Wells Fargo Invitational Starts Thursday

PROVO -- Coming off solid performances at last week's Robison Invitational, the BYU men's and women's track and field teams will host the annual BYU Wells Fargo Invitational beginning Thursday evening and running through Saturday at the BYU Track and Field Complex. Admission to the meet is $4 per person.

Joining BYU in the scored meet will be the University of Utah, Utah State University and Utah Valley State College. Since the meet will be scored to determine a team winner, unattached athletes are not participating. The meet also features an expansive high school competition as one of the largest high school meets in the intermountain area.

The collegiate meet begins Thursday at 5 p.m. with the javelin and hammer events. Running events start the meet Friday and Saturday at 7:30 a.m., with field events beginning each morning at 8 a.m. Each day's events will conclude in the late afternoon.

In addition to seeking the team victory in the scored meet, Cougar athletes will look to post regional qualifying times in preparation for nationals in Sacramento, Calif., June 11-14.

The men's team has already regionally qualified athletes in 16 of 21 events. The men have excelled in several field events with freshman Robison Pratt and sophomore Trent Powell ranked nationally at No. 2 and No. 7, respectively, in the poll vault, while junior Aron Szmuda is rated seventh in the triple jump. In running events, junior Greg Flint has the 10th best time nationally in the 400-meter hurdles, Kip Kangogo is No. 11 in the 5,000-meter run and sophomore Nathan Robison is rated 12th in the 1,500 meters.

The women's team has already regionally qualified athletes in 10 events and nationally qualified three athletes, with another provisional qualifier, in the 10,000-meter run, where Cougar senior Lindsey Thompsen is rated sixth nationally. The women's team boasts three of the top-10 steeplechase athletes in the country, including the event's top-rated Kassi Andersen. A sophomore who prepped at Provo High School, Andersen is also ranked nationally in the 1,500-meter run (No. 15) and the 800 meters (No. 25).