FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Jan. 12-18) -
DENVER ? Louisiana Tech’s Antoinette Cobb and Utah State’s Sonia Grabowska have been named Western Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively for Jan. 12-18.
Cobb, a junior sprinter from Weyanoke, La. (West Feliciana HS), placed third in the 60-meter hurdles at the Leonard Hilton Memorial (Houston, Texas), coming in with a time of 8.59. The mark stands as the best in the conference after the first week of indoor competition.
Grabowska, a sophomore pole vaulter from Warsaw, Poland (VIII Lo Wtadystaw IV HS), cleared the bar at 13-9.50 (4.20 m), an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. The mark also smashed Utah State and Nelson Fieldhouse records of 13-0.25 (3.97) set in 2006. The 13-9.50 performance currently ties her for the top mark in the NCAA this season. Grabowska also qualifies for the European Under-23 Track & Field Championships, as well as tying for the second-best mark by a Polish pole vaulter this season, her mark is also now tied for the 15th-best in the world this season.
Other track nominees included: Utah State’s Ashlee Cannon and New Mexico State’s Leah Benton
Other field nominees included: New Mexico State’s Corissa Hutchinson
MALE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (Jan. 12-18) -
Utah State’s Dylan Nielson and Clint Silcock have been named Western Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively for Jan. 12-18.
Nielson, a junior from Palm Desert, Calif. (Riverside Community College), took first place in the 60-meter hurdles over the weekend, clocking in with a personal-best 8.10. The time was marks the second-best in the conference and was set at the first meet of the season for the Aggies, the Wilson Motor Invitational in Logan.
Silcock, a sophomore from Salmon, Idaho (Butte HS), set a NCAA provisional mark of 7-0.50 (2.14m) in the high jump. The mark earned him a first place finish in the Wilson Motor Invitational, the season-opening meet for the Aggies. The sophomore was one of seven Aggie winners on the weekend.
NMSU POSTS 21 TOP FIVE FINISHES - The New Mexico State women’s indoor track and field team kicked off the season with a bang as the Aggies recorded 21 top five finishes, Saturday afternoon at the New Mexico Lobo Opener, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Junior sprinter Leah Benton, junior distance runner Brittany Hurtado, junior thrower Jordan Veney and junior thrower Corrissa Hutchison led the way for the Aggies as each recorded a first-place finish.
NM State is back in action, Saturday, Jan. 24, as the Aggies head back to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete at the Cherry and Silver Invitational.
AGGIE MEN DOMINATE AT WILSON MOTOR - The Aggies had seven winners in 12 events of the USU Wilson Motor Invitational, highlighted by junior Dylan Nielsen, sophomore Clint Silcock and freshman Bryce Hall. Silcock had an NCAA provisional mark of 7-0.50 (2.14m) in winning the high jump. Nielsen notched a first-place finish in the 60 meter hurdles, clocking a personal-best 8.10. Hall was a two-event winner, taking top honors in the shot put with a mark of 55-3.00 (16.84m) and in the weight throw on a 53-1.25 (16.18m) distance. Other event winners included freshman Zack Hevner in the 400 meters (50.29) and sophomore James Allred in the 800 meters (1:56.17), as well as the USU 4x400 meter relay team.
BSU HOSTS BLUE AND ORANGE INVITE - Bronco women are set to compete against athletes from Utah Valley State, Nevada, Northwest Nazarene, Concordia, Utah State, Mesa State College and Eastern Oregon. The Boise State men will face-off against UVSU, NNU, USU, EOU, Concordia, Idaho State and Warner Pacific.
The Bronco men are anchored by three of the top field athletes in the country; Ryan Grinnell, Simon Wardhaugh and Zacharia Arnos. Wardhaugh is the defending WAC Indoor Champion in the weight throw and currently holds the No. 1 mark in the country, 73-00.00 (22.25m), which is 00.75m over the NCAA automatic qualifying mark.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO BOISE ? The 2009 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Idaho Sports Center and Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho. The meet will be held Feb. 26-28.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ? The 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship returns to College Station, Texas, March 13-14. Texas A&M University is hosting the event.