April 23, 2003

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Three NCAA Division II national qualifiers head a contingent of 14 Western Washington University track and field team members, 10 women and four men, competing in the University of Oregon Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Hayward Field.

The provisional qualifiers are Zach Boteilho (Sr., Camas), Stacey Hopkins (Jr., Sammamish/Eastlake) and Ashlee Vincent (So., Bellingham/Squalicum).

Boteilho won the men's 10,000 meters at last year's Oregon meet as an unattached athlete. His best time this season is 31:03.55.

Last week at the Central Washington Invitational, Hopkins threw the women's javelin a personal best 148-4, an effort that ranks fifth among the school's all-time leaders.

Vincent, who is running in the women's 1,500 at Oregon, already is a provisional qualifier in both the 3,000 (9:53.04) and 5,000 (17:02.00).

Three Vikings are competing in the men's pole vault. They are Adam Cleveland (Fr., Spokane/West Valley), Scott Romney (So., Gig Harbor) and Hunter Verner (So., Nashville, IN). Verner has cleared 15-3 this season, Romney 15-0 and Cleveland 14-11 1/2.

Completing Western's entries are eight women. They include Melissa Behrens (Jr., Redmond, WA/Eastlake) in the 100 (12.57), Laura Burch (So., McMinnville, OR) in the 400 hurdles (1:07.38), Nena Dodge (Jr., Bow/Burlington-Edison) in the 4x400 relay, Jessica Opersteny (Jr., Seattle/Roosevelt) in the 800 (2:18.65), Lisa Pearl (So., Kenmore/Inglemoor) in the 10,000, Dani Reid (Fr., Spokane/North Central) in the 100 hurdles (15.75), Tina Stimson (Jr., Renton/Liberty) in the 1,500 and Dania Swosinski (Jr., Tacoma/Wilson) in the 400 (57.25).

Burch and Swosinski also will run on the 4x100 (48.24) and 4x400 (4:03.45) relays. Reid will run the opening leg and Behrens the last leg on the 4x100 relay, and Opersteny will anchor the 4x400 relay.