In the shadow of Hollywood, the Big West will have the first portion of its track extravaganza as the eight conference schools convene in Northridge for the heptathlon and decathlon championships at Matador Track on the campus of Cal State Northridge.

Cal Poly's James Nunno returns to defend his individual crown in the decathlon, while Cal State Northridge's Robert Robinson looks to improve on his runner-up finish from a year ago. Keep an eye on Justin Johnson of Cal State Northridge, Corbin Duer of Cal Poly and Chris Richardson of Long Beach State. Johnson has posted the highest point total in the conference in the multi-event so far in 2008, while Duer, a freshman, is ranked third. Richardson is returning to the championship after a year hiatus from competition.

Last year's heptatlon champion, Lauren Collins of UC Irvine, will not be returning to defend her crown, opening up the door for competitors to claim early points for their school. Cal Poly’s Sharon Day, who finished second a year ago, aims to grab the top spot in her final go-round at the Big West Championships. Also returning from a year ago is fourth place finisher Desirae Gonder of Cal State Northridge. This year, Cal Poly’s Sara Klein posted the top point total in the league, while Katie Black of Long Beach State and Lauri Schakett of UC Santa Barbara rank second and third, respectively.

Some clubs will also get in one last meet before the full Big West Championships next week. Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara will compete in the Claremont Classic, while UC Davis will have a contingent at both the Aggie Twilight and the Modesto Relays.