DENVER Rices Ryan Harlan and Boise States Miruna Mataoanu have been named the Western Athletic Conference mens and womens Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively.
Harlan, a senior from Hewitt, Texas, competed in his first decathlon in almost two years. Harlan scored the top mark in the world for 2004 thus far with 8,054 points during Friday and Saturday's competition at the LSU Alumni Gold meet in Baton Rouge, La. With the score, Harlan, who redshirted the 2003 outdoor season with an elbow injury, not only automatically qualifies for the NCAA outdoor championships in June, but also automatically qualifies for the USA Olympic Trials in July. The mark also stands as a Rice record, topping Harlan's previous best by 106 points. Through the two-day competition, he notched personal best decathlon marks in the 400 and 1500 meters as well as the pole vault and the shot put.
Mataoanu, a freshman from Bucharest, Romania, won the high jump and triple jump at the State Challenge Cup in Pullman, Wash., with NCAA Regional qualifying marks in both events. Her winning high jump mark was 5-10.75 (1.80 m) and the triple jump mark of 41-11.25 (12.78 m). Her triple jump was the second longest in Boise State history. She also placed third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.80.
Additional mens nominees included: Forest Braden, Boise State; and Ben Orozco, Tulsa.
Additional womens nominees included: Kara June, Fresno State; Tasha Moore, Hawaii; Doria Appleberry, Louisiana Tech; Allison Beckford, Rice and Ashley Ast, Tulsa.