ON TAP IN THE WAC - The 2011 indoor track and field season continues Friday with road trips for five schools and a home meet for another. Boise State hosts the Blue and Orange Opener on Jan. 15 in Nampa, Idaho. Hawai'i travels to Seattle, Wash., for the UW Invitational on Jan. 15. Idaho heads to Pullman, Wash., for the WSU Invitational on Jan. 14-15. Louisiana Tech will compete in the Leonard Hilton Invite in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 14. New Mexico State travels to Albuquerque, N.M., for the UNM Lobo Invite on Jan. 15. Utah State will be in Pocatello, Idaho, for the Idaho State Invitational on Jan. 14.
Verizon WAC Women Athletes of the Week (Dec. 1-7)
Boise State's Mackenzie Flannigan and Mele Vaisima were named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Dec. 1-7.
Flannigan, a freshman from Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler High School), earned two wins in her first-ever collegiate meet during the Jacksons Open in Nampa, Idaho, Dec. 3-5. She claimed titles in the 400-meter dash and the 4X400-meter relay with teammates Joi Glass, Emily Funkhouser and Paige Orcutt. Her time of 58.03 seconds in the 400m was 2.18 seconds faster than the runner up. Flannigan ran the leadoff leg for the 4X400m relay team that took first place with a time of 3:58.81, and finished nearly four seconds ahead of second place Portland State.
Vaisima, a junior from Woods Cross, Utah (Judge Memorial HS), won the weight throw competition and claimed third-place in the shot put at the Jacksons Open in Nampa, Idaho, Dec. 3-5. She came up big in the weight throw beating out the next closest competitor by 5-feet, 8-inches with a winning toss that was marked at 57- feet, 3.75 inches. Vaisima's throw of 41 feet, 3.75 inches in the shot put netted her a third-place finish, and was just 17 inches behind the event's winner.
Other track nominees included: April Pate, Nevada
Other field nominees included: Angelica Earls, Nevada
Boise State Comes Up Big in First Meet of Season
The Broncos had a successful opening meet to the 2010-11 season as they claimed 11 event wins at the Jacksons Open in Nampa, Idaho, on Jan. 3-4 ... Kurt Felix claimed the heptathlon title with 5,257-points, just 91-points short of his own school record ... Jeff Daw won the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.39-seconds ... on the women's side freshman Mackenzie Flannigan won the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.03-seconds ... Mele Vaisima won the weight throw competition with a toss of 57- feet, 3.75 inches ... BreAnna Craig picked up a win in the women's pole vault with her clearance of 12-5.50 (3.80m) ... next up is the Boise State Opener on Jan. 15 at the Jacksons Indoor Track
Nevada Begins Indoor Season at Jacksons Open
The Wolf Pack athletes produced a number of personal bests at the Jacksons Open on Jan. 3-4 in Nampa, Idaho ... in only her second time competing in the event, April Pate placed third overall in the pentathlon with a total score of 3,387 points while setting person bests in the high jump (1.6- meters) and shot put (10.32m) ... Angelica Earl ran the third-fastest time in school history in the 60-meters (7.71) and also in the 200-meters (24.64) ... Nevada next will travel to the Lobo Challenge on Jan. 28-29 in Albuquerque, N.M.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO BOISE - The 2011 edition of the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championship returns to Idaho Sports Center and Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho, for the eighth-straight year. The meet will be held Feb. 24-26. Championship details, as well as WAC Indoor Track and Field news, records and award information is available at
www.wacsports.com.
2011 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP - The 2011 Men's and Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University is hosting the event. For ticket information, call 1 (888) 992-4443, or visit
www.aggieathletics.com.