The Basics
            The Shocker track and field team sends 11 athletes to compete at the Hayward Premiere on Friday and Saturday.
            The Hayward Premiere will be the first meet held after Hayward Field's $200 million renovation that was completed in June 2020.
            The distance crew sends athletes to compete in the 1,500 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
            The throws group sends athletes to compete in the shot put, discus, hammer throw and javelin.
            Claudia Rojo will run in the 100-meter hurdles as well as the 400-meter hurdles.
 
FOLLOW THE MEET
            Fans can follow along with updates on Twitter @GoShockersTFXC. A full recap of each day will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and GoShockers.com.
            The meet will stream for free on RunnerSpace. You can watch the meet by clicking here.
            Live results will run throughout the weekend from AthleticTiming. You can find live results by clicking here.
            Both links are also on the Shockers' schedule on GoShockers.com.
 
Meet Schedule
            The Shockers' appearances at the Hayward Field are slated to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday with Michael Bryan and Cory Martens in the men's hammer throw.
            Action for Wichita State continues at 3:35 p.m. on Saturday with Claudia Rojo in the 100-meter hurdles.
 
Last Time Out
            The Shockers opened their season with the Shocker Spring Invitational at Cessna Stadium.
            Michael Bryan highlighted the weekend with a school-record performance in the hammer throw. He tossed the hammer 66.72m/218-11 to etch his name atop the school's performance list.
            Bryan's toss is No. 11 in the country and second-best in the conference this year.
            Jacque Darby saw success across the track, winning three events for the Shockers. She won the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump competitions on Saturday. 
            Joseph Holthusen was impressive over the hurdles in his outdoor season opener. He won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.24. That time sits at No. 59 in the country after the Shockers' first weekend of action.
            Claudia Rojo also impressed over the hurdles. She won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:01.21 and was the runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.23.
 
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt on the Meet
On how special it is to be in the meet to open Hayward Field
"I have been feeling melancholy about Historic Hayward Field going away, but I've heard from coaches that there is talk of this being the finest track and field facility in the world. I'm certainly excited to go. I always enjoy going to Eugene, Oregon. We stay near the track. It's a beautiful place. There are trails that I use to go on my morning walk. I just enjoy going there. This is going to be a terrific track and field competition. Usually, we send our distance athletes to Stanford for a distance carnival, but with COVID, Stanford isn't having that meet. This is Oregon's response to that. They're creating a situation where the athletes have marvelous races to compete in. In addition to that, they're having a great track meet across the board. I think it's going to be neat. The three guys we're taking in the throws are really competing at a high level right now, so that's gonna be fun to watch. It'll be an upper-level setting and a fantastic venue. It will also give us a chance to get a preview of the facility for the NCAA meet."
 
On seeing elite level competition early in the season
"For the distance events, it's certainly huge. It is difficult to find a 10,000-meter race where you can light it up and run fast. It's hard to find a steeplechase competition where you can link up with some studs and run fast. This is a wonderful opportunity for those athletes. In those throws and the hurdles for Claudia, yes it's good, and we had some good competition at the Shocker Spring Invitational. There's also a sense of enhanced adrenaline when you go to a world-championship venue. They've reconfigured Hayward Field to be a World Championships venue. I believe there will be a bit of adrenaline for that, so I think it's going to be awesome."
 
If Mike Had a Hammer
            Michael Bryan had a fantastic indoor season to kick off 2021. He picked up right where he left off at the Shocker Spring Invitational.
            Bryan's 2021 outdoor debut featured a school-record mark in the men's hammer throw. 
            He tossed the hammer 66.72m/218-11 to put his name atop the Shockers' performance list in the hammer throw.
            Bryan now holds the Shocker record for two events. He broke the indoor weight throw record during the indoor season. Bryan's mark of 21.17m/69-5.50 leads the way in the weight throw.
            Bryan's hammer throw performance was one of the country's best.
            His mark comes in at No. 11 in the country, No. 5 in the West region and No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference.
            Bryan will try to continue his momentum in Eugene this weekend.
 
One Last Time
            The entries for the Shockers in the Hayward Premiere are lined with seniors who came back for their final year of outdoor eligibility despite the 2020 outdoor season cancellation.
            Five Shockers heading to Eugene (Rebekah Topham, Nicole McMillen, Claudia Rojo, Zack Penrod and Cory Martens).
            Alex Adams, Shania VanNoster and Alexi Whatley also came back to use their remaining eligibility to compete for the Shockers.
            Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt said he is excited for this group of seniors.
            "I'm excited for these athletes that stuck around for one more go at college track," Rainbolt said. "This is a wonderful opportunity for those athletes."
            All eight of the Wichita State athletes that came back have combined for 30 all-conference honors and 13 conference championships.
            This class also saw women's team titles in the 2018 cross country and 2019 outdoor seasons. They look to add more to the trophy case in their final year of eligibility.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Eugene, Oregon
Hayward Field
- Friday: Mostly Cloudy; High of 62°; 8% chance of rain; NW winds at 5 mph
- Saturday: Cloudy; High of 64°; 11% chance of rain; W winds at 7 mph