Track can dull the brain with digits, but the only number that matters now is four, as in four Rainbow Wahine remain.

Hawai'i's Patricia Gauthier, Meghan Weaver and Emily Sheppard qualified for the 2006 NCAA West Region Track and Field Championships, Friday and Saturday at BYU. If they finish in the top five, they will join teammate Annett Wichmann at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7 to 10 in Sacramento.

The sophomore advanced directly to nationals when she won the Western Athletic Conference heptathlon with a UH record 5,374 points. Wichmann is ranked 17th in the country. The top 20 will be in Sacramento.

But how the Rainbows got to this point has little to do with numbers.

Wichmann, known to teammates as "The Germanator," grew up swimming, snowboarding and skiing. A fourth-grade teacher asked her to try track and field. She found an outlet for her physical talents and adventurous spirit.

"I knew I wanted to try out every single event," Wichmann recalled. "One event would be too boring."

Her gold-medal performance at the WAC Championships was breathtaking. Two nights later, at the team's first-ever banquet, teammates spoke of watching her run the final meters of the 800 with tears in their eyes.

"That's what rising to the occasion is all about," said coach Carmyn James. "It was also her last opportunity to qualify for nationals. She didn't crack under the pressure. She and Emily have that in common. They don't let negatives weigh them down."

In their sport, and particularly their events, that might be their most valuable asset.

With seven events, heptathlon takes amazing diversity and endurance. If Wichmann has a bad event, she tries to "draw a line" for herself to stop from dwelling on it.

Sheppard had to learn to "accept failure" to clear the bar in high jump. She was drawn to it in elementary school because she succeeded immediately, and "it involved minimal running."

"Apparently I was a lazy child and not much has changed," she said. "Over the years I've come to really love high jump for how it challenges me mentally and physically. To be successful, you have to really be focused, dedicated and passionate."

And exert tremendous force in a split second. The biomechanics of high jumping are cluttered with minutia, but ultimately those who win are the most focused. James claims the four Ps — positive, patient, on process and present — are the key to success.

The coach believes Sheppard and Wichmann, whose personal best is 5,600 points, are successful because they possess those Ps, along with exceptional motivation and upbeat personalities. They also might be the two strongest women on the team. James calls Sheppard, a freshman from Canada, a "bundle of explosive power" and plans to train her in pentathlon.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she wins the WAC pentathlon in her fourth year," James said. "Down the road, she could be an amazing heptathlete."

UH pole vault coach Spencer Chang speaks of Gauthier in the same sentence as "collegiate record." The junior cleared nearly 13 feet on May 6, but failed to get over 12 1/2 a week later at WAC Championships. Chang believes Gauthier, who has vaulted just two years, has the potential to go over 15 feet before she is done. The NCAA record is 15-1.

Chang has broken down the biomechanics of Gauthier's body and vault and thinks she has the speed, size and background — experience in gymnastics, hurdles and sprints — to go 14 feet now. She just has to believe it.

"The first thing we need to work on is confidence," Chang said. "Pole vault is such a mentally demanding event that if you are not in the right frame of mind everything goes to pieces."

Gauthier calls Chang's dedication to her pole vault cause a "life-changing" experience.

"To be successful in the pole vault, the most important thing you need, besides desire, is speed," Gauthier said. "If you are fast then you can work on your technique and huge things can happen.

"Besides that, the most important thing in my eyes is a great coach. You need a coach that will motivate you and whom you can trust."

Wichmann and Sheppard, both in their first year here, doubled Hawai'i's lifetime total of WAC gold medals. Gauthier and Weaver are making their second regional appearances in as many years. Weaver is the first Rainbow Wahine to qualify in three field events.

Like Chang, throwing coach Garrett Collier believes it is all a matter of confidence for Weaver.

"When she can relax, like she does in practice, the result should be pretty awesome," Collier said. "I strongly believe that Meghan could be a truly great thrower and represent Hawai'i on the NCAA level. I also think she needs to trust herself, limit her distractions and believe in her potential."

He has a believer in Weaver, who won the shot put and discus in her first meet as a high school freshman. She was hooked. A silver medal at last year's WAC Championships and eighth-place regional finish only added to her addiction. Now she is working on the area between her ears.

"You have to rely on yourself," said Weaver, who calls herself "blessed" to be coached by Collier. "No one can get into that circle and throw for you. You have to do it. You have to know that if you have a bad throw, you cannot let that be how your competition finishes. Put it behind you and move on. I think that this is where I am still learning."

NOTES

Annett Wichmann is only the second Rainbow Wahine to go to nationals since the program started again in 2001. Cheryl Smith took 12th in the 10,000 meters that first year.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.