United Athletic Conference

LOGAN, UTAH ? Utah State men and Louisiana Tech women won their respective 2009 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field titles Saturday at Ralph Maughan Track Stadium in Logan, Utah.

The Aggies won their second-ever WAC championship, but have captured two titles in the last three years. Utah State finished with 181 points, while Idaho came in second with 138, before Louisiana Tech with 130. Fresno State (101) and Boise State (97) rounded out the team standings. The Aggies 43 point win nearly matched their 2007 point advantage after they beat Boise State by 42.

Louisiana Tech won its fifth-straight outdoor championship after it totaled 150 points. After leading for the majority of the championship, Nevada finished in second place with 129.5 points, ahead of Fresno State (119) and Utah State (112.50). Hawai`i (105.5), New Mexico State (88), Idaho (58)and Boise State (54.5) rounded out the women's field.

Fresno State's Sharon Ayala began the final day of competition off right as her hammer throw of 218-03 (66.52m), A Ralph Maughan Track Stadium record, was just two inches shy of the championship record. Ayala became the third-ever repeat winner in the event. She out-threw the competition by nearly 12 feet as she garnered 10 points toward the team total. The Bulldogs' Kayla Xavier and Grace Wiesmann finished in the fourth and fifth places, respectively, earning the team 19 total points in the event. Krista Larson of Utah State broke a school record after her regional qualifying mark of 196-08 (59.95m). Constance McAlman of Nevada turned in a third-place mark after her throw of 191-08 (58.41m) was a season best and a regional qualifying mark.

Led by Pontus Thomee, Boise State dominated the men's javelin as the Broncos picked up 22 total team points in the event. Thomee took top honors for the second year in a row with a mark of 230-09 (70.34m). Eric Demers, Scott Viafore and Eetu Viitala finished in the third, fourth and fifth positions to score, respectively. Larry Jones of Louisiana Tech had a second-place finish with his throw of 210-03 (64.09m). This marks the seventh-consecutive year that Boise State has taken top honors in the event.

In the women's triple jump, Louisiana Tech's Quatisha Williams added to the Lady Techsters' team total by winning the event with a jump of 40-07.00 (12.37m), a regional qualifying mark. Her teammates, Brittany Guy and Saphira Brown, jumped their way to the second and fourth scoring positions. Posting a regional qualifying mark, Guy finished with a mark of 40-05.00 (12.32m). Hawai`i's Emily Sheppard and Annett Wichmann finished in the third and fifth positions, respectively.

Nevada's Christa Aventa upset the 2008 WAC champion, Fresno State's Roxanne Sellick, in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:30.63, a venue record. Sellick came in second place, crossing the line at 4:31.84. The win stretched the Wolf Pack's lead to 85.5 over second-place Hawai`i.

For the seventh-consecutive year, the Louisiana Tech 4x100m relay team took the event title after finishing in a venue record, 44.66. Consisting of Chasidee Lewis, Stacia Hanneman, Lashannda Worthy and Monique Wright, the Lady Techsters finished more than a second faster than the second-place finisher, Utah State. LA Tech's time is best finish for the team since 2003, when the Lady Techsters won the title in 44.30.

On the men's side of the 4x100m relay, Idaho upset event-favorite Louisiana Tech after the Vandals took the event with a time of 40.65, a NCAA regional qualifier. The Bulldogs crossed the line with time of 40.91. It marked the first time that the Vandals won the event.

In a closely contested 1,500m run, Fresno State's Frank Sanders took top honors after he broke the tape in 3:51.41. Utah State's Chio Lopez was in close pursuit when he finished with a time of 3:52.19. Idaho's James Clark and Louisiana Tech's Kinsey Dinnel rounded out the top four positions in the event. The top nine finishers in the event finished with regional qualifying times.

Louisiana Tech women picked up 26 total team points after the Lady Techsters finished 1-2-5-6-8 in the event. Kamelia Stroy repeated as event winner after her regional qualifying time of 53.40, the event's best since 2003. LTU has won the event for five-straight years. Stroy's teammate, Monique Wright, ran a 53.44 to collect eight points for her team. The top four was rounded out by Tiera Hilliard and Latrisha Jordan of Fresno State. The top four times in the event met the NCAA regional standard.

The Louisiana Tech men would not be outdone by their female counterparts as Albert Fullwood ran to a regional qualifying time after he broke the tape at 46.63. Utah State's Nick Karren finished in second place with a time of 47.40, while Fresno State's Daryl Miller claimed the third spot crossing the line at 47.69. It was the first time since 2003 that LA Tech has won the event. Either Fresno State or Utah State has taken the title in the past four years.

Chasidee Lewis took top honors in the 100m dash for the second year in a row with a time regional qualifying time of 11.67, bettering her 11.83 from last year. Louisiana Tech took the overall lead after the event when three out of the top four positions were Lady Techsters. New Mexico State's Leah Benton finished in second place with a time of 11.87.

A jump-off was the deciding factor in the men's pole vault before Idaho's Lucas Pope took the crown. Pope and Utah State's Max Hansen both cleared the bar at 16-00.75 (4.90m). The Vandal's Jeremy Klas also cleared 16-00.75. Overall, Idaho took away 16 total team points from the event with its first and third-place finishes.

Terry Carter of Louisiana Tech edged out Boise State's Eric Capelle by .01 after the two finished 10.66 and 10.67, respectively. It marked the third year in a row that Louisiana Tech has garnered top honors in the event. Carter's teammate, Kevin Stewart, finished in the third spot after he crossed the line at 10.81.

In the women's 800m run, Kayleen McDowell won a foot race in the home stretch to beat out Idaho's Lauren Shaffer with a time of 2:10.47, to Shaffer's 2:10.93. Utah State standout, Elaine Connolly earned a third-place finish.

Josh Dalton of Idaho took home top honors in the 800m after he broke the tape at 1:52.00, just beating out Utah State's James Allred at 1:52.44. Alwayne Green of Louisiana Tech collected six team points for the Bulldogs after his third-place finish in the event. Idaho took home 14 team points in the event after Cesar Barquero finished in fourth place.

The Track Freshman of the Year award winner, Fresno State's Latrisha Jordan,  won the 400m hurdles with a regional qualifying time of 58.36, while Utah State finished 2-3 as Heidi Hopkins crossed the line at 59.99 and Katie Thatcher finished at 1:00.16. Nevada's Polly Smith rounded out the top four with a regional qualifying time of her own, 1:00.18.

On his way to earning Outstanding Field Performer as well as High-Point Performer of the Year, Boise State's Ryan Grinnell won the triple jump for the second year in a row. His jump of 51-09.75 (15.79m) bested the eight-man field. His teammate Zacharias Arnos garnered a third-place finish with a jump of 49-02.50 (15.00m).

Jordan Veney of New Mexico State took the women's discus crown with a regional qualifying throw of 157-06 (48.02).

In the men's 400m hurdles, Utah State's Nick Karren beat out out the competition with a time of 51.84, while Kendrick Young of Fresno State and Marcelles Atkinson of Louisiana Tech finished out the top three positions.

Louisiana Tech began its domination in the sprinting events in the 200m dash as Stacia Hanneman was the only competitor garner a sub-24 second time. She won the event with a time of 23.94, a NCAA regional qualifying time. The Lady Techsters earned 22 points in the event as LTU athletes finished 1-3-5-7. New Mexico State's Leah Benton finished in the second spot with a time of 24.27.

The Louisiana Tech men continued to with the dominance in the sprinting events as the men finished in the top three spots. Albert Fullwood led the Bulldogs with a 21.08, as Terry Carter wasn't far behind with a 21.16 in the finals. Fullwood would be later named Outstanding Track Performer of the Year for his performances on the day.  Kevin Steward rounded out the top three as he crossed the finish line at 21.46. The men took home 24 overall team points.

On her way to garnering Outstanding Track Performer of the Year accolades, Nevada's Amanda Moreno collected Wolf Pack's first win in the 10,000m run. She beat New Mexico State's Amy Arenas by nearly 20 seconds to take the title. The Wolf Pack had four athletes finish in scoring positions. Moreno also took home a win in the 5,000m run, adding to her personal point total.

Another award winner was produced in the men's 10,000m run as Brian McKenna of Utah State earned Freshman of the Year honors after his performance in the distance events. The freshman took home gold in the 10,000, the second year in a row for the Aggies. McKenna's time of 31:39.48 was better than last year's best performance by nearly two minutes.

With possibly the best overall performance of the day was Amber Kaufman of Hawai`i in the high jump. Kaufman jumped 6-04 (1.93m), good for a venue record and the No. 1 jump in the country. Kaufman was named Co-Field Performer of the Year for her performance. The Rainbow Wahine took the first three spots as fellow Field Performer of the Year, Annett Wichmann, and Emily Sheppard took third and second places, respectively. Kaufman's jump was a regional qualifying jump and was just two inches shy of the overal WAC record, set in 1998.

Garnering another win in the sprints was the women of Louisiana Tech after they ran away with the women's 4x100m relay. Their time of 44.66 set a new venue record and was also a regional qualifying mark. Utah State came in second with a time of 45.70, also a regional time.

However, the same couldn't be said for the Louisiana Tech men, the Bulldogs were upset in the 4x100 relay by the Idaho men as the Vandals ran to a time of 40.65, a regional qualifying time. It marked the first time in two years that Louisiana Tech hasn't won the event and the first-ever year that Idaho has taken top honors. The Bulldogs broke the tape at 40.91, while Fresno State finished in third place with a time of 41.00.

The day finished with the 4x400 relay events as both Fresno State teams won their respective events. Both men's and women's Bulldog teams beat the higher-seeded Louisiana Tech squads. The Fresno State women ran to regional qualifying mark of 3:39.85, while the men posted a time of 3:10.98.

Athletes will converge on one of four designated NCAA regional sites on May 29-30 to attempt to get into the national championship meet in Fayetteville, Ark. The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship will be hosted by the University of Arkansas and is scheduled to run June 10-13.

Women's Awards
Freshman of the Year - Latrisha Jordan, Fresno State
Outstanding Track Performer - Amanda Moreno, Nevada
Co-Outstanding Field Performer - Annett Wichmann, Hawai`i, Amber Kaufman, Hawai`i
High Point Performer - Annett Wichmann, Hawai`i, 32 points
Co-Coach of the Year - Gary Stanley, Louisiana Tech, Shantel Twiggs, Nevada

Men's Awards
Freshman of the Year - Brian McKenna, Utah State
Outstanding Track Performer - Albert Fullwood, Louisiana Tech
Outstanding Field Performer - Ryan Grinnell, Boise State
High Point Performer - Ryan Grinnell, Boise State, 30 points
Coach of the Year - Gregg Gensel

Women
Final Team Rankings

 Men 
Final Team Rankings

Click here for the championship preview
Click here for results from Day One
Click here for results from Day Two
Click here for results from Day Three