For the past two years, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship has been a preview of things to come for the women of the Sun Devil track and field team.
After winning the MPSF meet in 2007 and 2008, the women went on to claim the NCAA Indoor title in both seasons.
This weekend’s meet should also be a good litmus test for the team as it faces some of the nation’s top teams, including the No. 1 men and No. 3 women of Oregon.
The men and women of ASU are currently ranked No. 12 and No. 7, respectively and add their clout to a field that features top-25 teams from UCLA, Arizona, Stanford and host Washington.
With nationals only two weeks away, the Sun Devils can use this meet to qualify more of their athletes.
ASU coach Greg Kraft is using the meet to employ a strategy to get those athletes to College Station, Texas.
He plans to hold senior Joel Phillip and junior Justin Kremer out of the 400 meters in order to keep them focused on the 4x400-meter relay.
“Even though Joel was the NCAA runner-up last year … the mile relay is where our big points are,” Kraft said. “They’re doing what’s best for the team. … That’s what you got to have to win. You got to have talent but you got to be unselfish.”
More qualified athletes translate to more potential points, which ASU will need if they hope to defend their crown.
So far, the Sun Devils have met the standards set by the NCAA to compete in the women’s weight throw, shot put, long jump, 60 meters, 200 meters and 5,000 meters.
The men will also send athletes to take part in the weight throw and shot put, as well as the 400 and 800 meters.
This MPSF meet will be the first glimpse of how the level of competition is elevated during
championship season for many of the freshman of ASU’s squad.
In particular, freshman pole-vaulter Cara Carpenter will attempt to qualify for nationals after clearing 3.82 meters to tie for the fifth-best mark in school history last weekend at NAU.
Carpenter needs to clear 0.13 meters higher than her mark at NAU to meet the provisional standards of the NCAA.
“It’s pretty important [to me] to qualify for nationals,” Carpenter said. “This weekend, I would love to get over [the NCAA provisionally qualifying mark of 3.96 meters], and if the possibility comes that I could go to nationals, I would like to get over [4.15 meters]”
In order to clear those heights, Carpenter made the switch to bigger poles in practice to get more lift.
Competition begins on Friday with the women’s weight throw, in which ASU senior Sarah Stevens is the favorite to defend last year’s win in the event.
Reach the reporter at emschimm@asu.edu.