Seven track and field Wildcats to compete against top ranked schools

Seven members of the Arizona track and field team will compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. this weekend.

The Wildcats will be competing against top ranked schools such as No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Florida and No. 2 Texas A&M on the men’s side, and No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Arkansas on the women’s.

Last year, the women’s squad finished 11th in the NCAA Indoor Championships, while the men’s team finished 3rd, the best in school history.

The now ranked No. 12 Arizona men’s team will send senior Edgar Rivera-Morales to compete in the high jump for his fourth appearance. Last year, in his NCAA Indoor Championships performance his mark of 7-feet-2.5-inches earned him All-American accolades and a 7th place finish. His current personal-best of 7-feet-5-inches is tied for the sixth-best mark in the country.

Junior distance runner Lawi Lalang will also represent the men’s team. Lalang, who was named the west region track athlete of the year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday, is competing in the 3,000-meter and the mile run. No stranger to the NCAA Indoor Championships, Lalang claimed titles in both the 3,000-meter and the 5,000-meter last year. Currently, Lalang holds the No. 1 collegiate time in the country for the 3,000-meter. His personal-best time of 3:54.56, set at the Millrose Games, is at the No. 2 spot in the country.

Two seniors on the No. 13 women’s squad will compete in their first NCAA Indoor Championships. Hurdler Georganne Moline will compete in the 400-meter. Her time of 52.38 currently ranks as the seventh best time in the country. Distance runner Jen Bergman is set to compete in the 5,000-meter. Her personal-best of 15:55.60 holds the No. 14 spot in the nation.

Senior high jumper Brigetta Barrett will also represent the women’s team in her fourth appearance to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Barrett has had great success at the championships, earning All-American honors each year, and claiming first in 2011 and 2012. Her mark of 6-feet-3.25-inches is currently tied for first place in the country.

Also making her fourth appearance to the NCAA Indoor Championships is senior thrower, Julie Labonté. Last year, Labonté earned a third place finish and in 2011, she won a title. This year, Labonté will compete in the shot put. Her season best mark of 57-feet-4.75-inches sits at the No. 4 spot in the country.

Junior thrower Alyssa Haslen will also compete in the shotput in her second appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Her personal-best mark of 57-feet-4.25-inches currently sits at No. 5 in the nation.

The NCAA Indoor Championships will stream live on ESPN 3 on Friday from 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. EST and on Saturday from 7 – 9:30 p.m. EST.