By Jared Fields, Managing Editor

Long-distance standout Nicodemus Naimadu will do something he’s never done before this weekend – run 10,000-kilometers at Stanford.

“It’s the best place in the world to run distance,” said head coach Don Hood. “It’s a great atmosphere and the premier distance meet in the nation.”

Hood said Naimadu may run the 10,000k instead of the 5000k at nationals this year.

Besides Naimadu, four men distance runner and only one woman runner, Ohla Kryv’yak, are going to Stanford. Laurant Ngirakamaro, Serge Gasore, Phillip Birgen and Julius Nyango are the other men going to Stanford to compete.

The other 21 women and 17 men competing this weekend will go to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Jessica Withrow will be at UTEP competing in the high jump and 100-meter hurdles. Withrow, who has provisionally qualified in the heptathlon, said she is doing the two events as practice for the heptathlon.

“I want to jump five-feet and eight inches in the high jump and get in the 14s in the hurdles,” Withrow said. “I feel like I am doing better than where I was at this time last year.”

Withrow said she was disappointed when she missed making the trip to Boston for the indoor championships, but her total of 5,294 points leaves her about 40 points off the school record.

Hood is running a lot of athletes at just less than full health, but said he is looking forward to seeing how they perform.

“[Marvin] Bien-Aime’s going to run the relays this week. Keva [Wilkins], we’re going to test her in the 400 and see how she does,” Hood said.

Hood said freshman hurdler and sprinter Andrew McDowell is back to running and has looked good in practice.

“It’s going to be a good meet,” Hood said. “It’s not a really big meet but the quality of the competition is good.”