DENVER Rices Marcel Hewamudalige and UTEPs Desiree Crichlow have been named the Western Athletic Conference mens and womens Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively.
Hewamudalige, a junior from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, broke the long-standing Rice record for the indoor 5,000 meters at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. His time of 14:31.51, five seconds better than the previous record, placed him second in the race. The previous school mark of 14:35.50 was set in 1991 by Keith Irwin.
Crichlow, a sophomore from St. Michael, Barbados, broke the Barbados national record in the high jump at the Iowa State Classic. She took second jumping 6-0 1/2 (1.84m), which is the third best mark in the NCAA this season. The mark was also an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships and ranks third best in the UTEP record books.
Additional mens nominees included: Ray Ardill, Boise State; Carlos Arrizon, Louisiana Tech; Abraham Ekal, SMU; Mircea Bogden, UTEP and Louis Dailey, Tulsa.
Additional womens nominees included: Abbey Elsberry, Boise State; Nicole Wright, Hawaii; Crystlle Church, Louisiana Tech; Kali Baker, Nevada; Kate Gorry, Rice and Brie Penaluna, Tulsa.