Dawgs & Cats this Saturday...GNAC Friday/Saturday in Ellensburg...Stanford Invite Sunday


The big happening in the state of Washington is the annual Washington/Washington State dual track meet in Pullman Saturday on the campus of Washington State University.

The rivalry dates back over 100 years, with the Husky men and Cougar women earning wins last year in Seattle. The meet takes place at WSU's Mooberry Track Complex, with the first events scheduled for 11 a.m. Both men's teams are currently ranked in the top-30, with Washington State, led by senior javelin thrower Jon Jeffreys (left/photo courtesy Washington State University) sitting at 25th and Washington climbing to No. 30 this week.

Washington and Washington State are two of the oldest track rivals in the nation, having met 92 times since 1900 and annually since 1946. The Cougars boast a 57-34-1 advantage on the men's side, but it is Washington which currently owns a three-meet winning streak, its longest since an 11-meet streak ended way back in 1932. Last year the UW men gave WSU its worst Husky Stadium defeat since 1922, winning 103-60. The Huskies also won the last meeting in Pullman, 112-91, in 2006. The women's situation is almost the exact opposite -- Washington holds the all-time series advantage at 19-13 (women's track was not considered a varsity sport before 1979), but the Cougars enter Saturday's meet having won three straight over UW, and 10 of the last 11 in the series overall. The one win in that span for the Husky women came in Pullman, a 108-95 victory in 2004.

Using season-best lists and past performances, the 2007 meet is predicted to finish with a WSU win on the women's side and a very tight contest on the men's side. Results from the meet will be posted at www.wsucougars.com following the last scheduled event.

In Ellensburg, Central Washington plays host to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) championships Friday and Saturday. Seattle Pacific, Seattle University, and Western Washington will send full teams to the GNAC meet.

Finally, a slew of athletes from the state of Washington led by double world champion Bernard Lagat will run at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University on Sunday. This meet has traditionally hosted some of the fastest early season times, particularly in the distance races. Results will be posted on the track & field site at gostanford.com.

NOTE: The sports information offices of the University of Washington, Washington State University, Stanford University, and Seattle Pacific University all contributed to this report.

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