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Related Material
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Weekly Indoor Notes.pdf
2003 Top Performances.pdf
2003 WAC Championship Preview.pdf
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Women - LaVada Hill, a senior from Lufkin, Texas, won her second WAC Athlete of the Week award this season, breaking her own school record in the long jump. She surpassed her old mark of 6.15m (20-2 ) by over seven inches, reaching 6.34m (20-9 ), taking first at the Sooner Invitational. The mark is also the third-best in the nation this season.
OTHER NOMINATIONSWomen - Shante Winters of Nevada won the 200 meters at the Holiday Inn Classic with a school record time of 24.45. The time is the fourth best in the WAC this season. She was also a part of the winning 4x400 meter relay team ... Jamese James of Tulsa won the 600-yard run for the second time this season with a season-best time of 1:23.03. She also improved on her own school-record time in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.73.
2003 WAC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPThe 34th Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship takes place on Thursday, February 27 through March 1 at the Jacksons Track at the Idaho Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho. Nine of the 10 WAC schools will be in attendance. Boise State, Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa all sponsor both men and womens teams. Hawaii and Nevada only sponsor a womens porgram.
The Penthalon begins on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 4:00 p.m. Competition for the follwing two days begins with field events at 4:00 p.m.
Boise State will host this years championship at its new indoor facility, the Jackson Track at the Idaho Sports Center. Both the men and women are looking for their first WAC title, entering just their second WAC Indoor Championship. For the women, Abbey Elsberry will make a strong push in the throwing events, having provisionally qualified in the 20lb. weight throw. Robin Wemple is the Broncos leading distance runner, owning the teams top times in the mile and both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. On the mens side, Ray Ardill returns to defend his 400-meter title. He also owns the top time in the WAC this season in the 200 meters. Along with Ardill, the Broncos 4x400 meter relay team has the second best time in the WAC this season. Kenny Johnson leads the team in both the triple and long jump events.
Fresno State took third on both the men and womens sides at last years championship. Pole vaulter Russell Weaver is back to defend his 2002 title, owning the second-best jump this season, behind teammate Justin Schwartz. Quarter milers, Aaron Vasquez and Reggie Allen look to become the first-ever Bulldogs indoor 400 meter champion. Vasquez time of 48.01 is second in the WAC this year. For the women, sprinter Crystal Phillips time of 7.07 in the 55 meters, notches her second in that event. Kara June will be carrying the load in the distance events for the Bulldogs, as she leads the team in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. In field events, Bergann Hernandez cleared 3.97m (13-0) in the pole vault Feb. 8, to claim the top heighth of 2003 in the WAC.
Hawaii dropped one of its two scheduled mainland meets in February and because of that, will not meet the NCAA minimum contest requirement. Those meets, along with the WAC Championship, would have given the Wahine the minimum of four requirements. Hawaii will look for points from distance specialists Victoria Chang and Hanna Bremler.
Louisiana Tech looks to improve on its seventh and ninth-place finishes on the men and womens sides, respectively. from a season ago. The men are led by transfer thrower, Jerry LaPoint. LaPoint has taken top honors in the only three meets the Bulldogs competed in, before the WAC Championship, in the 35lb. weight throw. Distance runners, Stefan Malqvist and Carlos Arrizon have been consistently among the best in each of their meets. For the Lady Techsters, Ayanna Alexander comes into the championship, having set two school records in her previous outing. She topped the old school marks in both the long jump (5.91m) and triple jump (12.79m). Tawanna Williams has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a WAC-leading shot put of 15.57m.
Nevada, who competed in five events before the WAC Championship, is looking to surpass Rice for its first WAC indoor title. Rice edge the Wolf Pack in 2002 by 20 points. Nevada comes to the championship hot, winning each of its outings this season. As a team, the Pack owns three of the WACs top five times in both the 55 meters and 55 meter hurdles. Nicole McRae and Erin Kelly lead a strong running corps.
The
Rice men try for their first WAC indoor title, while the women are looking for their fourth straight. Along with 20 returing letterwinners from 2002, the Lady Owls are led by All-American Allison Beckford. Beckford is undefeated in 400 meters at the conference championship, trying for her fourth-straight title. Her mark of 52.34 leads the WAC. The distance duo of Tanya Wright and Katie Waite will test the rest of the field in each event from the 800 to 5,000 meters. On the mens side, Ryan Harlan returns to defend his pentathlon championship. His 4,049 points in 2002 are a WAC record. The men return 21 letterwinners from last seasons runner-up team. The Owl long jump duo of Vaughn Walwyn and Tommy Olesky are back for 2003. Walwyn won the WAC indoor title last season, while Olesky is a two-time All-American in the long jump.
SMU will rely on distance runners to garner points for the men, while the women look to their jumpers. For the men, Lukas Musil, Martin Allgeyer, Dalibor Balgac and Mindi Pukstas each own the WACs top time in the 800 meters, mile, 3,000 and 5,000 meters, respectively. The Mustangs distance medley squad is the only WAC team to qualify for the NCAA Championship (9:37.39). They were the only WAC mens team to enter Trackwires top 25, going as high as 17th. For the women, Nvenna Lendel, LaVada Hill and Zivile Pukstiene lead the WAC in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, respectively. Also for the Mustangs, All-American and WAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, Karin van Rooyen leads the distance charge.
UTEP returns to defend its mens title, while the women look to knock Rice off its throne. The women were ranked 24th in the Trackwire poll, proving they have the weapons to take the 2003 crown. Quarter mile tandem of Yemi Fagbamilla and Olatunde Okusanya are 2-3 in the WAC top times, looking to take the title from Rices Allison Beckford. Corine van Beek returns as the only Miner to defend her title, bringing home the 2002 mile. Desiree Crichlow and Stephanie Highman are UTEPs best chance at becoming the first-ever Miner to win the high jump. The men look for their second-straight and 16th overall WAC indoor title. Taiwo Ajibade leads the tough Miner spinter corps, owning the WACs best time in the 55-meter hurdles and 60 meters. High jumper Henderson Dottin is defending his 2002 title,while Adrian Ghioroaie tries to defend the triple jump. Three-time All-American, Bashir Ibrahim, looks to defend both his mile and 3,000 meter titles.
Tulsa was fourth on the mens side last season, while the women were fifth. The men picked up their highest finish in a meet in five years, placing second at the Central Missouri Invite. Andy Norman, a cross country first-team all-WAC member, and Owain Matthews lead a stong distance corps. The Hurricane will look to Jamal Bogle for points off of sprints. For the women, Monica Joannes is undefeated in the 600-yard run twice and 400 meters once. Sprinter Shana Robinson provisionally qualifying in the 60 meters with a school record time of 7.38. There have been 13 Hurricane individually crowned as champions in 2003.
Results for the 2003 WAC Championship will be available after each break during the day. They will be posted on and www.wacsports.com. For more information on WAC indoor tack and field visit wacsports.com or contact Joe Menaugh at (303) 799-9221 x207.
TRACKWIRE POLL - The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualfying competitions across the country. This projection is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.
The factors used to build the D12 include quantitative values that measure performances in past major competitions (such as conference championships, national championships and Olympic competition), durability and freedom from injuries, demonstrated ability to compete well in multiple rounds of competition, ability in other events, head-to-head competition with other top athletes, and personal or seasonal bests.