DENVER ? Utah State’s Nick Karren and Boise State’s Ryan Grinnell have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Jan. 21-27. This is the second WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for Karren this season and the first career honor for Grinnell. This is the first season that honors for both “Track” and “Field” athletes will be awarded each week.
Karren, a junior from Duchesne, Utah (Duchesne), came away with two victories last weekend, winning the 400-meter dash with a personal best time of 48.66 at the Washington State Cougar Indoor Invitational in Pullman, Wash. Karren also was a member of the winning 4x400-meter relay that posted a league-leading time of 3:17.24. His 400-meter dash mark also currently leads the WAC this season.
Grinnell, a junior from Idaho Falls, Idaho, (Montana), posted the nation’s longest mark in the triple jump with a leap of 53’ 4.50” (16.27m) at the Blue and Orange Classic hosted by Boise State, to earn a NCAA automatic qualifying standard. Grinnell’s jump was also the third-longest in Boise State indoor history and is the Olympic qualifying standard. He also earned a NCAA provisional qualifying standard in the long jump with a mark of 25’ 1.25” (7.65m).
Other Track nominees included: Nick Cunningham of Boise State posted a career-best time in the 200-meter dash (21.88) to finish third at the Blue and Orange Classic ... Paul Dittmer of Idaho turned in a third-place finish in the 60-meter high hurdles (8.19) at the Washington State Cougar Indoor Invitational, which ranks as the second-fastest time in the WAC this season, behind his own time of 8.15 last weekend.
Other Field nominees included: Mike Carpenter of Idaho captured the pole vault event at the Washington State Cougar Indoor Invitational with a mark of 15’ 11”, improving his previous league-leading mark by six inches ... Josef Canavan of Utah State recorded a third-place shot put of 52’ 10” (16.10m), at the Washington State Cougar Indoor Invitational, and was also sixth in the weight throw with a launch of 50’ 6.75” (15.41m), both personal bests.
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