TEMPE – The Sun Devils' postseason run starts this weekend as Arizona State heads up to the Pacific Northwest to compete with more than 20 programs at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle.
This weekend's meet in Seattle will also provide a chance for the men's team to score its first T-Cup series point of the year, and the women's team to go two-for-two over Arizona in 2018-19.
"This is the highlight of the season for the majority of our student athletes, and it's even bigger because we get to go and compete against our in-state rivals for a T-Cup Series point," coach Greg Kraft said. "I think our men are going to have to overcome a more balanced U of A team, while the women's contest could be a bit of a toss-up because there aren't very many events where we go head-to-head with them."
The Devils have gotten a boost on the track in 2019, but ASU has gotten it done through the years in the field events, and this year will be no different.
While William Paulson, Fearghal Curtin and Nia Brown are all in the top-15 in the conference in their respective events on the track, the Devils' dominance in the throws is expected to carry the women across the finish line, while the men's jumpers will continue to lead the way.
Sun Devil sophomore Samantha Noennig has led the nation in the shot put for nearly the entire season, all but clinching her place in the NCAA Championships early next month in Birmingham, Alabama. Outside of Noennig, a handful of Sun Devils enter the weekend just outside of the top-16 and looking to move in.
"We've had guys knocking on the door all season like Will Paulson in the mile and Matt Eckles in the pole vault," Kraft said. "This weekend gives them one more opportunity to move up the descending order list. I think we have people with outside chances to make the meet and Derrick Monroe in the long jump is someone who comes to mind."
In the women's long jump, Jessica Barreira is still holding on at No. 10 on the descending order list with one more weekend to go.
"Jess would like to move up in the long jump to secure her place in the meet, but she'd also like to get a mark for the triple jump as well," Kraft said. "It's historically taken 6.30m to go in the long jump and she's sitting at 6.28, so I know she has that in her."
The 2019 MPSF Championships will get started Friday at 1 p.m. MST when Beatrice Llano and 2018 All-MPSF performer Kaylee Antill compete in the weight throw.
The meet will be available to watch on a live stream via FloTrack with a valid subscription, and results can be found on PNTFO.com or on the host's website, gohuskies.com.
Results and a full recap of ASU's days will be available on thesundevils.com following the conclusion of competition.
Rankings Update
Heading into the conference championships, the Texas Tech men and Arkansas women both held onto their top-spots in the latest USTFCCCA rankings.
The Power Five party at the top of the poll was broken up this week as the Houston men and New Mexico women broke in at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively.
Seven SEC teams own spots in the men's top-25, with four occupying the top-six alone. The MPSF has five teams in the top-25 and the Big 12 has four, including top-ranked Tech.
The SEC leads on the women's side as well with eight programs making the elite list. The MPSF is tied with the Big 12 and Big Ten with four apiece, and the MPSF boasts No. 2 Southern California and No. 3 Oregon.
The Sun Devil women checked in at 31 and the men came in at 89.
Conference Clashes: Devils at the MPSF Championships
The MPSF Championships pit the Sun Devils against the familiar Pac-12 foes as well as 10 other universities including BYU, Hawaii and Portland, making the MPSF meet one of the largest conference championships in Division I.
The Sun Devil women have managed to finish in the top-half in each of the past five championship outings with their best finish coming back in 2014 when they scored 81 points and finished runner-up.
Last year, the women finished eighth with 35 points, but Maggie Ewen stole the show by setting a meet record, winning two MPSF titles and receiving Athlete of the Meet honors for her outing.
The men also earned runner-up honors in 2014, and have finished in the top-five in four of the past five seasons.
ASU goes into the meet without Cole Riddle, who finished third at last year's conference meet in the pole vault, but will have Michael Chadwick who tied Riddle for third in his freshman campaign.
Southern California and Oregon have shared the bulk of the team conference crowns since 2014. The Trojan women have four of the five women's titles with the Ducks claiming the title in 2016, and both men's programs have two titles apiece, with California winning the title in 2014.
USC swept the men's and women's titles last season and both teams for the Ducks and Trojans are ranked in the top-15 coming into this weekend's meet.
Scoring in Seattle
Since 2014, the Sun Devil track and field squads have scored in every open event except four, but several Sun Devils are in position to end the scoring drought in 2019.
Of all 28 open events, ASU has only failed to score in the men's 800 and mile, and the women's 3,000 and high jump in the past five years.
ASU's second sub-4 miler of the decade William Paulson has a chance to break the scoreless streak on the men's side as the senior is entered in both the mile and 800. His mile time is in the top-five in the MPSF and he has yet to record an 800-meter mark in maroon and gold.
On the women's side, Erika Voyzey has the chance to become the first Sun Devil woman to score in the MPSF high jump since ASU hall of famer Jacquelyn Johnson.
There are a handful of women with the chance to break the 3K scoring drought, including Daan Haven who was the highest-finishing Devil at last year's conference championships.
The group chasing history will start their weekend Friday in Seattle, and the women's 3K will be one of the final events of the weekend Saturday night.
What to Watch For
The goal this weekend is simple: score points and set season bests. The Devils will need to do both the walk away from the Dempsey Indoor Facilty with both Territorial Cup Series points.
It all starts in the throwing events for the women as Samantha Noennig, Kaylee Antill and Beatrice Llano will look to continue ASU's impressive streak of scoring. In the past five years, ASU has combined for 104 points in the women's weight throw and shot put, and all three of this year's throwers come in with a chance to add to the team-leading scoring run.
For the men, it's about going high and far as the jumps are expected to provide a bulk of the scoring with returning conference scorers Matthew Eckles (pole vault), Michael Chadwick (pole vault) and Elijah Hughes (high jump) leading the way.
The women's jumps will also provide some fireworks this weekend with Jessica Barreira sitting in the top-five in both the long jump and triple jump entering the meet. Tommi Hintnaus and newcomers Sydnee Larkin and Erika Voyzey also have marks in the top-eight in their respective events.
On the track, William Paulson will be the one to watch or the men as he is chasing an NCAA-Championship berth, as well as history.
Paulson has a chance to become the first Sun Devil in six years to score in the men's mile, and two hours later, he could become the first ASU man since 2012 to score in the indoor 800.
The women's DMR is in position to score for the first time since 2016 with a versatile lineup, including Bianca Tinoco, Alexis Nichols, Courtnee Oglesby and Emily Gallegos Francksen at the ready.
The MSPF Championships will get underway with the women's weight throw Friday at 1 p.m. MST.
The meet will be streamed live on FloTrack with a valid subscription and live results will be available from PNTFO.com.
Coach's (Championship) Corner: Coach Kraft
On the team's dominance in the throws
"It's always predicated on wins. When you have a team that was led by Maggie Ewen, it makes it easier because you always felt like you were starting the meet with 20 points. Sam and Kaylee have been wonderful support in the past, but it's on them and Beatrice now and I think they're capable of keeping that trend going. For Sam, she has the opportunity to throw against two of the best shot putters in the nation, so there's a chance where she could go out here and finish third, but then come back in two weeks to beat both of them and become a national champion, so what you're looking for is momentum mostly from her."
On the weekend ahead for William Paulson
"First and foremost, we want Will to qualify in the mile, so he'll be running that, but he's a team-guy so he'll be going back and running the 800 two hours later to help our team get some points from that event."
On the points distribution for the weekend
"Most of our points will be driven by the field events with Jess, Sydnee and Erika in the jumps, the three women in the throws and the way Tommi has been jumping, she has a chance to score for us in the pole vault as well. If our women can go out and put up season bests, the points will come for us."
This weekend's meet in Seattle will also provide a chance for the men's team to score its first T-Cup series point of the year, and the women's team to go two-for-two over Arizona in 2018-19.
"This is the highlight of the season for the majority of our student athletes, and it's even bigger because we get to go and compete against our in-state rivals for a T-Cup Series point," coach Greg Kraft said. "I think our men are going to have to overcome a more balanced U of A team, while the women's contest could be a bit of a toss-up because there aren't very many events where we go head-to-head with them."
The Devils have gotten a boost on the track in 2019, but ASU has gotten it done through the years in the field events, and this year will be no different.
While William Paulson, Fearghal Curtin and Nia Brown are all in the top-15 in the conference in their respective events on the track, the Devils' dominance in the throws is expected to carry the women across the finish line, while the men's jumpers will continue to lead the way.
Sun Devil sophomore Samantha Noennig has led the nation in the shot put for nearly the entire season, all but clinching her place in the NCAA Championships early next month in Birmingham, Alabama. Outside of Noennig, a handful of Sun Devils enter the weekend just outside of the top-16 and looking to move in.
"We've had guys knocking on the door all season like Will Paulson in the mile and Matt Eckles in the pole vault," Kraft said. "This weekend gives them one more opportunity to move up the descending order list. I think we have people with outside chances to make the meet and Derrick Monroe in the long jump is someone who comes to mind."
In the women's long jump, Jessica Barreira is still holding on at No. 10 on the descending order list with one more weekend to go.
"Jess would like to move up in the long jump to secure her place in the meet, but she'd also like to get a mark for the triple jump as well," Kraft said. "It's historically taken 6.30m to go in the long jump and she's sitting at 6.28, so I know she has that in her."
The 2019 MPSF Championships will get started Friday at 1 p.m. MST when Beatrice Llano and 2018 All-MPSF performer Kaylee Antill compete in the weight throw.
The meet will be available to watch on a live stream via FloTrack with a valid subscription, and results can be found on PNTFO.com or on the host's website, gohuskies.com.
Results and a full recap of ASU's days will be available on thesundevils.com following the conclusion of competition.
Rankings Update
Heading into the conference championships, the Texas Tech men and Arkansas women both held onto their top-spots in the latest USTFCCCA rankings.
The Power Five party at the top of the poll was broken up this week as the Houston men and New Mexico women broke in at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively.
Seven SEC teams own spots in the men's top-25, with four occupying the top-six alone. The MPSF has five teams in the top-25 and the Big 12 has four, including top-ranked Tech.
The SEC leads on the women's side as well with eight programs making the elite list. The MPSF is tied with the Big 12 and Big Ten with four apiece, and the MPSF boasts No. 2 Southern California and No. 3 Oregon.
The Sun Devil women checked in at 31 and the men came in at 89.
Conference Clashes: Devils at the MPSF Championships
The MPSF Championships pit the Sun Devils against the familiar Pac-12 foes as well as 10 other universities including BYU, Hawaii and Portland, making the MPSF meet one of the largest conference championships in Division I.
The Sun Devil women have managed to finish in the top-half in each of the past five championship outings with their best finish coming back in 2014 when they scored 81 points and finished runner-up.
Last year, the women finished eighth with 35 points, but Maggie Ewen stole the show by setting a meet record, winning two MPSF titles and receiving Athlete of the Meet honors for her outing.
The men also earned runner-up honors in 2014, and have finished in the top-five in four of the past five seasons.
ASU goes into the meet without Cole Riddle, who finished third at last year's conference meet in the pole vault, but will have Michael Chadwick who tied Riddle for third in his freshman campaign.
Southern California and Oregon have shared the bulk of the team conference crowns since 2014. The Trojan women have four of the five women's titles with the Ducks claiming the title in 2016, and both men's programs have two titles apiece, with California winning the title in 2014.
USC swept the men's and women's titles last season and both teams for the Ducks and Trojans are ranked in the top-15 coming into this weekend's meet.
Scoring in Seattle
Since 2014, the Sun Devil track and field squads have scored in every open event except four, but several Sun Devils are in position to end the scoring drought in 2019.
Of all 28 open events, ASU has only failed to score in the men's 800 and mile, and the women's 3,000 and high jump in the past five years.
ASU's second sub-4 miler of the decade William Paulson has a chance to break the scoreless streak on the men's side as the senior is entered in both the mile and 800. His mile time is in the top-five in the MPSF and he has yet to record an 800-meter mark in maroon and gold.
On the women's side, Erika Voyzey has the chance to become the first Sun Devil woman to score in the MPSF high jump since ASU hall of famer Jacquelyn Johnson.
There are a handful of women with the chance to break the 3K scoring drought, including Daan Haven who was the highest-finishing Devil at last year's conference championships.
The group chasing history will start their weekend Friday in Seattle, and the women's 3K will be one of the final events of the weekend Saturday night.
What to Watch For
The goal this weekend is simple: score points and set season bests. The Devils will need to do both the walk away from the Dempsey Indoor Facilty with both Territorial Cup Series points.
It all starts in the throwing events for the women as Samantha Noennig, Kaylee Antill and Beatrice Llano will look to continue ASU's impressive streak of scoring. In the past five years, ASU has combined for 104 points in the women's weight throw and shot put, and all three of this year's throwers come in with a chance to add to the team-leading scoring run.
For the men, it's about going high and far as the jumps are expected to provide a bulk of the scoring with returning conference scorers Matthew Eckles (pole vault), Michael Chadwick (pole vault) and Elijah Hughes (high jump) leading the way.
The women's jumps will also provide some fireworks this weekend with Jessica Barreira sitting in the top-five in both the long jump and triple jump entering the meet. Tommi Hintnaus and newcomers Sydnee Larkin and Erika Voyzey also have marks in the top-eight in their respective events.
On the track, William Paulson will be the one to watch or the men as he is chasing an NCAA-Championship berth, as well as history.
Paulson has a chance to become the first Sun Devil in six years to score in the men's mile, and two hours later, he could become the first ASU man since 2012 to score in the indoor 800.
The women's DMR is in position to score for the first time since 2016 with a versatile lineup, including Bianca Tinoco, Alexis Nichols, Courtnee Oglesby and Emily Gallegos Francksen at the ready.
The MSPF Championships will get underway with the women's weight throw Friday at 1 p.m. MST.
The meet will be streamed live on FloTrack with a valid subscription and live results will be available from PNTFO.com.
Coach's (Championship) Corner: Coach Kraft
On the team's dominance in the throws
"It's always predicated on wins. When you have a team that was led by Maggie Ewen, it makes it easier because you always felt like you were starting the meet with 20 points. Sam and Kaylee have been wonderful support in the past, but it's on them and Beatrice now and I think they're capable of keeping that trend going. For Sam, she has the opportunity to throw against two of the best shot putters in the nation, so there's a chance where she could go out here and finish third, but then come back in two weeks to beat both of them and become a national champion, so what you're looking for is momentum mostly from her."
On the weekend ahead for William Paulson
"First and foremost, we want Will to qualify in the mile, so he'll be running that, but he's a team-guy so he'll be going back and running the 800 two hours later to help our team get some points from that event."
On the points distribution for the weekend
"Most of our points will be driven by the field events with Jess, Sydnee and Erika in the jumps, the three women in the throws and the way Tommi has been jumping, she has a chance to score for us in the pole vault as well. If our women can go out and put up season bests, the points will come for us."