Cougs set for three-day Pac-12 Championships in Southern California

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State men’s and women’s track and field teams get set for the championship stretch of the 2023 outdoor season beginning this weekend as the top student-athletes travel to Walnut, Calif., this weekend for the 2023 Pac-12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  The Pac-12 Championships,  which begins Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon, will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.

Meet Info:

>> (Men: 92^nd Edition – Women: 36^th Edition)

>> Date/Location: Fri.-Sun., May 12-14  | Walnut, Calif./ Mt San Antonio College

>> TV: Pac-12 Networks

>> Day 1 Start Times (Fri.): 1:30 p.m. (Multi)/ 2:30 p.m. (Field)/ 6 p.m. (Track)

>> Day 2 Start Times (Sat.): 11:30 a.m. (Multi)/ 12:30 p.m. (Field)/ 4 p.m. (Track)

>> Day 3 Start Times (Sun.): 11 a.m. (Field)/ 1 p.m. (Track)

COUGS TO WATCH FOR – WOMEN

>> Sophomore hurdler Micaela De Mello was named 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after placing second in the 100-meter hurdles (13.03) at last year’s Pac-12 Championships.  De Mello, the WSU program record holder in the event, ranks eighth in the Pac-12 going into the weekend after posting a 13.42 to win the event at the Fresno State Invite.

>> Mackenzie Fletcher (59.43) and Jada Van Staden (59.97) will each carry sub-1-minute times in the women’s 400-meter hurdles into this year’s championships.

>> In the women’s 100m dash, Skyler Walton (11.55, ninth in the Pac) and Elise Unruh-Thomas (11.57, 12th in the Pac) each rank in the top-10 all-time at WSU.

>> Steeplechaser Caroline Jerotich clocked the second-fastest time in program history (10:14.15) at the Oregon State High Performance Meet and ranks sixth in the conference heading into the Pac-12 Championships.

>> The Cougars’ javelin squad, which ranked as high as No. 15 in the USTFCCCA event group rankings earlier this season, is led by freshman Luceris Suarez Pacheco who ranks seventh in the Pac-12 this season.

>> Nana Gyedu ranks 10th in the shot put after posting a mark of 15.63, second all-time at WSU, at the Mt SAC Relays.

>> Alex Payne owns a season-best mark of 57.01m in the hammer throw which ranks 10th in the Pac and leads a trio of Cougars that rank in the top-15 in the conference heading into the Pac-12 Championships.

>> Long jumper Anna Rodgers finished sixth at last year’s Pac-12 Championships and owns a season-best mark of 6.08m which ranks…