DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Mallory Gilbert will compete in the 100 hurdles and the heptathalon for Hawaii at the WAC track and field championship this week.

WAC descends on UH for big meet

The league track and field championship begins today at UH

As the Hawaii track and field program opens its doors to the rest of the Western Athletic Conference this week as host of the league championship, the Rainbow Wahine enter the meet determined to protect their territory.

"This is our track, this is where we train, and this is where we are every day," UH sophomore Meghan Weaver said. "So we're all super excited to have it here and show off what we have.

While the Wahine warmed up on Cooke Field's signature rainbow-striped track yesterday afternoon in advance of the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship, UH personnel and meet officials made final preparations to host the biggest event in the program's history.

The meet begins today with the first of two days of competition in the decathlon (men) and heptathlon (women).

The preliminaries for the running events are Friday with the finals on Saturday. Field event finals will be held on the grass field across from Les Murakami Stadium both Friday and Saturday.

Sixth-year Hawaii coach Carmyn James said hosting the league championship for the first time marks a "pinnacle" in her tenure guiding the Wahine program.

UH regularly holds Sunset Meets for UH and other local athletes during the season, but the WAC meet, "is just going to be way bigger and better because of the caliber of competition," James said.

"For us to be able to have both men and women and showcase the best track athletes in the conference is going to be really exciting," she added.

Where track athletes spend most of the season aiming for individual marks, the team will take precedence this week for the WAC's eight women's and five men's squads descending on Manoa.

"Qualifying for regionals is the biggest focus all season long," UH junior Patricia Gauthier said. "But here you're going to go in a race even to come in eighth because you know that one point can help your team."

Boise State's men's team, ranked 23rd nationally in the latest Trackwire poll, ran away with the WAC indoor championships in February and features three of the nation's top throwers in Steffan Jonsson (discus), Jon Mattias (hammer) and Keron Francis (javelin).

James tabbed 2006 indoor champion and defending outdoor champion Louisiana Tech as a clear favorite in the women's race, followed by WAC newcomers Utah State and Idaho.

UH posted its best finish in the WAC championships with a sixth-place showing last year, and figures to be in a pack of teams battling for fourth through sixth place this week.

"With all of the friends and family coming to town, the team members are pretty excited," James said. "So I'm expecting as a result we're going to have a number of personal bests and hopefully a few more NCAA standards."

Sophomore Annett Wichmann has broken six school records this season and will be the first UH athlete to contend for a medal this week as one of the favorites in the heptathlon.

Gauthier has already qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the pole vault and set the school record last week by clearing 12 feet, 1134 inches. The feat also earned her WAC Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors.

Weaver is the first UH athlete to qualify for the regionals in three events -- shot put, discus and hammer. She placed second in the shot put at last year's WAC meet, and is aiming for the gold this time.

"We put up a quote in the shed that says 'Second place the first loser.' So I don't want that second any more," she said.