Cougars Travel to Arizona for Outdoor Competition

PROVO -- In the second week of the outdoor season, the Cougar men's and women's track teams will travel to Tempe, Arizona to compete in the ASU Baldy Castillo Invitational. Coming off the first outdoor meet last week in California, several BYU athletes will be looking to improve on their opening marks.

For the women's team, senior All-American Jeana Bingham will compete in her first outdoor meet of 2001. Bingham placed 8th in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and was 4th at last season's NCAA outdoor meet. The Cougar women are also benefitting from the return of All-American triple jumper Kristel Berendsen. After missing much of last season with foot surgery, Berendsen returned to action in the California meet, recording a third-place finish in the long jump.

The men's team will be competing without several of its strongest competitors, as shot putter Jim Roberts, decathlete Curtis Pugsley, sprinter Greg Flint and triple jumper Clifford Andam will all be resting injuries. However, the team will look to All-American pole vaulter Jeff Hansen to provide senior leadership. Hansen recorded a first-place finish in the outdoor opener, his first meet back after missing last season and this year's indoor competition.

The ASU meet will begin Thursday at 12:00 noon with the heptathlon and decathlon competitions, which will run through Friday. The field events will begin Friday morning, and the running will get started Friday evening with a distance carnival. The meet will conclude on Saturday, with the field events contested in the morning and the running events beginning at 1:00 p.m. and finishing at approximately 5:30p.m. Results will be posted after each day of competition on the ASU website, www.thesundevils.com