DENVER ? This week, five WAC schools are in action, with two teams competing in the Bronco Twilight Classic. Boise State will host the Bronco Twilight Classic, May 2, and welcome the Idaho Vandals and Utah State Aggies to Boise. Fresno State will compete in the Payton Jordan Invitational, May 3, while Hawai?i will take part in the Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine, Calif., May 3. New Mexico State will participate in both the Don Kirby Invitational, in Albuquerque, N.M., and the Weber State Outdoor Tune-Up, in Ogden, Utah, May 2-3.
Nevada will compete in the Aggie Twilight, May 9-10, in Davis, Calif., while Louisiana Tech will have three weeks off before returning to action at the WAC Championships, May 14-17, in Boise, Idaho.
MEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Apr. 21-27) ? Fresno State’s Val-Pierre Dai’Re and Idaho’s Russ Winger have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Apr. 21-27. This is the first career WAC Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor for Dai’Re and the second for Winger, who earned the award once already this season.
Dai’Re, a sophomore from Merced, Calif., (Buhach Colony), clocked a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 51.80 to finish third in the 400-meter hurdles at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. He bettered his previous regional qualifying time by .20 seconds and leads the WAC by over one second. Dai’Re also took fifth in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 48.20.
Winger, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., (Pine Creek), achieved a feat that nobody else in the NCAA has done this year. In a single day, Winger hit NCAA Regional qualifying marks in the shot put, discus and hammer throw at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman, Wash. His shot put of 65’ 11” (20.09m) was a meet record by a two-foot margin and was 15-feet better than the second-place finisher. It is also the second-best throw in the NCAA this season behind Winger’s own throw of 66’ 9.75” (20.36m) from a week ago. Winger also won the discus with a heave of 190’ 0” to win the event by a two-foot margin, which is nearly 15-feet better than the next-best throw in the WAC this season. Winger then took fourth in the hammer throw with a lifetime-best toss of 202’ 3” (61.66m).
Other Track nominees included: Paul Dittmer of Idaho finished second in the 110-meter hurdles at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman, Wash., clocking a time of 14.40 ... Seth Wold of Utah State placed second in the 10,000-meter run at the Oregon Relays with a personal-best time of 30:20.65, improving on his WAC-leading time by nearly 30 seconds.
Other Field nominees included: Gary Lee of Fresno State won the long jump at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., with a leap of 24’ 3.5” (7.40m) ... Larry Jones of Louisiana Tech earned the Bulldogs’ highest finish at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, finishing fourth in the discus with a toss of 172’ 9” (52.66m) ... Chase Taylor of Utah State recorded a season-best toss of 197’ 9” (60.28m) in the javelin, taking fourth at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., improving his previous best by over 1.50 feet.
WOMEN’S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Apr. 21-27) ? Utah State’s Erin Stratton and Idaho’s Mykael Bothum have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of Apr. 21-27. This is the first career WAC Outdoor Athlete of the Week honor for both Stratton and Bothum.
Stratton, a sophomore from Aurora, Colo., (Smoky Hills) ran an NCAA Regional qualifying 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, in Berkeley, Calif., clocking a personal-best time of 10:38.18 to win the event. Her time is a 15-second improvement over her previous best. It also ranks second in the WAC this season and is the third-fastest in Aggie history.
Bothum, a junior from Hermiston, Ore., (Hermiston) broke the Vandal school record in the shot put at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman, Wash., with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 51’ 5.75” (15.69m) to win the event. Her toss also broke the Cougar Invitational meet record and ranks fifth in the West Region and 23rd in the NCAA. Bothum also took second in the discus with a distance of 145’ 6” (44.36m).
Other Track nominees included: Kayleen McDowell of Boise State finished third in the 800-meter run at the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, with a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 2:09.52 ... Roxanne Sellick of Fresno State took fourth in the 1,500-meter run at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 4:48.94 ... Christie Gordon of Idaho tied a personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.90, finishing first in the event at the Cougar Invitational in Pullman, Wash. ... Amanda Gramly of Nevada ran a WAC-best and personal-best time of 17:28.38 in the 5,000-meter run, finishing fourth at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
Other Field nominees included: Sharon Ayala of Fresno State took the sliver medal in the hammer throw at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., registering a WAC-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 195’ 8” (59.63m) ... Constance McAlman of Nevada threw a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 183’ 7” (55.96m) in the hammer throw to finish second at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, and also took sixth in the discus (147’ 11.5”/45.11m) and fifth in the shot put (43’ 1”/13.13m) ... Sonia Grabowska of Utah State improved her season-best with an NCAA Regional qualifying height of 12’ 8” (3.86m) in the pole vault, finishing second at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
Boise State Broncos
Boise State sent a select number of runners to the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Apr. 25-26 ... on the women’s side, junior Kayleen McDowell secured her spot atop the WAC in the 800-meter dash, clocking an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 2:09.53 to finish third ... junior Breanna Sande and freshman Carly Gerard finished three-four in the 5,000-meter run with times of 18:27.09 and 18:27.97, respectively ... freshman Erin Harris took eighth in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 1:01.49 ... in the 1,500-meter run, juniors Leah Hover and Pamila Ward finished seven-eight with times of 4:54.58 and 5:04.36, respectively ... on the men’s side, senior Nick Cunningham won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.81, while senior Caleb Cazier recorded a season-best time of 1:55.10 in the 800-meter run to finish third in the event ... in the 5,000-meter run, freshman Sawyer Bosch took fourth with a time of 15:23.33, while freshman Brian Pierre finished seventh in 15:28.25 ... this weekend, the Broncos will host the Bronco Twilight Classic, May 2, at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno State took part in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., Apr. 26 ... on the women’s side, junior Sharon Ayala took the silver medal in the hammer throw with a toss of 195’ 8” (59.63), while freshman Lisa Ma’ake threw a personal-best 42’ 11.5” (13.09) in the shot put, finishing sixth ... senior Meredith Hawkins became the first female Bulldog to record an NCAA Regional qualifying time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing third with a time of 10:42.33 ... freshman Brooke Pighin placed third in the javelin with a distance of 138’ 2” (42.12m) ... on the men’s side, freshman Gary Lee took the gold medal in the long jump with a leap of 24’ 3.5” (7.40m), while junior Erik Fossen earned bronze in the triple jump with a mark of 47’ 9.25” (14.56m) ... sophomore Frank Sanders took first in the 1,500-meter run, crossing the finish line in 3:47.88, and also finished fourth in the 800-meter run at 1:52.10 ... senior Brian Vazquez finished first in the hammer throw with a launch of 204’ 6” (49.22m) ... up next, the Bulldogs travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to take part in the Payton Jordan Invitational, May 3.
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 return to action when they head to Irvine, Calif., to take part in the Steve Scott Invitational, May 3.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho took part in both the Oregon Relays and the Cougar Invitational, Apr. 25-26 ... the Vandals tallied 12 NCAA Regional qualifying marks, earning nine individual victories and breaking two meet records and one school record ... junior Allix-Lee Painter finished 13th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oregon Relays, clocking an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 10:43.73 ... junior Mykael Bothum broke both the Vandal and the Cougar Invitational meet record in the shot put with a mark of 51’ 5.75”, while senior Russ Winger won the men’s shot put with a throw of 65’ 11” , also breaking the event meet record ... Winger also won the discus (190’ 0”) and took fourth in the hammer throw (202’ 3”) ... all three of Winger’s marks were NCAA Regional qualifying standards ... in the men’s hammer throw, Idaho took the top four places, all over 200 feet, with a pair of personal bests ... senior Marcus Mattox took first (208’ 2), sophomore James Rogan was second (203’ 2”), junior Matt Wauters was third (203’ 1”) and Winger was fourth ... the Vandals next stop will be in Boise, Idaho, for the Bronco Twilight Classic on May 2.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech put in a strong performance at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Apr. 25-26, highlighted by several NCAA Regional qualifying marks ... on the men’s side, freshman Larry Jones registered the highest finish for the Bulldogs, placing fourth in the discus with a toss of 172’ 9” ... junior Michael Coleman qualified for the finals of the 100-meter dash, clocking an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 10.54, finishing third in his heat ... on the women’s side, the 4x400-meter relay team of junior El Charrita Reynolds, sophomore Kamelia Stroy and freshmen Monique Wright and Shante Benion recorded an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 3:40.65 ... the relay time of 3:40.65 was the second-fastest qualifying time at the meet ... the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech will have three weeks off before returning to action at the WAC Championships, May 14-17, in Boise, Idaho.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada participated in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif., Apr. 26, tallying 16 top-10 finishes ... the Wolf Pack throwers earned three top-10 finishes in the hammer throw and two top-10 performances in the discus ... sophomore Constance McAlman threw a personal-best (55.96m) in the hammer to finish fourth, while Inger Appanaitis took fifth (55.60m) and Emily Jacobsen was 10th (48.81m) ... Appanaitis took fourth in the discus (45.79m) and McAlman was sixth (45.11m) ... Amanda Gramly ran a personal-best 17:28.38 in the 5,000-meter run to finish fourth, while Alicia Echeverria took second in the pole vault and tied her career-high (3.55m) ... on day two of the meet, Appanaitis placed second in the javelin (46.41m) and was fourth in the shot-put with a season high mark of 13.32m ... Amanda Boice took home the silver medal in the high jump with a season-best mark of 1.70m ... up next, the Wolf Pack return to action at the Aggie Twilight in Davis, Calif., May 9-10, hosted by UC Davis.
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 two stops are in Albuquerque, N.M. for the Don Kirby Invitational and Ogden, Utah, for the Weber State Outdoor Tune-Up, May 2-3.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State competed in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, Oregon Relays and the Robison Invitational, recording 22 season-bests ... at the Oregon Relays, senior Stacie Dorius placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a season-best time of 10:24.56, while junior Seth Wold took second in the 10,000-meter run with a personal-best time of 30:20.65 ... at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, the Aggies had 20 athletes record season-best marks, including junior Katie Thatcher, who placed third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.10) and freshman Sonia Grabowska, who was second in the pole vault (12’ 8”) ... sophomore Jared Glenn and freshman Chio Lopez finished two-three in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, recording season-best times of 9:10.16 and 9:18.13, respectively ... at the Robison Invitational, juniors Jake Maybe and Matt Toone both recorded season-bests in the pole vault, placing second and seventh with heights of 15’ 1” and 14’ 1.25”, respectively ... up next, the Aggies will have two weeks to prepare for the Utah Collegiate Challenge, May 7, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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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