A small contingent of five athletes will represent The Evergreen State College as the track & field season kicks into gear for the Geoducks on Saturday at the PLU Open in Parkland.

First-year head coach Peter Oviatt will see where a month of training for the outdoor season has led for the five athletes he has entered in the meet. Competing for the Evergreen women's team are Ali Mackey in the hammer throw, Pauline Allen in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Roban Bazan in the 5000 meters, and Camille Christenson in the 100 meters and triple jump. Representing the Evergreen men is Gabe Murrey-Inskeep in the 800 meters.

Of the five listed above, only Christensen competed for the Geoducks during the 2016 outdoor season. She is not the only returnee from last year, however, as Zeb Hoffman and Jonathan Jack-Nixon also return for their senior seasons. Hoffman is the defending NAIA national champion in the men's hammer throw, while Jack-Nixon is a conference meet finalist as a sprinter. 

Both Hoffman and Jack-Nixon will not compete this weekend, like a handful of other athletes who have been involved in early season workouts. Oviatt hopes to have the full contingent of his team - six men and six women are on the tentative roster - available on March 25 when Evergreen competes at the Peyton Scoring Meet hosted by the University of Puget Sound.