DENVER ? Utah State’s Stacie Lifferth-Dorius and Idaho’s Melinda Owen have been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of May 12-18. This is the first career WAC Outdoor Athlete of the week honor for Lifferth-Dorius, and the fourth career honor for Owen, who earned the honor once already this season, once as a junior and once as a sophomore. This is the first season that honors for both “Track” and “Field” athletes will be awarded each week.
Lifferth-Dorius, a junior from Layton, Utah, (Northridge) ran a season-best and NCAA Regional qualifying 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oregon Twilight, in Eugene, Ore., clocking a time of 10:21.11 to place third in the event. She bettered her previous season-best and WAC-leading time by over three seconds and is also the second-fastest time in Aggie history. Lifferth-Dorius leads the WAC in the event by over 16 seconds.
Owen, a senior from Polson, Mont., (Polson) broke her own Vandal school record for the second week in a row and also took down a 10-year old WAC record in the pole vault at the Vandal Jamboree, clearing 14’ 5.25” (4.40m) to win the event. Her vault is the best in the NCAA this season, the fourth-best in the United States and 11th in the world this season. Owen also achieved the U.S. Olympic Trials “B” qualifying standard for the first time in her career and leads the WAC in the event by nearly 14 inches.
Other Track nominees included: Allix Lee-Painter of Idaho ran a lifetime-best and moved into fifth all-time in Vandal history in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, crossing the finish line with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 10:37.24 at the Oregon Twilight.
Other Field nominees included: Inger Appanaitis of Nevada was the top collegiate finisher t the Aggie Twilight in Davis, Calif., with a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 155’ 5” (47.38m), and also finished first in the shot put with a season-best throw of 43’ 11.25” (13.39m) ... Krista Larson of Utah State logged a pair of personal-bests, finishing second in the hammer throw with an NCAA Regional qualifying distance of 187’ 7” (57.17m) and third in the discus with a mark of 150’ 3” (45.79m).
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