DENVER ? This week, seven of eight WAC schools are in action, with four schools heading to Seattle, Wash., to compete. Boise State will host the Boise State Invitational, Feb. 15-16. Hawai?i, Idaho, Nevada and Utah State will participate in the Husky Indoor Invite, Feb. 15-16, in Seattle, Wash., while Hawai?i and Nevada will stay for the Washington Open Meet on Feb. 17. Louisiana Tech will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Tyson Invitational, while New Mexico State will make the trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take part in the Southwest Classic Invitational. The Fresno State Bulldogs will take nearly three weeks off to prepare for the WAC Championships in Boise, Idaho, Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.
MEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Feb. 4-10)
Idaho’s Bastien Tardy and Boise State’s Simon Wardhaugh have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Feb. 4-10. This is the first career WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for Tardy and the second for Wardhaugh, as he earned it once as a junior.
Tardy, a senior from Voisins le Brettoneux, France, (Southeastern Louisiana), made his 2008 debut at the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8, capturing the title in the 800-meter run with a WAC-leading time of 1:53.58, nearly a second faster than the league’s second-best time this season.
Wardhaugh, a senior from Bracken Ridge, Australia (Queensland), earned a career-best mark in the 35-pound weight throw with a toss of 70’ 0.50” (21.35m), improving on his previous best of 69’ 7” (21.21m). This throw moves him into fourth in the nation and secures his spot atop the WAC standings. Wardhaugh has now posted NCAA provisional qualifying standards in the weight throw in all four indoor meets this season.
Other Track nominees included: Cody Eaton of Boise State posted a season-best time and first-place finish in the mile-run at the Bronco Invitational with a time of 4:11.68, which currently ranks second in the WAC ... Nick Karren of Utah State placed first in the 60-meter hurdles and third in the 200-meter dash at the Bronco Invitational, clocking personal-best times of 8.14 and 21.66, respectively, placing him in sixth all-time in Aggie history in both events.
Other Field nominees included: Mike Carpenter of Idaho vaulted a WAC-best 16’ 6.75” in the pole vault to take the title at the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8, and is one of only two WAC vaulters to have cleared 16 feet this season.
WOMEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Feb. 4-10)
Utah State’s Amy Egan and Boise State’s Eleni Kafourou have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Feb. 4-10. This is the first career WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for Egan and the second for Kafourou, earning it once as a sophomore.
Egan, a senior from Latrobe, Pa., (Greater Latrobe), captured the 800-meter run at the Bronco Invitational with a time of 2:10.22, bettering her conference-leading time by a second and a half. Her 800-meter time is also the second-fastest in Utah State history.
Kafourou, a junior from Athens, Greece, (9th Lykeium of Pireas), set the Boise State school record in both the long jump and the triple jump at the Bronco Invitational. She broke her own school record in the long jump with a leap of 20’ 8.5” (6.31m) and earned the Bronco school record in the triple jump with a mark of 43’ 0.5” (13.12m). Kafourou currently ranks first in the WAC and sixth in the nation in both events, and both marks are also NCAA provisional qualifying standards.
Other Track nominees included: Krystina Jackson of Fresno State finished first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.68 at the NAU Fourway Team Challenge in Flagstaff, Ariz., which currently ranks third in the WAC ... Heather Bergland of Idaho was the top collegiate finisher in the 60-meter hurdles at the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8 with a time of 8.64, and has now run four of the WAC’s five fastest times in the event this season ... Janet Martinez of Nevada won her first 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:09.61 at the Bronco Invitational, finishing nearly 16 seconds ahead of the next finisher and placing her eighth all-time in Wolf Pack history ... Devin Brooks of New Mexico State set the Aggie school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.68, breaking her own record from the Washington Invitational on Feb. 2.
Other Field nominees included: Shay Miles of Fresno State captured the triple jump with a leap of 39’ 0.25” (11.89m) at the NAU Fourway Team Challenge, which currently ranks third in the WAC ... Mykael Bothum of Idaho extended her winning streak to three-straight competitions, throwing 48’ 11.75” to take the shot put title at the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8 ... Alicia Echavarria of Nevada earned a personal best and sixth-place finish in the pole vault at the Bronco Invitational with a vault of 11’ 9.75”, placing her seventh all-time in Wolf Pack history ... Michelle Barnard of New Mexico State posted a personal-best and tenth-place finish in the weight throw at the Don Barrett Air Force Invitational, recording a throw of 51’ 2.25” ... Krista Larson of Utah State logged a personal best in the weight throw, finishing fourth with a distance of 55’ 10.5” (17.03m), which currently ranks second in the WAC and fourth in Aggie history.
IDAHO’S WINGER ONE OF NATION’S BEST ? Idaho Vandal senior Russ Winger threw a lifetime-best 67’ 3.5” in the men’s weight throw at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at Lincoln, Neb., to take third and give him the nation’s tenth-best throw in the event. The throw was also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. At the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8, Winger threw a nation-leading 65’ 8.25” in the shot put to improve his NCAA lead for the third-consecutive competition. In the indoor discus, Winger heaved the discus 192’ 7” to squeeze past Washington State’s All-American Matt Lamb, surpassing Vandal legend and 10-time All-American Joachim Olsen to earn the Idaho school record.
Winger’s season bests give him current world rankings of 14th in the shot put and 17th in the weight throw. He is the only athlete in the world to hold top-20 rankings in both indoor throwing events.
BOISE STATE’S KAFOUROU SETS TWO SCHOOL RECORDS ? Boise State junior Eleni Kafourou recorded two school records in the long jump and the triple jump, with leaps of 20’ 8.5” (6.31m) and 43’ 0.5” (13.12m), respectively. She stands atop the leader board in the WAC and Boise State indoor track and field history in the long jump and the triple jump. Kafourou is currently ranked sixth in the nation in both jumping events.
Boise State Broncos
Last week, Boise State hosted the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9, where four Broncos earned NCAA provisional qualifying standard, including two school records ... junior jumper Eleni Kafourou set the Boise State record in both the long jump and the triple jump, leaping 20’ 8.5” (6.31m) and 43’ 0.5” (13.12m), respectively, and currently ranks sixth in the nation in both events ... Simon Wardhaugh had a career-best mark in the 35-pound weight throw with a toss of 70’ 0.5” (21.35m), moving him into fourth in the nation ... Zacharias Arnos posted a 51’ 3.5” (15.63m) in the triple jump to win the event and place him 10th in the nation ... Ryan Grinnell moved into eighth place in the nation in the high jump after clearing 7’ 1.5” (2.17m) ... Grinnell is now ranked in the top-12 in the nation in the triple jump (first), high jump (eighth) and long jump (12th) ... freshman Karleigh Gempler registered a Bronco season-best time in the mile with a 5:15.86 ... Brian Pierre and Sawyer Bosch finished one-two in the 5,000-meter run, posting times of 15:13.00 and 15:17.00, respectively ... up next, the Broncos host the Boise State Invitational, Feb. 15-16.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State championed 11 of the 15 events at the Northern Arizona Fourway Challenge in Flagstaff, Ariz., taking home first place with 211 points ... Rayna White won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.66, while Tiera Hilliard dominated the 200-meter dash, finishing in 24.84 with Christina Lopez just behind her at 25.31 for second ... Erica McCoy bested the competition for the 400-meter crown in 57.63, and Krystina Jackson won the 60-meter hurdles at 8.68 ... Roxanne Sellick took first in the mile (5:43.17) with teammate Brianna Cleary coming in second at 5:47.51 ... the Bulldogs swept the relays, winning the 4x400-meter by four seconds in a time of 3:54.80, while the distance medley team finished first in 14:10.76 ... Cara Montes took home the pole vault title with a season best of 12’ 1.5” (3.70m) ... Rosario Sanchez won the shot put with a toss of 49’ 7” (15.11m), while Sharon Ayala captured the weight toss title with a mark of 60’ 11.25” (18.57m) ... the Bulldogs take nearly three weeks off before competing at the WAC Indoor Championships in Boise, Idaho, Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
Hawai?i hosted the second of six Sunset Meets on Feb. 9 at Cooke Field in Honolulu ... junior Thalia Amanakis stole the show with three top-10 school performances ... Amanakis broke her own school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.83, beating her previous best of 9.03 ... Amanakis also won the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run, posting times of 56.82, and 2:12.82, respectively ... both the 400-meter and 800-meter times currently rank seventh on the Rainbow Wahine all-time list ... junior Samantha Weaver posted a mark of 12’ 1.75” (3.70m) in the pole vault, moving her into third all-time in school history ... seniors Annett Wichmann and Mallory Gilbert recorded personal-bests in the long jump, with leaps of 18’ 2.5” (5.55m) and 18’ 0.25” (5.49m), respectively, moving them both into the schools’ top 10 ... sophomore Brittani Daniels won both the hammer throw and weight toss with marks of 152’ 9” (46.56m) and 50’ 9.75” (15.49m), respectively, with her hammer throw moving her into sixth all-time ... up next, the Rainbow Wahine compete in the Husky Indoor Classic and Washington Open Meet, Feb. 16-17.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho hosted the Vandal Indoor and the McDonald’s Collegiate, Feb. 8-9, in Moscow, Idaho ... the Vandals hit 16 personal-bests and 13 WAC top-five marks, including one NCAA automatic qualifying mark, one NCAA provisional mark, an Idaho school record, a world top-five time and a NCAA-leading mark ... Russ Winger heaved the discus 192’ 7” to beat Washington State’s All-American Matt Lamb by two centimeters, breaking the Idaho school record held by Vandal legend and 10-time All-American Joachim Olsen ... Winger also improved his NCAA lead in the shot put with a mark of 65’ 8.25”, winning the event by nearly an eight-foot margin ... Bastien Tardy made his season debut with a WAC-leading 1:53.58 to take the 800-meter title ...senior Mandy Macalister ran a 5:03.15 in the mile run to move into second in the WAC, while junior Heather Bergland ran an 8.64 to take second in the 60-meter hurdles behind Angela Whyte’s fourth-fastest time in the world (7.92) ... this week, Idaho heads to Seattle for the Husky Indoor Classic, Feb. 15-16.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech returns home from Bloomington, Ind. after competing in the Indiana Relays on Feb. 1-2 ... senior thrower Nadia Alexander finished with an NCAA provisional qualifying standard and a collegiate first-place finish in the shot put after a hurl of 52’ 0.25”, while senior Matt Craig took second-place in the long jump at 23’ 5.75” ... sophomore Mike Coleman earned a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.62 seconds, which currently leads the WAC in the event ... the team of Coleman, sophomores Al Fullwood and Wade MaGaha and freshman Marcelles Atkinson clocked a solid time of 3:16.32 in the 4x400-meter relay ... senior Kinsey Dinnel took fifth in the mile-run with a 4:14.60 performance, while junior El Charrita Reynolds ran the top time in the women’s 400-meter dash at 56.07 ... freshman Chasidee Lewis-Baker clocked a 7.50 in the women’s 60-meter dash, barely missing an NCAA provisional mark ... Louisiana Tech returns to action this week in the prestigious Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 15-16.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada returns home from Boise, Idaho, after competing in the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9 ... freshman Janet Martinez won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:09.61, placing her eighth all-time in Nevada history ... Wolf Pack throwers recorded three top-10 finishes in the weight throw, with Inger Appanaitis finishing fifth (15.52m), followed by Constance McAlman in sixth (15.52m) and Emily Jacobsen in eighth (15.05m) ... Kereiona Johnson took third in the 60-meter hurdles, recording the fourth-fastest time of 8.82 in school history ... senior Christa Avena won the mile run in 5:00.12 and knocked six seconds off her personal-best, finishing over four seconds ahead of the second place finisher ... Alicia Echevarria registered a personal-best in the pole vault (11’ 9.75”), moving her into seventh on Nevada’s all-time list ... the Wolf Pack will compete in the Husky Indoor Classic and the Washington Open Meet, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17, in Seattle, Wash.
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State competed in the Don Barrett Air Force Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 9 ... freshman hurdler Devin Brooks broke her own Aggie school record in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 8.68 ... sophomore Leah Benton led the Aggies in the 60-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 7.77 and placing fifth overall ... Benton also brought home the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash, recording a time of 25.50 ... in the weight throw, sophomore Michelle Barnard placed 10th and registered a career-best throw of 51’ 2.25”, placing her sixth on the all-time Aggie list ... sophomore thrower Jordan Veney recorded a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 42’ 5.5” ... the Aggie 4x400-meter relay team of Derrhea Mcliechey, Devin Brooks, Dayna Galindo and Leah Benton tallied a sixth-place finish with a time of 4:05.93 ... up next, the Aggies are back in action at the Southwest Classic Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 16.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State athletes tallied three personal-bests as they competed at the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9, in Boise, Idaho ... for the Aggie men, junior Nick Karren placed first in the 60-meter hurdles and third in the 200-meter dash with personal-best times of 8.14 and 21.66, respectively ... Karren now moves into sixth all-time in Utah State history in both the 60-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash ... freshman sprinter Silas Pimental finished third in the 200-meter with a personal-best time of 21.48, moving him into fourth in Aggie history ... on the women’s side, sophomore Krista Larson logged a personal best in the weight throw, finishing fourth with a distance of 17.03m ... senior Amy Egan won the 800-meter run with a WAC-leading time of 2:10.33, moving into second-place all-time at Utah State ... junior Tara Pickett placed second in the high jump with a leap of 1.63m, while senior Stacie Lifferth and juniors Vanessa Hawkins and Alison Taylor took three of the top five spots in the mile run ... this week, the Aggies head to Seattle, Wash., to compete in the Husky Indoor Classic on Feb. 15-16.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO BOISE ? The 2008 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Idaho Sports Center and Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho. The meet will be held Feb. 28-March 1 with the multi-events on Feb. 28 and 29, and the preliminaries and finals on Feb. 29 and March 1.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ? The 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship returns to Fayetteville, Ark., March 10-11. The University of Arkansas is hosting the event.
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