Earlier this season, ASU track and field coach Greg Kraft said true competitors perform their best when they’re competing against the best.
That sense of rising to the occasion describes the upcoming meet for the Sun Devils.
The 34th Annual Sun Angel Classic is set to take place from April 5 to April 6 and will host some of the top schools in the country.
“Sun Angel is typically known for bringing out talent from all over, so anytime we can go head to head with our biggest competition and dominate. That’s always a plus,” senior sprinter and long jumper Christabel Nettey said. “We are definitely ready.”
The 20 colleges and universities attending accounts for over 1,000 entries, creating one of the biggest turnouts for the meet in its long history.
The Sun Devil athletes will be up against some of the top talent in the country, with women competitors from No. 1 Kansas, No. 16 Illinois, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 23 Oklahoma participating in the meet. ASU women’s team currently ranks No. 8 in the country.
Nettey is going to embrace the competition, as she will square off against a familiar foe.
“For me personally, the long jump will probably be the closest simulation to nationals that I will get,” Nettey said. “The girl that I tied with in indoors will be competing, and for me, there is no losing at home. So not only do I hope to have a great series of jumps, I’m trying to win.”
Nettey currently holds the No. 4 spot in the long jump nationally and will be facing off against No. 8 senior Andrea Geubelle from Kansas as her biggest competition.
But Nettey really wants to prove herself in her other event the 100-meter hurdles.
“For me coming back, hurdling this year is all about establishing myself, because I did fall off for a while,” Nettey said. “So a win is only a great confidence booster, which I will need throughout the championship season.”
Men need new leader
The men’s track and field team still sits in the top 25 but fell three spots from No. 15 to No. 18 after a lack-luster performance two weekends ago in the ASU Invitational.
While several men had a successful meet, redshirt senior thrower Jordan Clarke still headlines the men’s team.
Clarke’s all-star performance this season is substantial to the Sun Devil men’s overall results, but someone needs to help him carry the load if ASU wants to make a championship run as a team.
The men’s 4x100 and 4x400 relay team recorded great times at the ASU Invitational that put them at No. 7 and No. 11 in the country, respectively.
On the field side of things, redshirt junior Derick Hinch is climbing the rankings, sitting at No. 13 currently.
Hinch is one of the athletes on the men’s side that is stepping up in a big way and says he embraces the challenge Kraft is asking of his men.
“I will step up,” Hinch said. “But we really need to have someone from the sprint team to stand out and make himself a leader. We need to get more sprinters to NCAAs.”
That answer may come in the form of redshirt freshman Devan Spann, who ran away with two big victories in the 100-meter dash and men’s 4x400 at the ASU Invitational.
Kraft points to his success as a stepping stone as the team moves closer to championship season.
Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu
