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DES MOINES ? On the second day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the WAC notched two All-American performances in the men's long jump final, while Idaho senior Russ Winger also advanced to the final of the men's shot put. Four other WAC athletes will compete in the finals of their respective events on Friday, while another four athletes will participate in preliminary action of their events, hoping to advance to the finals on Saturday.
After qualifying three WAC athletes for the men's long jump final, Idaho junior Elvie Williams and Fresno State freshman Gary Lee earned All-American honors in the event. Williams' and Lee's identical leaps of 25' 7.5" (7.81m) garnered fourth and fifth places, respectively, with Williams acing out Lee for the higher place based on his second-best jump. This is the first NCAA All-American honors for both Williams and Lee. Boise State junior Ryan Grinnell also competed in the men's long jump final, placing 11th with his mark of 25' 2" (7.67m).
Idaho senior Russ Winger advanced to the finals of the men's shot put after an opening-round mark of 63' 4.75" (19.32m). Winger met the 19.10-meter automatic qualifying mark on his first throw, allowing him to compete in his third-consecutive men's shot put finals on Saturday, beginning at 3:00 p.m. (CT).
Five other WAC athletes participated in preliminary action yesterday, but failed to advance to the finals of their respective events. Boise State junior Megan Olivetti finished 20th in the women's 100-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 13.66. Fresno State freshman Rosario Sanchez and Louisiana Tech junior Nadia Alexander competed in the women's shot put, finishing 16th and 19th, respectively. Sanchez's best mark was 51' 5.5" (15.68m), while Alexander posted a best throw of 50' 5.5" (15.38m). Louisiana Tech junior Mike Coleman finished 19th in the men's 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 21.21. Nevada senior Inger Appanaitis placed 13th in the women's javelin throw, just one spot shy of making the event finals, with a toss of 160' 9" (48.99m).
Four WAC athletes will compete in preliminary action Friday, hoping to advance to the finals of their respective events. Boise State junior Eleni Kafourou in the women's triple jump, beginning at 7:00 p.m. (CT), while Broncos Ryan Grinnell and Zacharias Arnos will participate in the men's triple jump, beginning at 4:15 p.m. (CT). Hawai'i senior Annett Wichmann will compete in her third-ever NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships meet as she begins heptathlon action on Friday, beginning at 1:00 p.m. (CT).
Hawai'i sophomore Amber Kaufman and junior Emily Sheppard advanced to the women's high jump finals after clearing 5' 9.75" (1.77m) in Wednesday's qualifying round. Sheppard cleared the mark on her second attempt, while Kaufman posted the mark on her third and final attempt at the height. The top 16 qualfiers, who each cleared the same height of 5' 9.75" (1.77m) will compete in the finals on Friday, beginning at 4:45 p.m. (CT).
Idaho senior Marcus Mattox advanced to the finals of the men's hammer throw after launching a career-best mark of 217' 2" (66.20m) in Wednesday's preliminary action. Mattox's throw broke his own previous school record by five feet, as he placed fifth in preliminary action. Mattox will compete in the finals on Friday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Vandal senior Russ Winger, competing in his third career NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships meet, advanced to the finals of the men's discus after placing 11th in the preliminaries, posting a mark of 176' 4" (53.75m). Winger will compete in the finals of the discus on Friday, beginning at 3:15 p.m. (CT).
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