The San Francisco track and field team will send its largest contingent of the spring out to two ovals in the Bay Area this weekend, competing at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival and the Stanford Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

"The distance carnival at Stanford on Friday evening is highly competitive and provides ideal conditions for fast early season marks and our plan is to capitalize on this," noted USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "We are coming off a solid block of training, and both Stanford and SFSU will provide everyone with an opportunity to come away with personal bests and NCAA qualifying marks.  We are excited to get things rolling."
The Dons' contingent entering the races at Cobb Track on the nearby campus of Stanford is poised to make a splash in their respective events.

Hugh Nicklason, who broke the record in the 800 meters earlier this spring, is slated to open up in the 1,500 for the first time this season. Nicklason, a sophomore from Hobart, Australia, also holds the USF-best at the 1,500, and will go off at the Stanford Invitational at 6:52 p.m. on Friday. Alex Short, who shattered the 10K record during the indoor season en route for qualifying for the National Championship field, takes to the outdoor track at 9:34 p.m. at the 10,000 meter distance.

Marie Bouchard competes for the first time wearing the USF Green and Gold, joining Elena Burkard for the second heat of 1,500 at 6:32 p.mm. on Friday at Stanford. Bouchard, a senior from Paimpol, France, was the 2015 U23 champion in her homeland in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

A solid crew will also take to the oval at San Francisco State's Cox Stadium on Friday and Saturday, in events ranging from the javelin to the sprints, steeplechase and distance races. Asaundra Dalton, school record-holder in all three sprinting distances will toe the line in the 200 and 400 meters. USF's Mohamed Aziz and Magdalena Dias will both compete in the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the first time in the 2017 campaign, and Katoa Ahau and Alia Mahuna take their place on the infield in the Saturday morning javelin competition.

Currently, the Dons are already poised to qualify multiple student-athletes to the NCAA Preliminary Championships, with three USF runners in the top 26 nationally in their respective events. Nicklason sits in 26th at the 800 meters, and 10th in the west, and Ryan Driscoll also stands in 26th in the 1,500 meters, good for 12th in the region.

Elena Burkard's speedy time at the Hornet Invitational puts the Dons in seventh on the overall performance lists, and fourth in the west. The senior from Baiersbronn, Germany, is a three-time national qualifier, competing in the 5,000 meters in 2014 and doubling up in the 1,500 and 5K in 2015. Not alone in the regional rankings at the 1,500 meters, Weronika Pyzik (18th), Isabelle Brauer (36th) and Tatjana Schulte (37th) are all sporting solid positions in the region.

The top 48 declared student-athletes in each event and each region will advance to the preliminary championships, with the West Region Championships slated to be contested May 25-27 at the University of Texas in Austin.

In the 2017 preseason poll, the USF women slip in the rankings at 48th with 43.11 points, with the first national and regional polls of the season slated for release on Monday, April 3.

Fans can watch the Stanford Invitational on FloTrack (subscription required), follow live stats online, or head out to the Farm with $10 adult tickets available for purchase. To follow along with USF's athletes at the 10th SF State Distance Carnival, click here for live stats.
 

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USF Tentative Schedule of Events
Stanford Invitational:
Friday –
3000 m SC (M) [Heat 3] – Ryan Driscoll – 5:47 p.m.
1,500 (W) [Heat 2] – Elena Burkard, Marie Bouchard – 6:32 p.m.
1,500 (M) [Heat 2] – Hugh Nicklason – 6:52 p.m.
5,000 (W) [Heat 2] – Weronika Pyzik – 7:25 p.m.
10,000 (W) – Charlotte Taylor [Heat 1] – 8:56 p.m.; Isabelle Brauer [Heat 2] – 10:05 p.m.
10,000 (M) [Heat 1] – Alex Short – 9:34 p.m.
                                                                 
SF State Distance Carnival:
Friday –
10,000 (M) [Heat 1] – Caleb McClain – 9:55 a.m.
1,500 (W) [Heat 1] – Emma Stahr – 11:45 a.m.
3000 m SC (W) [Heat 1] – Magdalena Dias – 1:55 p.m.
3000 m SC (M) [Heat 1] – Mohamed Aziz – 2:37 p.m.
5,000 (W) – Tatjana Schulte, Daryl Phill [Heat 1] – 3:32 p.m.; Kelsey Nielsen [Heat 2] – 4:07 p.m.
5,000 (M) [Heat 2] – Ben Alcock – 4:26 p.m.

Saturday –
Javelin (M) – Katoa Ahau – 9:38 a.m.
Javelin (W) – Alia Mahuna – following men's javelin
400 m (W) – Asaundra Dalton [Heat 1], Skylar Fenton [Heat 3], Amy Glaser [Heat 3] – heats start at 1:09 p.m.
400 m (M) – Chase Midyett [Heat 2], Mario Valenzuela [Heat 4] – heats start at 1:37 p.m.
800 (W) – Emma Stahr [Heat 1] – heats start at 2:01 p.m
800 (M) – Cristian Monsalud [Heat 3], Hugh Nicklason [Heat 1] – heats start at 2:41 p.m.
200 (W) – Asaundra Dalton [Heat 1], Skylar Fenton [Heat 3], Amy Glaser [Heat 6] – heats start at 4:19
200 (M) – Chase Midyett [Heat 6] – heats start at 4:58 p.m.