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IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's indoor track & field team will make its way to Seattle this weekend for the MPSF Championships, Feb. 24-25.

Twenty of the top teams in the West are set to compete at the 2017 MPSF Indoor Championships. The group, which is comprised of members of the Big West, Pac-12 and West Coast Conferences, features six teams that are ranked in the latest USTFCCCA Top-25, including No. 1 Oregon and No. 5 USC.

"This is our most competitive meet of the year, obviously because there are so many high-end teams, including all of the Pac-12," said UCI head coach Jeff Perkins. "The level of talent is extremely high. For the people who don't qualify for nationals, this is it for them in terms of indoor, so we're excited about where they can finish off."

The MPSF meet will be held at the University of Washington's Dempsey Indoor for the 15th consecutive season. Action is set to get underway with the weight throw at 12 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the shot put and high jump kick things off at 10:30 a.m., while the track events are slated for an 11:30 a.m. start with the 60m hurdle final.

"We're familiar with the facility, we go there multiple times every year," Perkins said. "It hasn't changed and the dynamics are the same."

UC Irvine will send a contingent of 16 student-athletes, including current school-record holders Persis William-Mensah (60m, 200m), Megan George (60H) and Dazhana Bauer-Jackson (Weight Throw).

"We are taking our biggest talent pool on the women's side," Perkins added. "It will be exciting to see how they stack up – that is what the MPSF is all about, is to see where you stand among the nation's best. They are as prepared as they will be at this point and they're just ready for the challenge."

LAST TIME OUT
Two weeks ago, UC Irvine traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete against some of the top teams in the nation at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.

"The Don Kirby Invitational is a set up for the MPSF Championships," Perkins said. "A lot of the competition is the exact same competition we'll see in two weeks. This meet prepares us for what we will see at MPSF."

Junior Persis William-Mensah stepped up to the challenge as she broke her own school record in both the 60m and 200m. In the 200, she shaved .47 seconds off her previous best with a time of 24.31, which was good for 18th place. The following day, William-Mensah crossed the finish line in 7.43 seconds in the 60m semis to advance to the finals where she came in eighth.

Senior Crystal Lizaola also notched her second record in as many meets as she topped the UCI charts in the 600m. Lizaola, who finished sixth overall, clocked in at 1:33.93, beating Kaulyn Lee-McNeill's mark of 1:35.72 from the 2016 season.

Senior Megan George continued a solid indoor campaign with an appearance in the 60m hurdle final, where she took eighth. George qualified with a time of 8.43 (8.45 altitude adjusted) in the semis.

HELLO, SEATTLE
The MPSF Championships will be the Anteaters' second meet at Dempsey Indoor this season. They also made the trek up to Seattle for the UW Invitational, Jan. 27-28.

RECORD BREAKERS
Five current 'Eaters are responsible for seven indoor school records, five of which have been set this season. Junior Persis William-Mensah eclipsed her own standard in the 60m (7.43) and 200m (24.38) at the Don Kirby Invitational. Senior Crystal Lizaola also topped a five-year old record in the 800m with a time of 2:12.93, while establishing a program-best 1:33.93 in the 600m. In the season opener, senior Megan George bettered her own school record by .10 seconds in the 60m hurdles with a mark of 8.44 at the Lumberjack Team Challenge.

In addition to William-Mensah, Lizaola and George, junior Simone Buchanan sits at No. 1 in the 400m (56.52), while junior Dazhana Bauer-Jackson is at the top of the list in the weight throw (55-10.25).

LEAVING A MARK
Sophomore Barbara Coward, who set an outdoor school record in the discus as a freshman, came close to breaking Bauer-Jackson's weight throw record in her first career indoor meet. At the Lumberjack Team Challenge (Jan. 21), the Atwater, Calif., native finished fourth overall with a toss of 55-00.25, which ranks second in program history. Coward also threw for 50-02.5 at the UW Invitational, and 52-09.5 at the Don Kirby Elite. She and Bauer-Jackson have set themselves apart from the rest of UCI's top-10 as they are the only two Anteaters to surpass 50 feet.

UP NEXT
The NCAA Indoor Championships, which features the top-16 individuals in each event, are scheduled for March 10-11 in College Station, Texas. UC Irvine also begins its outdoor season at the All-UC Championships in La Jolla, Calif., on Saturday, March 4.