yote notes - edition 8

COMING UP: at Pacific Preview (Forest Grove, Ore.), Saturday, All Day.

LAST WEEK: Idle

OFF TO OREGON: The Coyotes will open the outdoor portion of the track and field season on Saturday, traveling to Forest Grove, Ore., for the Pacific Preview.  A total of 14 men’s and 25 women’s athletes will compete at the event, which will feature teams from Northwest Christian and Evergreen, along with Lewis & Clark, Pacific, Pacific Lutheran, Linfield, and Puget Sound.

DEBUTS FOR THE YOTES: The outdoor season will mark the debut of multi-sport athletes who will compete in track this spring.  Women’s basketball player Diamond Mitchell (San Diego, Calif. / Eastlake HS) and women’s soccer player Sarah Neufeld (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) will compete in the sprints, while volleyball player Melinda Fuimaono (San Diego, Calif. / Southwestern CC) will throw the shot put and discus.  Men’s soccer player John Fronk (McCall, Idaho / McCall-Donnelly HS) will help out the Coyote men in the sprints.

KEY RACES: For the most part, this weekend’s event will be utilized to hit Cascade Conference qualifying standards for the league meet, set for mid-May.  However, the Lady Yotes are looking at the 5,000-meters as a chance to hit NAIA standards in the opening meet of the season – as a big contingent of C of I runners will compete in the distance event.

ON THE MEND: A pair of All-Americans will not compete this weekend – as Hillary Holt (Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS) and Greg Montgomery (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) will not make the trip.  Both are recovering from injuries and hope to be ready to compete in time for the John Knight Twilight at Western Oregon, next month.

ABOUT THE COACH: Pat McCurry enters his eighth year at the helm of the track & field and cross country programs at The C of I. In eight years (after the Coyote running programs were dormant for nearly 30 years), McCurry has built the Coyote men and women into perennial NAIA Top-25 programs - with the men’s cross country team earning six berths to the NAIA Championships, with the Lady Yotes advancing to four-straight NAIA meets, winning the 2008, 2009, and 2011 CCC titles, with his 2011 squad placing seventh at Nationals.  For his efforts, McCurry was named 2008, 2009, and 2011 CCC women's cross country Coach of the Year. Student-athletes have claimed 18 individual CCC titles on the track, 11 NAIA All-American awards in cross country and track & field, seven All-NAIA Region I awards in cross country, 38 All-CCC awards in cross country - along with 67 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete awards.   Prior to his arrival at The C of I, McCurry was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Eastern Oregon University, helping EOU to a national runner-up finish at the 2002 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Championships and the 2003 CCC title in men’s track & field. As an athlete at EOU from 1997-1999, McCurry claimed two consecutive CCC titles at 5000-meters and finished eighth at the NAIA Championships at 10,000-meters. His best athletic years came after college while running for Nike Portland, and later the Eastside Track Club - where at the 2003 University of Oregon Preview Meet, the Coyote skipper took home the title in the 3000-meters and has a personal best of 8:13 at that distance. He also holds the Willamette Invitational meet record and Charles Bowles track record at 10,000-meters from his 2004 performance there. McCurry has also claimed the title at many Treasure Valley area races, including the infamous Race to Robie Creek in 2005, 2009. and 2010, along with the City of Trees marathon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I track and field program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/trackandfield.