DENVER ? New Mexico State’s Devin Brooks and Idaho’s Mykael Bothum have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Jan. 14-20. This is the first career WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for both Brooks and Bothum. This is the first season that honors for both “Track” and “Field” athletes will be awarded each week.
Brooks, a freshman from Seattle, Wash. (Holy Names), made her Aggie debut at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, Texas, finishing first and breaking the indoor school record in the 55-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.21, surpassing the current record time of 8.41, which was set 13 years ago. Brooks also placed ninth in the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.27, ranking sixth all-time in Aggie history.
Bothum, a sophomore from Hermiston, Ore., (Hermiston), won the shot put at the Washington State Open by a two-foot, seven-inch margin and broke the meet record by more than two-feet with a best throw of 49’ 9.25”. Her throw ties the Vandal school record that she set at last year’s WAC Championships and was just three centimeters away from throwing a NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Bothum’s throw is also currently the best in the WAC so far by more than two feet.
Other Track nominees included: Heather Bergland of Idaho was the top collegiate finisher in the 60-meter hurdles at the Washington State Open, taking second-place just behind world championship finalist Angela Whyte with a time of 8.71, the best in the WAC so far this season ... Ashlee Cannon of Utah State won the 60-meter hurdles in two consecutive meets, both the Utah State Wilson Motor Invitational on Jan. 18 and the Idaho State Snake River Open on Jan. 19, with a personal best time of 8.83, which also ranks as the third-best time in Aggie history.
Other Field nominees included: Nadia Alexander of Louisiana Tech finished in second-place in the shot put with a throw of 47’ 5.75” at the Purple Tiger Indoor Classic in Baton Rouge, La. ... Jordan Veney of New Mexico State placed third in the shot put at the Texas Tech Invitational, launching a mark of 42’ 00.5”, which places her fourth on the Aggie indoor all-time rankings ... Krista Larson of Utah State registered two of the Aggies’ top seven throws in school history, winning the weight throw in two different meets in back-to-back days. Larson won the Utah State Wilson Motor Invitational with a personal-best throw of 55’ 00.75”, which ranks as the fifth-farthest mark in school history.
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