United Athletic Conference

BOISE STATE RETURNS TO TOP 25 ?“ The Boise State men?™s team returned to the Trackwire.com top 25, coming in at 22nd. The Broncos are led by two members of the Dandy Dozen, Trackwire?™s ranking system. Mattias Jons is ranked fifth in the hammer, while Keron Francis is second in the javelin.

Click here forsa .pdf version of the WAC Track and Field Weekly Notes.

XBOX LIVE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK ?“ Boise State?™s Keron Francis and Louisiana Tech?™s Nina Gilbert have been named the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference men?™s and women?™s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively.

Francis, a senior from LaSagesse, Granada, posted the second-best collegiate javelin throw in the country this year at 242-3 (73.85m) in winning the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. The throw was just off his personal best of 243-2 set in 2004, and just a little over three feet shy of the current collegiate leader, Eric Brown of Arkansas at 245-10 (74.94m). This was the first time this year Francis has thrown the javelin in competition.

Gilbert, a junior from Houston, Texas, ran the third fastest time in the nation this past week in the women?™s 400 meters at the Jim Mize Tech Twilight with a time of 52.34. The time is also the best in the WAC, a new school record and regional qualifying mark.

Other Men Nominated: Jason Morgan, Louisiana Tech.

Other Women Nominated: Eleni Kafourou, Boise State and Erin Streater, New Mexico State.

WAC IN THE DANDY DOZEN ?“ Trackwire.com features 10 WAC track and field stars in this weeks Dandy Dozen rankings. Idaho?™s Russ Winger is ranked sixth in the shot put. Boise State?™s Mattias Jons is fifth in the hammer, while fellow Bronco, Keron Francis, is second in the javelin. For the women, Idaho?™s Dee Olsen ranks seventh in the 1,500 meters. Louisiana Tech?™s 4x400-meter relay squad sits 12th, while Techster Nina Gilbert is seventh in the 400m. Fresno State's Mallory Webb is ranked eighth in the javelin.

WAC TOP PERFORMANCESs?“ Click on the following link for the WAC's 2006 Top Performers.

TRACKWIRE NATIONAL RANKINGS ?“ Click on the following links for the men and women's Trackwire and Dandy Dozen Rankings.

Trackwire Rankings
Dandy Dozen - Women | Men
NCAA Qualifiers - Women | Men

WAC CHAMPIONSHIP TRAVELS TO THE ISLAND ?“ The 2006 edition of the WAC Championship travels to Honolulu and Cooke Field. The meet will be held Feb. 10-13 with the multi-events on May 10 and 11, and the preliminaries and finals on May 12 and 13. The Boise State men and Louisiana Tech women look for the season sweep as both won the indoor crowns. Louisiana Tech is back to defend its title, where departed member, UTEP, won on the men?™s side last season.

NCAA REGIONAL SITES ?“ There are four sites selected for the NCAA Regional Championships. Each site will host May 26-27, 2006. The following are the sites and information.

East Region
Host: North Carolina A&T State University
Greensboro, N.C.
Web site: ncataggies.com

Mideast Region
Host: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tenn.
Web site: utsports.com

West Region
Host: Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Web site: byu.edu

Midwest Region
Host: University of Texas, Austin
Austin, Texas

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ?“ The 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship returns to Sacramento, Calif., June 7-10, 2006. Sacramento State is the event?™s host.

Finals June 7-10, 2006
A.G. Spanos Sports Complex
Sacramento, Calif.
Hosts: Sacramento State and Sacramento Sports Commission
Ticket info: 916/566-6560
Web site: hornetsports.com

WAC ENTERS NEW ERA ?“ The WAC is a nine-team league with the additions of Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State following the departures of Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa. It is the third time in conference history that the WAC will be comprised of nine teams (1980-91 and 2000).