw (48-1 1/4) and Brooklyn Holton (Jr., Arlington) in the pentathlon (2,011).

Also expected to have top performances for WWU are men's distance runner Nick Abraham (Sr., Sammamish/Skyline), men's shot putter Jacob Gilbert (Jr., Bellingham/Sehome), men's pole vaulter Cal Rosenberg (Jr., Portland, OR/Grant) and men's hurdler Karstan Shick (So., Kodiak, AK).

Last year, the Viking men placed second at the GNAC meet for the fifth straight year and the women finished sixth. Ten WWU school records were set that season.

The Dempsey Indoor facility features a 307-meter Mondo track. It has a six lane straightaway and five lanes on the curve. It also has a 160-foot elevated wooden long jump runway (132 ft. TJ) with rubber overlay and a 150-foot elevated wooden pole vault runway with rubber overlay along with an 80-foot right/left wooden high jump approach area with Mondo overlay; and a reinforced wooden throwing ring.