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HIGHLIGHTS:

* Coming Up: Multiple Events during Spring Break in Southern California

* Kongela, Johnson Get BAA, NWC Awards; Ojala, Zakrevsky Get NWC HM

* NCAA Qualifiers: Johnson in 100 Hurdles First Bruin to Hit an NCAA Mark

* NWC Qualifiers: Bruins Post 53 Qualifying Marks in First 3 Meets

* Coming Up: Multiple Events during Spring Break in Southern California 

Thur.-Fri., Mar. 17-18, 9:00 am - Cal State-Northridge Multi-Events, Northridge, Calif.

Sat., Mar. 19, 9:00 am - Point Loma Collegiate Open, San Diego, Calif.

Fri.-Sat., Mar. 25-26, 1:00 pm/10:00 am - Westmont Invitational, Santa Barbara, Calif.

NEWBERG, Ore. - A busy schedule awaits the George Fox men's and women's track and field teams over the next 10 days as they head for southern California to spend the university's spring break participating in three events. 

The Bruins' decathletes and heptathletes will compete first in the California State University-Northridge Multi-Events, which actually began today and will continue through Friday.  For the schedule and earlieset results, visit the CSUN website at http://gomatadors.cstv.com/sports/m-track/csno-m-track-body.html.

The rest of the George Fox squads are headed for San Diego to participate in Point Loma Nazarene University's Collegiate Open Meet, which starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.  The schedule of events may be found at http://www.plnusealions.com/documents/2011/3/15/SCHEDULE319.pdf?id=112.

After a few days' off to enjoy the (hopefully) dry and warm SoCal weather, the Bruins will conclude their trip with the Westmont College Invitational, which begins Friday, March 25, at 1:00 p.m., and picks up again Saturday, March 26, at 10:00 a.m.  Westmont will offer a live video webcast of Saturday's events via Stretch Internet at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/westmont.portal#.

BRUIN BITS:

* Kongela, Johnson Get BAA, NWC Awards; Ojala, Zakrevsky Get NWC HM

With strong performances in the Pacific Preview on March 12, Dakarai Kongela in men's track and Irene Johnson in women's track have been named the Bruin Athletic Association's Men's and Women's Athletes of the Week for March 7-13, as well as the Northwest Conference Men's Track and Women's Track Student-Athletes of the Week.

Kongela, a senior from Suquamish, Wash., captured two events in Forest Grove, winning the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.91 and running the third leg for the winning 4x400 meter relay team with David Dillow, Ezekiel Smith, and Nate Dillow, which ran a 3:22.95.  Both marks are the best in the NWC thus far this spring.

Johnson, a senior from Portland, Ore., won the 100 meter hurdles with an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying mark of 14.99 and ran the third leg for the first-place 4x400 meter relay team with Alyssa Turner, Beth Stam, and Alexis Arnold, posting a time of 4:08.40.  She also ran the second leg for the 4x100 meter relay team with Emily Davison, Jodi Van Gorkom, and Rachel Meis in a time of 50.46.  All three of the marks by Johnson and her teammates are the best in the conference at this time.

The Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the Bruin sports seasons by the Bruin Athletic Association, whose mission is to provide George Fox student-athletes with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the Bruin athletics program.  For more information about the organization or to become a member, visit the Bruin Athletic Association website.

Two other Bruins, Kai Ojala and Marlee Zakrevsky, received honorable mention for NWC Men's and Women's Field Student-Athletes of the Week for their showings in the Pacific Preview.

Ojala, a junior from Beaverton, Ore., won the men's high jump by clearing 6-02.75 / 1.90m, and also took seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 39-3.25 / 11.97m.  His high jump mark is tied for the conference lead.

Zakrevsky, a senior from Newberg, Ore., won the women's hammer with a throw of 151-04 / 46.13m, and placed third in the discus with a distance of 110-06 / 33.69m.  Her hammer throw is the best in the conference, while her discus mark stands fourth.

* 2011 Men's Honors:

Allen Cassel ---

- Northwest Conference Track Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM)

Jon Udlock ---

- Northwest Conference Field Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM)

Nate Dillow ---

- Northwest Conference Track Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM)

Kai Ojala ---

- Northwest Conference Field Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM); Mar. 7-13 (HM)

Dakarai Kongela ---

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Mar. 7-13

- Northwest Conference Track Student-Athlete of the Week - Mar. 7-13

* 2011 Women's Honors:

Irene Johnson ---

- Bruin Athletic Association Athlete of the Week - Mar. 7-13

- Northwest Conference Track Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27 (HM); Mar. 7-13

Angie Miller ---

- Northwest Conference Field Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 21-27

Alexis Arnold ---

- Northwest Conference Track Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM)

Marlee Zakrevsky ---

- Northwest Conference Field Student-Athlete of the Week - Feb. 28-Mar. 6 (HM); Mar. 7-13 (HM)  

* NCAA QUALIFIERS: Johnson in 100 Hurdles First Bruin to Hit an NCAA Mark

With her time of 14.99 in the women's 100 meter hurdles at the Pacific Preview on Mar. 12, Irene Johnson became the first George Fox athlete to hit an NCAA Division III provisional qualifying mark in 2011.  She is the only athlete in the nation to have qualified in that event thus far.  Beth Stam threw the javelin 130-0 / 39.60m in the Frank Haskins Quad Duel on Feb. 28, which would also have been a provisional mark, but the NCAA does not allow marks before Mar. 1 to be used for national qualifying.

* NWC QUALIFIERS: Bruins Post 53 Qualifying Marks in First 3 Meets

With three meets now behind them, the Bruins have posted 16 Northwest Conference men's qualifying marks, four them NWC bests, and 37 women's marks, six of them leading the league.  The complete list of Bruins who have met NWC marks thus far:

* COACH JOHN SMITH:

John Smith (George Fox '96), a former Bruin All-American in the decathlon, is now in his fifth year as the men's and women's cross country and track and field head coach at his alma mater. He was an assistant coach for the Bruins for eight years before replacing long-time coach Wes Cook, who retired after 19 seasons at George Fox. He was named the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Division III West Regional Women's Coach of the Year by the USTFCCA, and Northwest Conference Women's Co-Coach of the Year as the Bruins finished second to Willamette in the closest conference race ever.  Click here for the complete bio on Coach Smith.