You might say that BYU coaches have traveled to the ends of the earth to assemble one of the finest track and field teams in the country this year. They have shopped all over the world - behind the fallen Iron Curtain and throughout Africa - to bring top young athletes to Provo.
Sign of the times: Anu Kaljurand, a 20-year-old from Tallinn, Estonia, USSR, is competing for BYU's track team. Kaljurand is a world-class long jumper - she was the European junior champ in '85, the silver medalist at the Junior World Championships in both '86 and '88, with a wind-aided leap of 22-5 to her credit - but Coach Craig Poole has other plans for her, as well. "We'd like to put Anu in (the heptathlon), as well as the high jump. She's the Soviet champion in the baseball throw and should be very good at the javelin and shot put."So Perestroika comes to Provo in the form of Wonder Woman.
Like Kaljurand, Frank Fredericks, BYU's All-America sprinter, might soon benefit from a changing political climate in his homeland. For years, South Africans, both white and black, have been barred from international competition because of that country's apartheid policies. But all that could change now that Frederick's native Namibia has won its independence from South Africa.
Fredericks is certainly up to the task of international meets. He had the third fastest time in the world last year for 100 meters. In the most recent NCAA indoor and outdoor meets, he has placed second once and third twice at 200 meters. His personal records are 10.02, 20.31, 46.28.
Along with Fredericks and Kaljurand, the Cougars also have freshman Olumemi Kayode, the Nigerian national junior champ who already has run 10.42 and 20.84 this year, Eric Akogyiram, a sophomore sprinter from Ghana, Loxley Walters, a 50-foot triple jumper from Jamaica, Per Karlsson and Leif Lundahl, a pair of Swedes who finished 1-2 in the NCAA indoor weight throw, and Shawn McAlmont, a hurdler from Canada who qualified for nationals last year in the intermediates.
The Cougars of course aren't alone in their international recruiting. It's widespead throughout the U.S. and has been for years. Utah State went to Nigeria to get Ime Akpan, who, only a sophomore, finished fourth in the NCAA 55-meter hurdles. She also dashed 11.82 and 24.98 last year.
The University of Utah's top athlete is Norweigian Knute Baaken, a former All-American cross country skier who switched to track when his eligibility was finished. He won the WAC indoor 3,000 earlier this month.
Foreigners will be among the more prominent athletes during the upcoming 1990 Utah collegiate track and field season. But don't write off the homegrown talent.
Here's a look at the rest of the state's collegiate track and field talent:
BRIGHAM YOUNG
As usual, the Cougars have tremendous depth, particularly in the middle-distance and distance events. This despite the temporary loss of the state's best 800-meter runner, Russ Muir, who will redshirt the season.
Two years ago, Ted Mecham, then a sophomore, finished second in the NCAA steeplechase. It was his first year in the event and everybody heralded the arrival of the next Henry Marsh. But last year Mecham never recovered from a winter flu bout and failed even to qualify for nationals.
"I think he's going to bounce back and have a good year," says Coach Willard Hirschi. Already he has run 8:49.
Mecham, the three-time WAC mile champ, has amazing range. On a lark he entered a 400-meter intermediate hurdle race this year and clocked 53.8.
Aside from Mecham, the Cougars have a number of superb young distance runners who are certain to make their mark in the future. Doug Hobbs, a sophomore and returned missionary, won the WAC indoor 5,000 and clocked 29:48 for 10,000 meters this month.
Mark Johansen, a freshman from Bountiful, and Leanne Martin, a sophomore from New Mexico, both represented the U.S. in the World Junior Cross Country Championships in France last week. Johansen finished 20th and was the first American. "He ran 9:07 in the first steeplechase in his life," says Hirschi. "He can do anything."
Hirschi has equally high expectations of Dave Spence, the freshman from Timpview. He already has run 3:50.5 for the 1,500 - the equivalent of a 4:07 mile. The Cougars also have three other promising Utah freshmen in Kristie Brown, Becky Bybee and Tara Laws.
Other Cougars to watch: sophomore Lane White, 17-61/2 in the pole vault last year; sophomore Cathy James, eighth in the NCAA discus last year; Hui-Chen Lee, an Olympian from Taiwan and a two-time All-America in the javelin; distance runners Melanie Barker and Nicole Birk; Chris Wilson, sixth in the '89 NCAAs with a PR of 6-2; heptathlete Laura Zaugg and decathletes Dave Draney and Scott Peterson.
What it all adds up to is conference championships for both the men's and women's teams, and probably a Top 10 finish at nationals.
WEBER STATE
If you're looking for good bloodlines, try Catrina Larsen, the younger sister of Julie Jenkins, a world-class 800-meter runner and former BYU NCAA champ. For years Julie has been telling people that Catrina has better talent than she has. That remains to be seen, but already Larsen, a sophomore from Plain City, is threatening to run under 55 in the 400.
She's one of a number of young up-and-coming runners on Weber's women's team. "We're mostly freshmen and sophomores," says Coach Jim Blaisdell. And most of them are from Utah and surrounding states. Last month, Elizabeth Ward, a freshman from Idaho, leaped 38-5 in her second try ever at the triple jump. Nicole Alder, a sophomore from Ogden, is a scant .04 of a second from breaking 12 seconds in the 100. Shelley Friery, a sophomore from Coalville, already has run a school-record 1:01.84 in the hurdles this year. Then there's a promising trio of distance runners, all underclasswomen, all Utahns - Carylynne Davis, Michelle Blaisdell and Debbie Howard.
For the moment, though, Weber's best hopes are juniors Karen Packham and Shauna Turner. Packham already has run 4:32 for 1,500 meters this year. She ran the state's fastest 5,000 last year (17:35.0) and the second fastest 3,000 (9:56.31). Turner qualified for nationals in the shot put a year ago.
On the men's side, Coach Chick Hislop as usual has a couple of superb steeplechasers. Kurt Black, a sophomore from Davis High, is a former junior national steeplechase champion who is rounding into form again after serving a church mission. Teammate Brad Barton, a junior from Idaho, is the team's best steepler at the moment. He won the Willie Williams Invitational in Arizona with a time of 8:51.23.
Jon Wagstaff, a senior from Layton, again will battle McAlmont for honors as the state's best high hurdler. Teammate Terry Kealamakia, a junior from Layton, will push McAlmont in the intermediates. He won the Willie Williams meet with a fine early-season time of 52.70.
Others to watch: sprinters Jody Marshall (10.61) and Scott Douglass (47.95); Jim Stone, a decathlete who long jumped 23-11 indoors; and freshman Melvin Maxwell, a 23-8 jumper.
UTAH STATE
Earlier this month, Craig Carter, a senior from Clearfield, threw the shot put 63-01/2 to place fourth in the NCAA Indoor Championships. But throwing the shot put is only part of what he does for the Aggies. Carter, married, with children (three), also won the discus and hammer throw in last year's Big West Conference Championships and was named the league's track Athlete of the Year.
There's only one other athlete as busy as Carter on meet day: Eric Sullivan. Besides being a versatile jumper - 24-7 in the long jump, 6-9 in the high jump, 47-0 in the triple jump - he also runs on USU's two sprint relays.
Others to watch: Scott Butterfield (1:51.53); distance runner Brett Hill (9:04.3 in the steeplechase this year); and Derrick Miller, a freshman from Sacramento who clocked 1:52.77/48.6 as a prep.
On the distaff side, the Aggies have LaSabre Bell, a freshman from Alaska whom Coach Vaughn Courtney calls, "a baby in track and field. She ran 25.8 and 57.8 last year on very limited training. Alaska's track season is only six weeks long."
Others to watch: Janelle Nielsen, a senior from Sandy (55.70); Patricia Otiede, a senior from Nigeria (2:12.67); Agneta Westen, a freshman heptathlete from Sweden who also excels in the high jump (5-111/4).
THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Unable to compete for sprinters, the Utes are trying to build their program around distance runners. Aside from Baaken, they have: Bruce Gardner, a senior from Murray who was second in the WAC indoor 3,000; John Schieffer, a freshman from East High who was third in the WAC mile; and Jennifer Ward, the conference 10,000 champ two years ago who missed last year with an injury.
The Utes have a fine sister jumping act in Karen and Brenda Alcorn, but probably both will miss the season with injuries. The Utes still have Traci Olsen, a sophomore high jumper from Granger who finished ninth at indoor nationals with a leap of 5-111/2, and Collin Davis, a senior from Hillcrest High who has finished third in the WAC long jump the last two years.
Jeff Brown, a senior from Olympus, has just missed breaking 51 seconds in the intermediate hurdles the last two years. Sharon Siebold, a junior from Sandy, will be one of the state's top throwers after missing last year with an injury.