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ASHLAND – For the first time since 2003, the Cascade Conference Track & Field Championships presented by U.S. Bank will return to Raider Stadium this weekend on the campus of Southern Oregon University.

Events for the 21st annual meet begin at 2 p.m. Friday and at 10 a.m. Saturday, and daily admission prices are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children, and free for SOU students. A weekend pass costs $15.

The Raider men have won the last two teams titles – edging Concordia by a score of 188 to 183 1/3 last year in Nampa, Idaho – and are a slight favorite to win it again, at least according to the USTFCCCA computer rankings. Then enter at No. 4 in the NAIA, while Concordia is No. 6 and Eastern Oregon is No. 7.

SOU's women have placed fourth in three of the last four seasons. College of Idaho claimed the last two championships, but Concordia (which won the previous five) is the top-ranked CCC team at No. 11. SOU is next among conference teams in 33rd and EOU is No. 36.

SOU MEN'S OUTLOOK

SPRINTS: The absence of last year's top six in the 100 meters and top four in the 200 meters opens the door for a new batch of All-CCC runners. SOU's JJ Latu (Hawthorne, Calif./Ladybird Johnson) (10.82) and Hayden Saparto (Medford, Ore./South Medford) (10.87) clocked the conference's top times during the regular season, while Gabe Derilo (Sacramento, Calif./El Dorado) (22.15) and Latu (22.18) are seeded third and fourth in the 200.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Devan Barkley (Stockton, Calif./Lincoln) (54.46) has an NAIA 'B' standard time and will be in a field featuring three 'A' qualifiers along with three-time defending champ Jordan Reeher of Concordia.

DISTANCE: On paper, the 800-meter race could be the best in the country. It features last year's NAIA champion, EOU's Hans Roelle (1:50.66), and SOU's Zach Boyd-Helm (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) (1:50.92), who is ranked fourth in the NAIA and was the 2013 NAIA runner-up. Also in the mix are SOU's Kevin Jorgensen (Yreka, Calif./Yreka) (1:52.52), who placed seventh for All-American status last year and is ranked No. 5 on the NAIA list; and Concordia's Matthew Clowes (1:51.32), who placed fourth in the NAIA last year.

The Raiders own four of the top-six CCC times in both the 1,500 and the 5K. Boyd-Helm (3:47.70), Jorgensen (3:48.46), Max Runia (Central Point, Ore./Crater) (3:41.40) and Dylan Alexander (Encino, Calif./Birmingham) (3:54.29) already have automatic qualifying times for the NAIA Championships in the 1,500 and will challenge the top-ranked Clowes (3:42.54), who was the NAIA runner-up last season. In the 5K, Alexander (14:17.19) is No. 3 in the NAIA and top-seeded in the conference, while Runia (14:31.89), Eric Ghelfi (Redding, Calif./Redding Adventist Academy) (14:33.29) and Ray Schireman (Medford, Ore./North Medford) (14:44.72) occupy the four-through-six seeds.

SOU should score big in the 10K, too. Ghelfi (30:24.90) is top-seeded and won the conference title last year before becoming an All-American. Runia (30:50.63) and Caleb Diaz (Medford, Ore./North Medford) (31:18.77) are seeded third and fourth with 'A' standard times, while Connor Cushman (West Linn, Ore./West Linn), Dylan Paulk (Portland, Ore./Grant) and Donnie Coulson (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles) give the Raiders six of the top eight seeds.

FIELD: Markus Sanders (Modesto, Calif./Carthage) last year became the fifth Raider to ever earn double-All-American status at the same meet by placing in both the discus and hammer. This year he's third on the NAIA list in the discus (176-9) and hammer (193-3) and No. 1 in the CCC lists. He – along with Danny Parks (Eugene, Ore.), who is seeded third in the discus (166-9) and placed third in the NAIA in 2013 – will try to stop Concordia's run of seven straight titles in the discus and four straight in the hammer.

In the long jump, Saparto is seeded sixth (22-7 3/4) and Anthony Neal (Central Point, Ore./Crater) is eighth (22-0 1/4), and Neal is 12th in the high jump (6-0).

SOU WOMEN'S OUTLOOK

SPRINTS: The Raiders hope the sprints become Amelia Maguin (Fernley, Nev./Fernley)'s show, and according to the rankings that's a strong possibility. Maguin is seeded fourth in the 100 (12.57), first in the 200 (24.60), first in the 400 (55.98), second in the 100 hurdles (14.59, off first by a hundredth of a second) and first in the 400 hurdles (59.07). Of course, her specialty is the 400 hurdles, in which she's placed second in the NAIA the last two years and has set CCC meet records in consecutive seasons. She'll also chip in with the relay efforts, where SOU is seeded third in the 4x100 and 4x400.

Margot Hamman (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark) gives the Raiders another strong chance to score, seeded sixth in the 100 (12.76) and 12th in the 200 (26.55), while Aspen Abbott (Gardnerville, Nev./Douglas) and Jessie Rozario (Rocklin, Calif./Del Oro) are qualified in the 400. In the 100 hurdles, Lauren McGowne (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) holds the No. 11 spot.

DISTANCE: In the 800, SOU record-holder Abbott (2:15.02) and Rozario (2:15.54) are seeded fourth and fifth with provisional NAIA qualifying marks in a loaded field that includes three auto qualifiers. Rozario is No. 1 in the 1,500 (4:36.50) after recording the top time in Raider history earlier this season, while Jessa Perkinson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) is No. 12 (4:47.88). Rozario is also No. 4 in the steeplechase (11:25.41) with a provisional qualifying time.

In the 5K, Perkinson slides up to No. 6 (18:10.16) and Lupescu to No. 10 (18:22.14). Lupescu has an NAIA 'A' mark in the 10K (37:14.17) for the second straight year and will challenge top-seeded Shea Vallaire (36:11.67) of Northwest Christian. Also qualified for the 10K are Emily Lamb (Felton, Calif./San Lorenzo Valley) (42:07.13), Kimberly Nava (Van Nuys, Calif./Birmingham) (42:17.94) and Atalie Frank (Salem, Ore./South Salem) (42:29.62).

FIELD: McGowne will attempt to defend her long-jump title as the No. 2 seed with a mark of 17-9, though Warner Pacific's Alyssa Neal built a 15 1/2-inch cushion during the regular season.

In the throws, SOU will turn to Breanne Buckles (Canby, Ore./Canby), who is seeded fourth in the hammer (141-4) and seventh in the discus (122-10 1/2); and Mel Gianotti, who is fifth in the hammer (141-4) and 10th in the discus (115-1).