Weekly Indoor Track and Field Notes (Jan. 13) - United Athletic Football Conference Skip To Main Content

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Weekly Indoor Track and Field Notes (Jan. 13)

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  • INDOOR SEASON GETS UNDERWAY
    The 2004 indoor track and field season gets into full swing this weekend, with six WAC teams in competition. Tulsa is competing at the Arkansas Invite, held in Fayetteville, Ark., at the site of the 2004 National Championships. Boise State is hosting the Bandanna Invite, a meet that includes the 2003 WAC Champion, Nevada. Rice stays in the city of Houston, competing with Louisiana Tech at the Leonard Hilton Memorial hosted by the Univ. of Houston. SMU travels north to Norman, Okla., for the Oklahoma Classic. This year's conference indoor season will once again conclude at Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho, where Boise State will host the 2004 WAC Indoor Championship.

  • ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
    Each week the Western Athletic Conference selects both a male and female athlete of the week. Each winner is based on the previous weeks performance regardless of being a runner or thrower. The athlete with the best individual performance helping his or her team to a good finish will be selected.

  • BOISE TO HOST 2003 WAC CHAMPIONSHIP - The 2004 Western Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship is going to be held at the Idaho Sports Center in Boise, Idaho. This years championship will be held Thursday, February 26 through Saturday, Februay 28.

  • 2003 WAC Championship - The Nevada women and the SMU men took home the 2003 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field crowns, earning 127.5 and 147 points, respectively. Individual honors went to Allison Beckford of Rice and Ray Ardill of Boise State, and Dalibor Balgac of SMU, who all received the WACs Outstanding Performance award. Taking home Freshman of the Year honors, were Olatunde Okusanya and Gerardo Cerrarsco of UTEP. Coach of the Year honores went to the two team champions, Curt Kraft of Nevada and Dave Wollman of SMU. The High Point Awards were handed out to Rices Beckford and Ryan Harlan.

    Finishing in second place for the men was Rice with 139 points, followed by defending champion, UTEP (116.5), Boise State (92), Fresno State (80.5), Louisiana Tech (44) and Tulsa (39). For the women, Rice earned runner-up honors with 120 points, while UTEP (93), SMU (80), Louisiana Tech (71), Tulsa (62), Fresno State (53), Boise State (43.5) and Hawaii (10) round out the womens side.

  • FRALEY NAMED 2003 USA TRACK AND FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR - Fresno State Director of Track and Field Bob Fraley has been named USA Track & Field's 2003 Nike Coach of the Year. Fraley, now in his 22nd season at Fresno State, played a pivotal role in rejuvenating the pole vault in the United States when in 1989 he created the Pole Vault Summit, now held in Reno, Nevada. Featuring competitions and an exchange of knowledge about pole vaulting, the event attracts more than 2,000 male and female athletes, from teenagers to Olympic gold medalists. His work has reaped dividends: in the last three years alone, Team USA men's pole vaulters have won the gold and silver medals at both the 2000 Olympic Games and 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships, as well as the bronze medal at the 2001 World Outdoor Championships. In 2003, his contributions reached a new level when he donated his salary to the school's track program in order to prevent it from being cut due to budgetary reasons.