Tempe-The 39th annual Sun Angel classic will bring together some of the top track and field teams from across the nation to Tempe for the third and final home meet of the Arizona State University Track and Field season.
The meet is spread across Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7.
The Sun Angel Classic is the biggest meet to date for the ASU Track and Field team. This is not only because of the level of competition but because Saturday will be senior night for 13 Sun Devil athletes, who will be competing at home for the last time in their collegiate careers.
Head Coach, Greg Kraft spoke about the importance of the meet upon conclusion of the Baldy Castillo Invitational two weeks ago.
“The Sun Angel Classic is really the jewel of our home schedule. It really is critical on the calendar as we prepare for the Pac-12 Championships.”
The Sun Angel Classic will also play host to high school teams from across the state, who will be competing Thursday through Saturday.
The fourth-ranked University of Southern California women and the fifth-ranked USC men highlight the field. They are followed by seven more ranked teams, including the 14th ranked ASU women, according to the USTFCCCA ranking.
One of the most decorated athletes in ASU history and nine-time All-American, Maggie Ewen will compete at home for the final time. Ewen is slated to throw the hammer, discus and shot put (for the first time this season). She, as expected has had a great start to the outdoor season, and is currently ranked first in the nation in the hammer throw and fourth in the discus with throws of 237′ 1″ (72.28 meters) and 196’10” (60.01 meters) respectively.
Ewen was excited at the opportunity to continue to improve upon her personal bests in her last collegiate season, after throwing some great early season marks two weeks ago at the ASU Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.
“My goal is always to throw farther and to really just improve on what I’ve done. That’s what I’m chasing this year. It’s literally just to throw further, not to break any records, not to win any titles, I just want to throw farther,” Ewen said.
Alethia Marrero, a senior transfer student from Indiana State has lit up the track for ASU this spring. The former All-American in the 800-meter run has shown tremendous versatility competing in events ranging from the 400-meter relay to the 800-meter run. Marrero is expected to compete in the 400-meter run and the two sprint relays. She is currently ranked fifth in the nation in the 800-meter run and seventh in the region in the 400-meter run. Her 800-meter time of 2:05.33 matches the fifth best time in ASU history. She will be one to watch for in this meet and for the rest of the season.
Head Coach, Greg Kraft highlighted her versatility, experience and energy as major components for this ASU women’s team.
“She’s got a great competitive spirit which really makes a big impact on our women’s team as we are looking for people to assume that mantle. You can be really strong in the field, and obviously we are led by Maggie Ewen but a lot of your personality comes from the track, and so Altheia Marrero’s presence really makes a difference,” Kraft said.
Redshirt Freshman, Samantha Noennig looks to continue her impressive start to the outdoor season, which has included a second and fourth place finish in the shot put and discus at the ASU Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge two weeks ago.
On the men’s side, pole vault has been a highlight all season for the Sun Devils. This should hold true on Saturday with Senior Nathan Hiett and Freshman Cole Riddle, who competing in his first outdoor meet of the season.
Other Seniors in competition this weekend include Mason Ford, Grant Sisserson and Khalil Parris on the men’s side and Brooke Coltelli, Haleigh Fritts, Kristiana Warth and Darreyl Woodson on the women’s side, according to Sun Devils Athletics.
The collegiate action will kick off on Friday, April 6, at 12 p.m. with the women’s premiere hammer throw.
Link to the full Schedule: http://thesundevils.com/documents/2018/4/6//2018_Sun_Angel_Classic_Schedule_of_Events_FINAL_Friday_and_Saturday.pdf?id=11038
