For their second and final home meet of the season, the men’s and women’s track and field teams are anticipating a more low key and relaxed atmosphere for Saturday’s Mt. Hood Relays.

With only six schools participating – University of Portland, Lane, Clackamas, Clark, Southwestern Oregon and MHCC (compared to the 18 that were present for last month’s Mt. Hood Open) - the Saints will be able to take it easy, have some fun and also get a chance to compete, said head track and field coach Tony Baracco.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, the team took a blow to its epicenter when grades for winter quarter were announced and some of the athletes were found ineligible for the remainder of the track season. The men were hit the hardest, losing a thrower, sprinter and some distance runners, but the grade reports did not make much of a dent in the women’s team.

“We lost some of our guys due to grades and that really hurt us, but we still have quality people,” said Baracco. “The girls did great with their grades. Now, we just need to see what we can do with what we have left.”

According to Baracco, the only weakness on the women’s side is the lack of a thrower, whereas the men are lacking a high jumper and 100-meter runner. Baracco said the athletes that remain are “high quality” and are ready to showcase their skills at the relays.
“The people we have are solid, big-time athletes. We are very fortunate to have them,” he said.

Baracco expects that the “usual suspects” will do well at the meet this weekend, including defending NWAACC champion pole-vaulter Jessie Gallaher, hurdler Jordan Hamblen, jumpers Tim Hall and Caleb Falconer, sprinter Brittany Grizzard, distance runner Aaron Hensley, and shot-put thrower Tyler Hartstein. The coach thinks Clackamas and Clark, especially Clark’s women’s team, will be the Saint’s biggest competition at the relays, with field events starting at 10 a.m. and running events beginning at noon.

As far as past meets are concerned, Baracco said that the men and women did pretty well at the Willamette Invite, held in Salem last weekend. At the meet, distance runner Ashley Mulvaney received an automatic qualifying mark in the 10,000-meter run and sprinter Grizzard ran a “fantastic” 400-meters.

Backtracking further, Baracco said that the Mt. Hood Open was a top-notch meet bringing in a huge crowd (where every hot dog was sold) and stealing the spotlight in the Northwest. He said that he is still getting comments about how the March 11-12 meet was the best meet in the entire NWAACC throughout the month of March, even from coaches in Idaho who now wish to bring their teams to it in the future.
“It was just a fantastic meet,” he said.

Looking ahead to the last four meets before the NWAACC championship tournament, May 26-27, Baracco thinks that the University of Oregon Invite on Saturday, April 23 will be the most challenging. “It will be a huge, quality meet,” he said. “After all, it is U of O.”

As the team worked-out this week, they prepared for more than just the Mt. Hood Relays.

“Right now, we’re just getting going. The first few meets of the season were really just practice for us,” said Baracco. “We’re just now getting into the heart of the season. The Mt. Hood Relays will have a much smaller crowd and a completely different vibe to it than at the Mt. Hood Open. It will be a fun, quick and easy day. Next week will be the Central Washington Invite and that will be a challenging and high quality meet for us too.”