DENVER ? This week, seven WAC schools are in action, with two teams competing in the Drake Relays, three teams in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational and two teams in the Clarence Robison Invitational. Boise State will head to the NNU Twilight Classic in Nampa, Idaho, and the Clarence Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Apr. 25-26. The Broncos will also participate in the Cardinal Qualifier in Palo Alto, Calif., Apr. 27. Fresno State will compete in the USCD Triton Invitational, Apr. 25, while Idaho will take part in the Oregon Relays in Eugene and the Cougar Outdoor in Pullman, Wash., Apr. 25-26. Louisiana Tech and Nevada will both compete in the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Apr. 23-26. Nevada, New Mexico State and Utah State will participate in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., while the Aggies of New Mexico State will also take part in the UNLV Invitational. The Aggies of Utah State will also compete in the Clarence Robison Invitiational in Provo, Utah.
The Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine will take this weekend off before returning to action at the Steve Scott Invitational, May 3, in Irvine, Calif.
MEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Apr. 14-20) ? Fresno State’s Frank Sanders and Idaho’s Mike Carpenter have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Apr. 14-20. This is the first career WAC Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor for both Sanders and Carpenter.
Sanders, a sophomore from Turlock, Calif., (Pitman) clocked a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 3:50.42 to win the 1,500-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. Sanders registered another WAC-leading and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 1:50.08 in the 800-meter run to finish second in the event. Sander’s season-best times in both the 800 and the 1,500-meter runs lead the WAC by over two seconds.
Carpenter, a sophomore from Canby, Ore., (Canby) became the first Vandal ever to clear 17 feet in the pole vault, winning the event at the Mt. SAC Relays with a career-best and WAC-leading clearance of 17’ 0.75”. Carpenter’s vault was also an NCAA Regional qualifying mark and broke a 24-year old Idaho school record of 16’ 1” by nearly a foot. Carpenter’s vault moves him into fourth in the West Region and 20th in the NCAA this season.
Other Track nominees included: Nick Cunningham of Boise State won the 200-meter dash at the Azusa Pacific Invitational with a personal-best time of 21.20, good for second in the WAC, and also finished 13th in the 100-meter dash with a personal-best time of 10.61 ... Paul Dittmer of Idaho ran a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 14.09 in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing fifth at the Long Beach Invitational, registering the third-best time in Vandal history ... Mike Coleman of Louisiana Tech took third in both the 100 and 200-meter dash events at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., with WAC-best times of 10.41 and 20.98, respectively ... Silas Pimental of Utah State notched two NCAA Regional qualifying times at the Mark Faldmo Invitational in Logan, Utah, placing second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.45, the third-fastest in Aggie history, and taking third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.21.
Other Field nominees included: Ryan Grinnell of Boise State won the triple jump at the Azusa Pacific Invitational with a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 52’ 7.5” (16.04m), and also took fifth in the long jump with a leap of 23’ 6” (7.18m) ... Oscar Rodriguez of Fresno State threw a season-best 57’ 4.25” (17.48m) in the shot put at the Mt. SAC Relays, finishing second and improving his NCAA Regional qualifying mark by nearly a foot ... Larry Jones of Louisiana Tech captured the discus title at the John McDonnell Invitational with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 170’ 10” (52.08m) ... Blake Hadfield of Utah State registered two NCAA Regional qualifying marks at the Mark Faldmo Invitational, winning the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 49’ 5” (15.06m) and placed second in the long jump with a distance of 24’ 4.25” (7.42m).
WOMEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Apr. 14-20) ? Louisiana Tech’s Chasidee Lewis and Boise State’s Eleni Kafourou have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Apr. 14-20. This is the second career WAC Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor for both Lewis and Kafourou, with Lewis earning the award once already this season, and Kafourou earning the award once as a freshman.
Lewis, a freshman from Alexandria, La., (Alexandria) finished second in the 100-meter dash at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., clocking a WAC-best time of 11.56. Her time was also an NCAA Regional qualifying mark and ranks her 26th in the NCAA this season.
Kafourou, a junior from Athens, Greece, (9th Lykeium of Pireas), broke the Bronco school record in the long jump at the Azusa Pacific Invitational in Azusa, Calif., with a WAC-best leap of 20’ 10” (6.35m) to finish fifth in the event. Kafourou also took fifth in the triple jump with another WAC-best distance of 42’ 6” (12.95m). Both of her jumps were NCAA Regional qualifying marks.
Other Track nominees included: Vanessa Sautebin of Fresno State finished second in the 100-meter hurdles at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.92 ... Christie Gordon of Idaho finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles at the Long Beach Invitational with a time of 13.96 ... Ingrid Flores of New Mexico State won 5,000-meter run at the Ram Open in Fort Collins, Colo., clocking a time of 18:11.00, beating her next-closest competitor by 45 seconds ... Ashlee Cannon of Utah State posted a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.75 in the 100-meter hurdles, good for second-place at the Mark Faldmo Invitational in Logan, Utah, logging the sixth-best time in Aggie history.
Other Field nominees included: Sharon Ayala of Fresno State won the hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., breaking the Bulldog school record and registering a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 203’ 4” (61.98m) ... Annett Wichmann of Hawai?i earned an NCAA Regional qualifying standard in the heptathlon, finishing fourth at the Mt. SAC Multi Events in Walnut, Calif., setting two Rainbow Wahine school records in the long jump (18’ 10.5”/5.75m) and the 800-meter run (2:18.80) ... Melinda Owen of Idaho won the pole vault at the Mt. SAC Relays with a season-best and WAC-leading clearance of 13’ 1.5”, earning an NCAA Regional qualifying mark and placing her eighth in the West Region and 18th in the NCAA in the event ... Quatisha Williams of Louisiana Tech finished fifth in the long jump and seventh in the triple jump at the John McDonnell Invitational with leaps of 19’ 0.5” and 39’ 1”, respectively ... Constance McAlman of Nevada recorded a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the discus with a launch of 155’ 8” (47.45m), placing eighth at the Long Beach Invitational and also took second in the hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays with a personal-best distance of 182’ 2” (55.52m) ... Randi Grimes of New Mexico State recorded a recorded a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying standard in the hammer throw with a launch of 179’ 1” (54.58m) at the Ram Open in Fort Collins, Colo. ... Sonia Grabowska of Utah State cleared an NCAA Regional qualifying height of 12’ 7.5” in the pole vault, placing second at the Mark Faldmo Invitational, and earning the third-best spot in Aggie history.
Boise State Broncos
Boise State competed in both the Azusa Pacific Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays in California, tallying eight NCAA Regional qualifying standards ... at the Mt. SAC Relays, junior Simon Wardhaugh and Jarrod Stevens finished one-two in the hammer throw, both earning NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... Wardhaugh won the event with a toss of 219’ 3” (66.82m), while Stevens took second with a throw of 211’8” (64.52m) ... junior Savvas Diakonikolas improved his NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the long jump with a leap of 24’ 6.5” (7.48m) ... on the women’s side, junior Eleni Kafourou recorded a Bronco school record with a WAC-best leap of 20’ 10” (6.35m), and also claimed the top mark in the WAC in the triple jump with a distance of 42’ 6” (12.95m), finishing fifth in both events at the Azusa Pacific Invitational ... the 4x100-meter relay team of Kayleen McDowell, Nerisha Phillip, Megan Olivetti and Paige Olivetti took first with a time of 3:50.16 ... this weekend, the Broncos will compete in the NNU Twilight Classic in Nampa, Idaho, and the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Apr. 26.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State took part in the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., Apr. 17-20, where four Bulldogs tallied NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... on the women’s side, junior Sharon Ayala won the hammer throw with a toss of 203’ 4” (61.98m), breaking the Bulldog record for the third time this season ... junior Vanessa Sautebin earned a bid to the NCAA West Regionals with a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (13.92) ... in the 1,500-meter run, sophomore Roxanne Sellick took gold at 4:30.07, while senior Marina Santana ran her second-straight personal-best in the 800-meter run (2:11.59), placing second ... on the men’s side, sophomore Val-Pierre Dai’Re won the 110-meter hurdles (14.24), becoming the third Bulldog to qualify for two events at the West Regional meet, (110 and 400-meter hurdles) ... freshman Gary Lee won the long jump with a leap of 24’ 8” (7.52m), while Oscar Rodriguez notched a personal-best in the shot put (57’ 4.25”) ... the Bulldogs return to action this week when they travel to Berkeley, Calif., to take part in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, Apr. 25-26.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
Hawai?i competed in five meets in five days across California, recording seven NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... senior Annett Wichmann registered an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the heptathlon, tallying 5,221 points to finish fourth ... Wichmann set two school event records in the long jump (18’ 10”/5.75m) and the 800-meter run (2:18.80), and also posted an NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the javelin with a throw of 143’ 9” (43.81m) ... Jessica Custance tied her school record in the pole vault after clearing 13’ 1.5” (4.00m), while Patricia Gauthier finished third in the event with a mark of 12’ 7.5” (3.85m) ... Meghan Weaver won the shot put with a toss of 51’ 1.75” (15.59m) in addition to winning the discus with a heave of 154’ 9” (47.18m) ... the Rainbow Wahine now have a school-record nine NCAA Regional qualifiers this season, surpassing last season’s mark of seven ... up next, the Rainbow Wahine will take this weekend off before heading to Irvine, Calif., to take part in the Steve Scott Invitational, May 3.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho participated in the Azusa Pacific Multi-Events, the Long Beach Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays, Apr. 17-20, across California ... the Vandals tallied a total of 19 NCAA Regional qualifying marks and two school records ... sophomore Mike Carpenter destroyed a 24-year old record in the pole vault with a winning clearance of 17’ 0.75”, breaking the previous record by nearly one foot ... Carpenter is the only vaulter in the WAC to have cleared 17 feet this season and is the only athlete in Idaho history to have cleared that height ... senior Marcus Mattox launched the hammer 205’ 5” to break the Vandal record of 204’ 7”, set in 2006 by current Idaho junior Matt Wauters ... on the women’s side, senior Melinda Owen cleared 13’ 1.5” in the pole vault to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, while freshman Gabby Midles launched the hammer a career-best 181’ 11” for an NCAA Regional qualifying mark and second all-time in Vandal history ... the Vandals next stop will be in Eugene, Ore., for the Oregon Invitational on Apr. 25-26 and the Cougar Outdoor in Pullman, Wash., Apr. 26.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech put in a strong performance at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Apr. 19, highlighted by several NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... on the men’s side, freshman Larry Jones took first place in the discus with an NCAA Regional qualifying toss of 170’ 10”, while junior Mike Coleman finished third in both the 100 and 200-meter dash events with times of 10.41 and 20.98, respectively ... Coleman’s time in the 100-meter was also a Regional qualifying standard ... the men’s 4x400-meter relay team finished third at 3:45.09 ... on the women’s side, freshman Chasidee Lewis took second in the 100-meter dash, clocking an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 11.56, which currently ranks 26th in the NCAA ... junior Antoinette Cobb ran an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.85 in the 100-meter hurdles ... the women’s 4x100-meter relay team took third, clocking a time of 45.99 ... Louisiana Tech returns to action this weekend at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Apr. 25.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada competed in the Mt. SAC Relays, the Woody Wilson Invitational and the Long Beach Invitational, Apr. 17-20, tallying three NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... sophomore Constance McAlman recorded a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the discus (47.45) at the Long Beach Invitational, and has now qualified for Regionals in two events (discus and hammer throw) ... senior Inger Appanaitis registered a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the hammer throw (55.62m) ... freshman Gina Deckard ran a personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles (14.56), finishing fourth in the event ... Emily Jacobsen recorded two top-five finishes at the Woody Wilson Classic, finishing second in the hammer throw (50.55m) and also took fifth in the shot put (12.88) ... Tiffany Tandy finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and recorded a personal-best time of 11:33.25 ... up next, the Wolf Pack return to action at both the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Provo, Utah, and the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Apr. 25-26.
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State took part in the Colorado State Ram Open, Apr. 19, in Fort Collins, Colo. ... junior Randi Grimes recorded a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the hammer throw with a launch of 179’ 1” ... sophomores Leah Benton and Ingrid Flores and freshman Derrhea Mcliechey all brought home gold medals in their respective races ... Benton took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.90, while Mcliechey clocked a time of 57.43 in the 400-meter dash ... Flores crushed the competition in the 5,000-meter run, winning by a 45-second margin with a time of 18:11 ... junior Christina Herrera placed second in the 5,000-meter run behind Flores with a time of 18:56 ... freshman hurdler Devin Brooks took third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.60, while sophomore Jordan Veney recorded a season-best mark in the shot put with a toss of 44’ 8”, finishing fourth in the event ... the Aggies next stop is in Berkeley, Calif., Apr. 25-26, at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State hosted the Mark Faldmo Invitational in Logan, Utah, Apr. 19 ... the Aggies posted eight NCAA Regional qualifying marks, eight event winners and 35 top-three finishes in their home event ... on the men’s side, junior Blake Hadfield posted two NCAA Regional qualifying marks in winning the triple jump with a career-best distance of 49’ 5”, and was also the top collegiate finisher in the long jump with a personal-best and second-place distance of 24’ 4.25” ... freshman Silas Pimental also notched two NCAA Regional times, placing second in the 100-meter dash (10.45) and third in the 200-meter dash (21.21) ... on the women’s side, junior Krista Larson, sophomore Ashlee Cannon and freshman Sonia Grabowska all registered NCAA Regional marks ... Larson recorded a distance of 185’ 10” in the hammer to finish third, while Cannon clocked a 13.75 in the 100-meter hurdles to finish second with the sixth-best time in Aggie history ... this week, the Aggies continue action at both the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., and the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Apr. 25-26.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO BOISE ? The 2008 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The meet will be held May 14-17 with the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon multi-events on May 14-15, and the preliminaries and finals on May 16-17.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ? The 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship will be in Des Moines, Iowa, June 11-14, with Drake University hosting the event.
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