ARCATA — Riddle: What do you get when you cross Lumberjacks with Wildcats? Answer: A formidable concentration of Northern California's top track and field athletes.

One of few occasions when the "North" is actually south of the "South" is the annual Border Battle, a track and field meet created with the unique format of combining the scores of two Southern Oregon schools against those of two Northern California schools. Humboldt State joins Chico State in representing NorCal, while Southern Oregon University and Oregon Institute of Technology team up to compete on behalf of the southern region of Oregon.

This year's meet will be held Saturday in OIT's John F. Moehl Stadium in Klamath Falls, Ore. Competition begins at noon.

Meet Notes
Last year's fourth annual Border Battle saw the Californians earn one-sided team titles in both the men's and women's competitions. In 2011, the Oregon team won the men's competition, 147-143, and California won the women's title, 137-125. In 2009 and 2010, it was the California squads combining to win both the men's and women's competitions…Scoring will be compiled as usual for a quad meet, but Chico State's and HSU's totals will be added together, as will Southern Oregon's and Oregon Tech's, …This year's meet is the fifth time the competition has been held. Humboldt State hosted last year's battle …The scoring format allows each team to count its top two finishers in each event. Points will be awarded on a 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis from top finisher down.

Lumberjack Men's Notes
One week after concentrating athletes in their best events, HSU's coaching staff will mix and match individuals on Saturday. What that means is that a particular runner/thrower/jumper might compete in an event other than his/her primary one, helping determine where other points might be gained in preparation for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. …After producing the first two NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks of the season, Humboldt State's Austin Huff and Jantzen Oshier will take a break from competition on Saturday. Oshier's time of 3 minutes, 50.15 seconds in the 1,500 meters, achieved Saturday at the Stanford Invitational, is well below the 3:52.00 provisional standard and currently ranks the HSU sophomore fifth in the nation in that event. Huff's 10,000 meter effort of 30:32.72 is 19 seconds quicker than the provisional, and lists him No. 9 among NCAA Division II runners in that race this spring. …Also backing down a bit after a weekend of hard racing will be HSU distance and middle distance runners. The 4,099 foot elevation also isn't conducive to quick times at the longer events, but can work in the favor or sprinters and jumpers. …With the thin air in their favor, HSU sprinters JJ Latu, Boris Davis, Teigan Eilers and Kyle Alvarez will look for improvement in their races, from 100 to 400 meters. Eilers achieved a personal record in the 400 (51.15) while competing in the decathlon at the Cal Multi Meet. …Hurdlers Alex Pili and Fred Rosser will be back in action following impressive performances in the 400 meter hurdles at Stanford. Thrower Marcus Probasco, who was entered in only the shot put this past week, will also compete in the javelin and discus at Klamath Falls.

Lumberjack Women's Notes
Jessy Eaton will try to make it two consecutive PR weekends in the 200 meters, and will also look for her best time as a Lumberjack in the 100 on Saturday. Hurdler Kate Earle, who achieved a huge season-best of 1:05.55 in the 400 hurdles last week, will race that distance again at the Border Battle while also seeking improvement in the 100 hurdles. …Provided extra recovery time after running the 10,000 and 5,000 meter races last week, Amanda Camarillo, Nina Carson and Imogene Carson will remain in Arcata to prepare for the following weekend's Chico Twilight meet. …Junior Devon Kelsey posted time of 4:43.03 in the 1,500 meters at last week's San Francisco State Distance Carnival, indicating she's on the comeback trail following three weeks of curtailed training due to injury. She will also pass on the trip to Oregon and focus on the following weekend. …Among CCAA athletes, junior transfer Miya Cato is the highest-ranked Lumberjack in a particular event, listing No. 3 in the hammer with a distance of 149 feet, 11 inches. Brittainy Chown ranks fifth in the long jump at 17-7.5, and Marissa McCay is sixth in the triple jump with a best distance of 36-3.5. On the track, Eatmon's 12.43 is fifth in league in the 100 meters, and Earle's time in the 400 hurdles is sixth in the CCAA. Camarillo's time of 38:39.38 in the 10,000 meters also ranks sixth among CCAA performances in that event.

Pesch's Proverbs
"This is a great meet for our sprinters, throwers and jumpers. They can take advantage of the altitude and pursue their best marks. It's better for the long distance crew to wait until the following weekend at Chico to compete." … "(The Border Battle) is definitely a format that the athletes seem to enjoy. It's a lot of fun for them, and they seem to enjoy the pride of representing Northern California along with the athletes from Chico State."