The ASU men’s and women’s track teams will host the 31st Sun Angel Track Classic this weekend, their third meet of the outdoor season.
But most eyes won’t be on the Sun Devils.
In a field that features several of the top collegiate athletes in the country, Sun Angel Stadium will be sparkling Saturday night with several world-class and Olympic athletes slated to compete.
The stadium also hosted high school competition Thursday for some local athletes.
Head coach Greg Kraft said it has been the program’s goal to attract elite athletes to Tempe while also elevating the sport within the community. Kraft heavily credits Sun Devil assistant coach Ryan Cole, who also handles the day-to-day operations for the program, for lifting the meet to such a high standard.
“We’ve been able to carve a niche for ourselves,” Kraft said. “Ryan Cole has created a different culture for Sun Angel in making it more community-centered. Parents can watch Olympians [on Saturday] and their child also [on Thursday].”
The running events on Saturday will be split up into two sections, an open/college field as well as a premiere section later that night.
The No. 9 Sun Devil men will have plenty of competition on the track.
Highlighting the premiere athletes expected to compete is former Sun Devil Dwight Phillips, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the long jump, who is planning to run in the men’s premiere 200-meter dash.
In the men’s premiere 400-meter dash, elite Jamaican sprinter Lancford Davis will face off against a trio of senior Sun Devils in Joel Phillip, Justin Kremer and Donald Sanford, who are all collegiate All-Americans.
All eyes will also be on the men’s premiere shot put, where ASU senior thrower Ryan Whiting will continue his quest to break the outdoor collegiate record of 22.00 meters held by John Godina. In addition to the normal distance marker lines, meet officials are planning to paint a line of Godina’s record.
Meanwhile, the meet also features one of the best hurdlers in the nation, as Oklahoma’s Ronnie Ash. He is a two-time NCAA indoor champion in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, winning his most recent title a few weeks ago. Ash is also the defending NCAA champion in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, one of the events he will compete in this weekend.
With the Pac-10 Championships just over a month away, Kraft said he isn’t concerned about the pressures of athletes qualifying for late-season meets. He simply believes the marks and times will take care of themselves. However, he did note that he expects some athletes to pick up their performance this weekend.
“I’m not worried about qualifying [standards],” Kraft said. “I tell our kids all the time that it’s about competing and winning … qualifying is a by-product of that. This is the time of the season where the tire has to hit the pavement, and you truly see where are you are.”
The meet will begin on Friday with the hammer throw at noon. The open/college running events are expected to start at 11:50 a.m. Saturday morning, with the premiere events scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
Reach the reporter at eric.l.smith@asu.edu
