Meet Notes

The University of Hawai'i women's track and field team will send eight athletes to the NCAA West Regional Championships, May 29-30, at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Senior high jumper Emily Sheppard will become the second UH athlete in school history to compete in four NCAA Regionals, joining shot putter Meghan Weaver who competed in four regionals from 2005-08. Also competing in their third regionals are multi-event athlete Annett Wichmann and pole vaulter Jessica Custance.

In addition to Sheppard, Wichmann and Amber Kaufman will also compete in the high jump. Kaufman and Sheppard are all but assured of qualifying for their second consecutive NCAA Championships after their performances at the WAC Championships two weeks ago. Kaufman's jump of 6-4 is ranked second nationally while Sheppard jump of 5-11.25 is No. 13.

Also competing in their first regionals are freshman TeRina Keenan (discus), sophomore Careena Onosai (discus), and freshman Kai Schmidt (javelin).

UH initially qualified nine athletes this season but high jumper Sarah Saddleton is not yet cleared to participate. She missed last week's Western Athletic Conference Championships.

The top five finishers in each individual event at regionals and the top three finishers in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, June 10-13 in Fayetteville, Ark. Wichmann has already qualified for outdoor nationals in the heptathlon.

What: NCAA West Regional Championships

When: Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30

Where: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.

3:15 p.m.          Pole Vault

5:30 p.m.          Discus

12:30 p.m.        High Jump

2:35 p.m.          Javelin

UH will be competing at the NCAA West Regional for the seventh time. UH's highest finish was 17th when it accumulated 10 team points in 2007. Former discus thrower Novelle Murray had the highest individual finish, with her runner-up finish in the discus in 2007. Last year, the Rainbow Wahine sent a record nine athletes to the West Regional. UH has sent at least three athletes to the regionals every year. 

The Rainbow Wahine concluded their best showing ever at the WAC Outdoor Championships with a fifth place finish and 105.5 team points. UH also took home a record nine medals including golds by Annett Wichmann (heptathlon), Amber Kaufman (high jump), and Jessica Custance (pole vault). Wichmann became the first WAC athlete to win four heptathlon titles and earned a spot to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the fourth straight year. Kaufman shattered the school record and posted the nation's top ranked high jump of 6-4 (1.93m). Custance won her first WAC gold in the pole vault with a mark of 12-7.5 (3.85m). In the javelin, Wichmann won silver and freshman Kai Schmidt grabbed the bronze. Wichmann also captured the bronze in the high jump while Emily Sheppard took the silver, in addition to bronze medals in the heptathlon and triple jump.

The Rainbow Wahine are ranked No. 40 in the latest USTFCCCA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Rankings (May 20), down eight spots from one month ago, which was the highest ranking in school history. As a team, UH is the highest ranked WAC school and the second highest women only track program (behind SMU). Individually, Amber Kaufman is ranked No. 2 in the high jump, Annett Wichmann is No. 15 in the heptathlon and No. 20 in the javelin, and Emily Sheppard is No. 13 in the high jump. TeRina Keenan is No. 39 in the discus, Sarah Saddleton is No. 46 in the high jump, and Careena Onosai is No. 48 in the discus.

Annett Wichmann and Amber Kaufman were named the co-Field Athlete of the Meet at the WAC Outdoor Championships. In addition, Wichmann earned the meet's High Point Award after accumulating 32 total points in five events. In February, Wichmann shared co-Field Athlete of the Meet honors at the WAC Indoor Championships. Both Wichmann and Kaufman were also honored as the WAC's Field Athlete of the Week this season. 

Multi-event athlete Annett Wichmann will finish her illustrious career at UH as arguably the best all-around athlete in school history. Wichmann became the first UH athlete to compete in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She is a three-time All-American and has a personal best finish of fourth place in the pentathlon at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. She is the school record holder in both the pentathlon and heptathlon and will appear in her school-record seventh NCAA Championship next month at the outdoor nationals. Last month, Wichmann was the recipient of the Jack Bonham Award, given to UH's top male and female senior student-athlete, the first track and field athlete to receive that honor.

Amber Kaufman, a starter on the nationally ranked women's volleyball team, also excels in track and field and is one of the sport's top high jumpers. Earlier this season, Kaufman placed sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and won the WAC indoor title. She is currently ranked second nationally in the event during the outdoor season with a mark of 6-4 (1.93m). Last season, the San Jose, Calif., native placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned a spot to the U.S. Olympic Trials, where she qualified to the main draw. She holds the school indoor and outdoor record at 5-11.5 and 6-4, respectively. She also qualified for her second NCAA Regional.

 Four UH athletes top the WAC rankings in their respective events while a total of 26 rank in the top 10. Annett Wichmann leads the way with top marks in the javelin and heptathlon while also ranking third in the high jump and sixth in the shot put. Four high jumpers rank in the top five - Amber Kaufman (1st), Emily Sheppard (2nd), Wichmann (3rd) and Saddleton (5th). TeRina Keenan has the top mark in the discus, while Careena Onosai is fourth. In the pole vault Jessica Custance is tied for second and Samantha Weaver is tied for sixth. Gina Nourmohamadian is ranked fourth in the 10,000-meter run, Sheppard is tied for sixth in the long jump, and Emma MacCorquodale is seventh in the hammer.

The Rainbow Wahine have broken seven school records this season - three during the indoor season and four during the current outdoor season. Freshman Jamilee Jimenez set the indoor 60-meter dash record with a time of 7.93 seconds and Annett Wichmann broke the indoor shot put record throw of 46-7.25/14.20m and outdoor javelin record with a mark of 163-11/49.96. Amber Kaufman eclipsed new high jump indoor and outdoor records of 5-11.5 and 6-0.75, respectively. Emily Sheppard set a new standard in the triple jump with a mark of 39-8.5 (12.11m) and broke the heptathlon event 200-meter dash record (25.24).

Dr. Donnis Thompson, UH's first women's athletics director and first women's track and field coach, died on February 2, 2009 at the age of 75 in Honolulu. A prominent figure in the world of U.S. women's track and field, Dr. Thompson arrived in Manoa to start the women's track and field program in 1961. She coached the team for three years and returned to the islands after receiving her doctorate of education degree to head the women's athletics program in 1972, the year Title IX began, and served in that capacity until 1981. A pioneer and champion for women's athletics, Dr. Thompson was inducted into the school's Sports Circle of Honor in 1988 and the Hawai'i Sports Hall of Honor in 2007. In October 2007, a sculpture in her honor was dedicated and currently stands at the Stan Sheriff Center. 

The Rainbow Wahine capped the indoor season by sending two athletes - Annett Wichmann and Amber Kaufman - to the NCAA Championships. Competing in her first indoor championship, Kaufman placed sixth in the high jump while Wichmann took seventh in the pentathlon. Both earned All-America honors and scored team points for UH at the national indoor meet. The Rainbow Wahine placed fifth at the WAC Championships, while Wichmann was named the meet's co-Outstanding Field Performer. The Jena, Germany native won the gold medal in the pentathlon for the third straight year and also captured bronze in the triple jump. Kaufman led a UH sweep in the high jump winning her first WAC indoor gold. Sarah Saddleton won silver while Emily Sheppard added a bronze along with a silver in the triple jump.