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May 15, 2012

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Five Western Washington University track and field athletes have been selected to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 24-26 in Pueblo, Colo., at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

The Viking quintet includes Karis Anderson (Jr., Seattle/Roosevelt) in the women's pole, Alex Harrison (Sr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) in the decathlon and men's javelin, Michael Hoffman (Sr., Bellingham/Sehome) in the men's hammer, Katie Reichert (Fr., Kelso) in the women's javelin and Emily Warman (Jr., Sedro-Woolley) in the women's triple jump.

Anderson is tied for seventh nationally in the pole vault at 12-7 1/2, and Reichert ranks seventh in the javelin (148-4). Harrison is eighth in the javelin (214-7) as is Hoffman in the hammer (205-1). Harrison is 10th in the decathlon (6772) and Warman is 13th in the triple jump (40-5).

"This looks to be a very competitive year," said head coach Pee Wee Halsell (25th year). "Our highest ranking is seventh, which is amazing considering the marks we've put up. But the key will be for them to compete at the level they came in at. If that happens, they will do well."

Anderson is making her second trip to outdoor nationals. Last year, she tied for seventh (12-1/2), and in March she placed fifth at indoor nationals with a school record vault of 12-9 1/2. On March 31, she cleared a WWU outdoor best of 12-7 1/2.

Harrison, who missed last season with a hamstring injury, has broken school records he set in 2010 with a mark of 214-7 in the javelin and 6,772 points in the decathlon. A two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference decathlon champion, Harrison doubled in those events at nationals two years ago, placing fifth in the javelin (200-9) and 10th in the decathlon (6142).

Hoffman is tossing the hammer at nationals for the third straight year, finishing 10th (189-0) in 2011. A three-time GNAC champion, he set the school record last year with a mark of 206-3.

Reichert, going to nationals as a freshman, had a season-best javelin throw of 148-4 on May 1.

Warman is going to outdoor nationals for the first time after making two indoor appearances prior to redshirting last season. She won the indoor national title in the triple jump as a freshman in 2009 (39-3) and placed 10th in 2010.

This spring, Warman bettered her own triple jump school record with a mark of 40-5 and tied the long jump standard of 19-2 that was set in 1982.

Harrison was an automatic qualifier in the javelin. His decathlon point total and the marks put up by the other Vikings met the provisional standard and they made the cut in each of those events.