DENVER ? This week, seven of eight WAC schools are in action, with three schools hosting their own events. Boise State will host the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9, the Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine hosts their Sunset Meet #2 in Honolulu on Feb. 9 and Idaho will host the Vandal Indoor on Feb. 8 and the McDonald’s Collegiate on Feb. 9. The Fresno State Bulldogs will travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., to compete with Northern Arizona, while the New Mexico State Aggies will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to participate in the Don Barret Open on Feb. 9. Nevada and Utah State will make the trip to Boise, Idaho, to take part in the Bronoo Invitational. Louisiana Tech will take the week off to prepare for the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 15-16.
MEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Jan. 28 ? Feb. 3)
Idaho’s Paul Dittmer and Russ Winger have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Jan. 28 ? Feb. 3. This is the first career WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for Dittmer, and is the second honor for Winger this season and the fifth of his career, winning twice this season, once as a junior and two times his sophomore season. This is the first season that honors for both “Track” and “Field” athletes will be awarded each week.
Dittmer, a freshman from Hanstedt, Germany, (Gymnasium Winsen), ran his best race of the season at the McDonald’s Collegiate on Feb. 2, taking first-place and running a WAC-leading 8.09 in the 60-meter high hurdles to win the event by a comfortable half-second margin. Dittmer has now run the three best times in the WAC in the 60-meter high hurdles over the past three competitions.
Winger, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., (Pine Creek), threw a career best and NCAA provisional 67’ 3.5” in the 35-pound weight throw to finish third at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., moving into tenth in the nation in the event. He also went head-to-head with the nation’s No. 2 thrower, Arizona’s Zack Lloyd, and beat him by more than three feet, extending his national lead in the shot put with an NCAA automatic mark of 65’ 1.5” and defended his title at the meet. Winger is now ranked 14th in the world in the shot put and 17th in the world in the weight throw, and is the only person in the world ranked in the top 20 in both events.
Other Track nominees included: Nick Cunningham of Boise State posted a career-best time in the 200-meter dash (21.71) to finish in first-place at the United Heritage Invitational ... Michael Coleman of Louisiana Tech turned in a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash (21.62) at the Indiana Relays, which ranks as the fastest time in the WAC this season ... Silas Pimental of Utah State captured third-place in the 60-meter dash at the Air Force Invitational, clocking a personal-best 6.78, good for first in the WAC and is also the third-fastest time in Aggie history.
Other Field nominees included: Savvas Diakonikolas of Boise State captured the long jump title at the United Heritage Invitational with a NCAA provisional mark of 25’ 8” (7.82m), placing him fourth in the nation and second all-time in Bronco history ... Blake Hadfield of Utah State recorded a second-place triple jump of 48’ 11” (14.91m), at the Air Force Invitational, and was also fourth in the long jump with a leap of 23’ 6.75” (7.18,) with both marks the fourth-longest in the WAC this season.
WOMEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Jan. 28 ? Feb. 3)
Louisiana Tech’s Chasidee Lewis-Baker and Annett Wichmann of Hawai’i have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Jan. 28 ? Feb. 3. This is the first career WAC Indoor Athlete of the Week honor for Lewis-Baker and the second for Wichmann, as she earned it once as a junior. This is the first season that honors for both “Track” and “Field” athletes will be awarded each week.
Lewis-Baker, a freshman from Alexandria, La., (Alexandria), finished in second-place in the 60-meter dash at the Indiana Relays with a time of 7.50, barely missing the standard for a NCAA provisional mark in the event. Her 60-meter time currently leads the WAC.
Wichmann, a senior from Jena, Germany, (Sport Gymnasium Jena), captured the Washington Invitational pentathlon with a NCAA provisional standard of 4,027 points, which currently leads the WAC and ranks fifth in the nation. Her first-place finish included a school record 60-meter hurdle (8.99) and a personal best in the high jump of 5’ 8” (1.73m).
Other Track nominees included: Nataucha Lowry of Boise State achieved career-best times in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dash, posting a time of 7.73 to finish second in the 60-meter and a time of 25.23 in the 200-meter to finish third at the United Heritage Invitational ... Tiera Hillard of Fresno State finished third at the Air Force Invitational in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 56.06, which currently leads the WAC ... Heather Bergland of Idaho was the top collegiate finisher in the 60-meter hurdles at the McDonald’s Collegiate on Feb. 2, running a WAC-leading 8.52 in the event, taking second only behind Angela Whyte’s world top-five time ... Kereiona Johnson of Nevada finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at the United Heritage Invitational with a time of 8.90, which ranks her sixth all-time in Wolf Pack history ... Leah Benton of New Mexico State etched her name onto two Aggies all-time record lists, clocking a 200-meter dash time of 25.23 and a 60-meter dash time of 7.78, good for sixth and seventh all-time in the New Mexico State record books ... Maria Halton of Utah State posted two personal best times at the Air Force Invitational, including the second-fastest in Utah State history in the 60-meter dash (7.67) and the 10th-fastest in school history in the 200-meter dash (24.91).
Other Field nominees included: Annelise Bertleson of Boise State set a school record in the pole vault by clearing 12’ 7.50” (3.85m) at the United Heritage Invitational, ranking second in the WAC this season ... Rosario Sanchez of Fresno State earned second-place with her shot put of 49’ 7.75” (15.30m) at the Air Force Invitational ... K.C. Dahlgreen of Idaho hit a career-best in the pole vault at the McDonald’s Collegiate, winning the event with a NCAA provisional height of 13’ 3.75”, registering her third-straight meet with a 13-foot vault ... Nadia Alexander of Louisiana Tech finished with a NCAA provisional mark and a first-place finish in the shot put, hurling 52’ 0.35”, ranking ninth in the nation ... Isabel Chea of New Mexico State posted a personal-best and fourth-place finish in the long jump at the Washington Invitational, recording a leap of 17’ 5” ... Sonia Grabowska of Utah State recorded a personal-best height of 12’ 6.25” in the pole vault at the Air Force Invitational, which is the third-highest in Aggie history and ranks second in the WAC this season.
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 last Friday 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. On Saturday, Winger threw a nation-leading 65’ 1.5” in the shot put to defend his title in the event. The mark was an NCAA automatic qualifying mark and was three feet better than the second-place competitor, who entered the meet as the second-ranked shot-putter in the nation.
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 GRINNELL AND DIAKONIKOLAS NATIONALLY RANKED IN MULTIPLE EVENTS ? Boise State junior Ryan Grinnell and senior Savvas Diakonikolas have earned positions in the national rankings in multiple field events, helping lead the Broncos to their No. 6 USTFCCCA ranking. Grinnell currently leads the nation in the triple jump, with a mark of 53’ 9.5” (16.40m), is 10th in the high jump, clearing 7’ 0.5” (2.15m) and ranks 11th in the long jump with a leap of 25’ 1” (7.65m). Grinnell’s teammate Savvas Diakonikolas is fifth in the nation in the long jump, with a mark of 25’ 7.75” (7.82m) and ranks 12th in the triple jump, with a leap of 50’ 11” (15.52m).
Boise State Broncos
Boise State hosted the United Heritage Invitational, Feb. 1-2, where three Broncos set school records ... sophomore Annelise Bertleson climbed to the top of the Broncos’ all-time list in the pole vault with a mark of 12’ 7.50” (3.85m) ... Heigo Nurmsalu set the Boise State record in the heptathlon by collecting 5,332 points, earning a NCAA provisional qualifying standard ... Eleni Kafourou improved upon her school record in the triple jump with a leap of 43’ 0.25” (13.11m), earning a NCAA provisional standard and a first-place finish in the event ... Kafourou also earned a NCAA provisional standard in the long jump, with a leap of 20’ 3.75” (6.19m) ... in other events, Ryan Grinnell added to his NCAA-best mark in the triple jump, posting a 53’ 9.75” (16.40m) ... the Broncos also had two throwers, Simon Wardhaugh and Jarrod Stevens, earn NCAA provisional marks in the 35-pound weight throw, with Stevens posting a career-best mark of 66’ 8.75” (20.34m) and Wardhaugh launching 69’ 7” (21.21m), the second-farthest in the nation this year ... up next, Boise State hosts the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State returns home from Colorado Springs, Colo., after earning a sixth-place finish at the Air Force Invitational, Feb. 1-2 ... the Bulldogs easily championed the 16-team 4x400-yard relay, with the team of Tiera Hillard, Christina Lopez, Erica McCoy and Renee Winston combining for time a 3:51.34, finishing more than four seconds ahead of second-place Colorado ... Fresno State freshman thrower Rosario Sanchez took second in the shot put, throwing for 49’ 7.75” (15.30m), placing her second amongst all WAC throwers ... Sharon Ayala tossed the 20-pound weight throw 57’ 5” (17.5m), good for a fourth-place finish ... freshman sprinter Tiera Hillard took third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.06, and currently leads the WAC in the event ... junior Rayna White ran a 7.77 60-meter dash for a fourth-place finish ... Krystina Jackson earned a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.75 .... Erica Embry leapt 17’ 4.25” (5.29m) in the long jump for an 11th-place finish ... this week, the Bulldogs travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take on Northern Arizona on Feb. 9.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
Hawai?i tallied three NCAA provisional marks, set six school records and had numerous personal bests at the University of Washington Invitational, Feb. 1-2 ... senior Meghan Weaver shattered the Rainbow Wahine shot put record with a heave of 50’ 2.5” (15.30m), easily winning the competition and posting a NCAA provisional mark ... junior Emily Sheppard placed third in the high jump with a new school record of 5’ 10.5” (1.79m), also good for a NCAA provisional mark ... senior Annett Wichmann scored a NCAA provisional standard of 4,027 points in the pentathlon, the fifth-best score in the nation this year and also a new school record ... in the pole vault, junior Jessica Custance set a new Hawai?i record after clearing 12’ 8” (3.86m) to finish seventh overall ... junior Thalia Amanakis set the Rainbow Wahine record in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.75 in the finals ... senior Chantelle Wilder competed in the 5,000-meter run and placed seventh with a personal-best and school-record time of 17:03.63 ... up next, the Rainbow Wahine return to Honolulu to host the Sunset Meet #2, Saturday, Feb. 9.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho throwers Matt Wauters and Russ Winger took second and third in the 35-pound weight throw with a pair of NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, Feb. 1 ... Wauters launched the weight 68’ 4.5” for second and Winger hit a personal best of 67’ 3.5” to take third, moving Wauters and Winger to seventh and 10th in the nation, respectively ... Winger also recorded an NCAA-leading throw of 65’ 1.15” in the shot put, beating the nation’s second-ranked shot putter by more than three feet ... vaulter K.C. Dahlgren cleared an NCAA provisional mark for the third-straight meet and hit a career-best of 13’ 3.75” to win the women’s vault by more than a foot, good for ninth-best in the nation ... Lucas Pope easily cleared a career-best 16’ 0.75” and is the only vaulter in the WAC this season to have cleared 16 feet .. this week, Idaho hosts the Vandal Indoor on Friday, Feb. 8 and the McDonald’s Collegiate on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech returns home from Bloomington, Ind., after competing in the Indiana Relays, 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 in two weeks in the prestigious Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 15-16.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada returns home from Boise, Idaho, after competing in the United Heritage Invitational, Feb. 1-2 ... junior Polly Smith earned a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run, clocking a time of 2:19.08 ... the Wolf Pack earned a three-four finish in the 60-meter hurdles, with freshman Kereiona Johnson placing third with a time of 8.90 and freshman Gina Deckard finishing fourth with a time of 8.94 ... Johnson’s time of 8.90 ranks fifth all-time in Nevada school history ... the Wolf Pack will return to Boise, Idaho, this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8-9, to compete in the Bronco Invitational.
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State posted six top-10 marks at the University of Washington Invitational, Feb. 2, in Seattle, Wash. ... sophomore Leah Benton led the way for the Aggies, bringing home fourth place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.23, placing her sixth overall on the all-time list ... Benton also recorded a time of 7.78 in the 60-meter hurdles, good for seventh in the Aggie record book ... freshman hurdler Devin Brooks placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (8.73) ... junior jumper Isabel Chea registered a personal-best in the long jump, leaping 19’ 5.25”, placing her second all-time in New Mexico State history ... in the shot put, sophomore Jordan Veney was two inches short of matching her career-best, placing sixth overall with a throw of 43’ 6.5” ... junior Christina Herrera placed 19th and recorded a personal best time of 18:23.92 in the 5,000-meter run ... in the weight throw, sophomore Jordan Veney recorded a personal-best mark of 49’ 0.75” and accelerated her distance into ninth-place on the Aggie all-time list ... up next, the Aggies are at the Don Barret Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 9.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State tallied nine top-five finishes at the Air Force Invitational, Feb. 1-2, in Colorado Springs, Colo. ... the Aggie women finished fifth out of 13 teams, while the Aggie men were eighth out of 11 squads ... senior Amy Egan took first-place in the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.75 ... freshman Sonia Grabowska placed fifth in the pole vault with a height of 12’ 6.25”, a personal best and the third-highest in Aggie history ... Maria Halton posted two personal-bests, including the second-fastest time in school history in the 60-meter dash (7.67), good for second-place, while her third-place time of 24.91 in the 200-meter dash is the 10th-fastest in Aggie history ... on the men’s side, senior Blake Hadfield placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 48’ 11” and also took fourth in the long jump with a mark of 23’ 6.75” ... freshman Silas Pimental finished third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.78, his personal best and the fastest in the WAC this year ... this week, the Aggies head to Boise, Idaho to compete in the Bronco Invitational, Feb. 8-9.
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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