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2004 NCAA INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP - The 2004 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships was held March 12-13, at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of Arkansas. The WAC boasted 14 athletes at the competition.
LSU swept the championship, taking the womens title with 44.5 points, while the Tiger men edged Florida, 52-51. On the mens side for the WAC, UTEP tallied 4.5 points to finish 42nd, while SMU finished 50th with three. For the women, SMU was 38th with three points, whle Rice finished with 1.5 points for 49th.
Scoring for the UTEP men was WAC runner-up in the high jump, Henderson Dottin. He cleared 2.20m in the high jump, finishing fourth. SMUs Mickael Hanany and Einar Hjartson finished 10th and 11, respectivley with heights of 2.17m and 2.13m. Two-time WAC Champion, Boise States Ray Ardill posted a time of 21.25 in the 200m, but didnt make the finals. Fellow Bronco Forest Braden just missed gathering points for the Broncos, finishing ninth in the 3,000m with a time of 8:06.83. Boise States Kendrick Johnson made the finals flight in the triple jump, but finished ninth with a distance of 15.61m. Hannes Hopley finished sixth in the shot put with a distance of 19.03m
For the women, WAC high jump champion, Nevena Lendel posted a height of 1.81 at NCAAs to finish sixth. UTEPs Desiree Crichlow finished ninth, clearing 1.77m. In the 3,000m, UTEPs Adriana Pirtea finished 16th with an uncharacteristic time of 9:41.88. In the weight throw, Abbey Elsberry of Boise State made the finals flight, but finished ninth with a heave of 20.71m. Beth Hinshaw tied her best mark of the year in the pole vault, clearing 4.05m, a Rice school record. She earned 1.5 points for the Owls tying for seventh. Fellow Owl Ally Duam finished with a no height. In the pentathlon, Maranda Brownson finished 14th with a point total of 3,751.
OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD SET TO BEGIN - With the Indoor NCAA Championships a thing of the past, the student-athletes focus their attention on the 2004 outdoor season. Many teams have already competed, but competition gets into full swing this week. The WAC season concludes with the conference championship in Houston at the Rice Track Stadium, May 14-17. For more information, stay tuned to wacsports.com.
2004 WAC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP - The Boise State men and Nevada women both brought home team titles at the 34th 2004 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship in Nampa, Idaho. In the final day of competition, Nevada entered the day 34 points up on UTEP, and finished the championship with 151 points. It is the second team title for the Wolf Pack in as many tries in Nampa. Boise State had the home track advantage and posted 169 points to take home its first WAC track title.
In winning the 2004 WAC Indoor Championship, the Broncos brought home 24 points to start the competition in the heptathlon, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. In second for the men was UTEP at 133, while Rice grabbed third with 128. Taking fourth was SMU (88), fifth was Louisiana Tech (78), with Tulsa (52) rounding out the field. For the women, Nevadas 151 points was 22.5 than its total from a year ago. Taking second was Louisiana Tech, registering 116 points, with 91.50 points going to Rice, good for third. In fourth was UTEP (85), fifth was Tulsa (67) and Boise State (61) sixth. SMU (41), Fresno State (29.50) and Hawaii (14) round out the womens field, respectivley.
Nevada defended its 2003 title bringing home 151 points, giving head coach Curt Kraft the title as 2004 WAC Coach of the Year. In other awards for the women, Louisiana Techs Nina Gilbert was named the WACs Freshman of the Year. Gilbert finished second in the 400m, while she also helped the Lady Techsters to a first-place performance in the 4x400m relay. Tulsas Shana Robinson of Tulsa and Adriana Pirtea of UTEP both tallied 20 points to earn the high point award. The Outstanding Performer Award went to Robinson as she won the 60m and 200m. She has led the confence in those events all season.
For the men, Boise State head coach Mike Maynard was named the Coach of the Year following his teams performance at this years championship. Boise States Forest Braden grabbed the Outstanding Performer honor, as he won the mile, took second in the 5,000m and was third in the 3,000. In registering 25 points in the 2004 Championship, Mircea Bogden of UTEP, earned the meets High Points Award. Freshman of the Year went to both Daniel Ward of UTEP and Mickael Hanany of SMU.
The Boise State men brought 13 medals of the weekend with six golds, five silvers and two bronze. The Wolf Pack tallied 12 medals with three of both, gold and silver, while adding six bronze. The Louisiana Tech women brought home four golds to lead the women.
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.