Photos day one
Photos day two
Photos day three
Louisiana Tech Women Win and Boise State and Utah State Men Share WAC Championship
NAMPA, Idaho - The Louisiana Tech women captured the 2011 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championship, and the Boise State and Utah State men shared the title at Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho on Saturday. It was Louisiana Tech's fourth-consecutive and sixth crown in the last seven years. For the men, it was Utah State's third title in the last four seasons and Boise State's third in the last five seasons.
For the men, Boise State and Utah State shared the championship as each team scored 177 points. This marks the first time in the history of the WAC that two teams have shared the indoor conference championship. Louisiana Tech comes in third after scoring 94 points, while Idaho ends up in fourth with 69 points.
For the women, the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters narrowly beat out second-place Utah State for the championship, scoring 133 points to the Aggies 132. This is the closest margin of victory in a WAC championship since 2008 when Louisiana Tech edged out Hawai'i by one point. Nevada compiled 88 points for third place, and Boise State earned 80 points to claim fourth place. New Mexico State claimed fifth place with 68.50 points, followed by Fresno State in sixth place with 67 points. Hawai'i finished in seventh with 48.50 points, while Idaho took eighth with 44 points.
For the men's individual awards (voted upon by the coaches), Idaho's Markus Geiger and Utah State's Armahd Lewis were the Co-Track Performers of the Year. Boise State's Kurt Felix earned Field Performer of the Year, as well as High Point Performer of the year, as he tallied 36 points during the championship. Utah State's Tanner Hunt took home Freshman of the Year honors, while his coach Gregg Gensel earned Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in five seasons.
For the women's individual awards, (voted upon by the coaches), Louisiana Tech's Chelsea Hayes won Track Performer of the Year, as well as High Point Performer of the Year honors after tallying 32.5 points. Utah State's Sonia Grabowska garnered Field Performer of the Year, and Boise State's Alexi Morton took home Freshman of the Year honors. Louisiana Tech's Gary Stanley received Coach of the Year honors for the sixth time in seven years.
The final day of competition started with the men's high jump. Utah State senior, Clint Silcock grabbed his third-straight WAC indoor high jump title after clearing 7 ft., 2.25 in. (2.19m). Boise State's Kurt Felix received his third medal of the meet (two silver, one gold), finishing in second place with a leap of 7 ft., 0.25 in. (2.14m). Eric Follet of Utah State claimed the bronze medal with a season-best performance, clearing 6 ft., 10.25 in. (2.09m).
Trevor Kraychir of Boise State recorded a personal-best throw to claim the gold in the men's weight throw after a toss of 66 ft., 8.75 in. (20.34m). Alex Nelson claimed the silver with a toss of 59 ft., 11.25 in. (18.27m), giving Boise State the top two spots in the event. Louisiana Tech's Larry Jones claimed his second medal of the meet as he received the bronze after posting a personal-best mark of 58 ft., 5.25 in. (17.81m).
Utah State's Eric Larson picked up where he left off last night, as the anchor of the winning men's distance medley relay team, to win the men's mile run, finishing with a season-best time of 4:09.32. Louisiana Tech's Matt Wolfe took the silver medal, crossing the finish line in 4:11.58, while Brian Pierre of Boise State claimed third place with a season-best time of 4:12.04.
In the women's mile, Nevada's Samantha Diaz, who owned the top time in the WAC coming into the event, laid claim to the gold medal with a time of 4:55.95. The battle for second and third was neck-and-neck between Fresno State's Salyah Barserian and Hannah Williams of Utah State, with Barserian earning the silver, crossing the finish line in 4:59.62, and Williams taking third at 4:59.69.
In the men's 60-meter hurdles, another close race, Louisiana Tech's Billy Ray Walker took gold in the event for the second-straight year after crossing the finish line in a time of 7.97 seconds. Boise State's Rolando Trammel was just a shade behind as he took second place with a time of 8.02. Boise State's Justin Malnes finished the race in third with a time of 8.19, placing two Broncos in the top three.
Kim Francis and Tiana Davis of Louisiana Tech finished one and two in the women's 60-meter hurdles in a race that was decided by two-thousandths of a second. Francis took the gold with a time of 4.401 seconds, while Davis claimed the silver as she finished in 8.403. Both Francis' and Davis' times are automatic qualifying marks for the NCAA championships. New Mexico State's Jndia Cleveland rounded out the top three as she claimed bronze with a time of 8.77.
Justin Terry of Louisiana Tech took first place in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 47.69 seconds. This is the second-straight year Louisiana Tech has claimed gold in the event. Boise State's Manoah Wesson finished in a close second with a time of 47.82, while Utah State's Tanner Hunt claimed the bronze, finishing with a time of 47.99.
In the women's 400-meter dash, Monique Wright of Louisiana Tech grabbed her third-straight WAC indoor title, crossing the finish line in 54.48 seconds. Utah State's Katelyn Jenson finished in second place with a time of 55.32 seconds, while Fresno State's Breeauna Thompson took the bronze, finishing with a time of 56.15.
Idaho's Jeremy Klas repeated as the men's WAC indoor pole vault champion, finishing with a vault of 17 ft., 1 in. (5.21m). Utah State's John Johnson took silver with a vault of 16 ft., 1.25 in. (4.91m), while Boise State's Daniel Thompson rounded out the top three as he took bronze with a vault of 15 ft., 7.25 in. (4.76m)
Utah State's Armahd Lewis continued his success in the men's 60-meter dash this season as he claimed the WAC indoor title in the event, finishing with a season-best time of 6.77 seconds. Louisiana Tech's Dennis Richardson and Kevin Stewart rounded out the top three, claiming second and third with times of 6.79 and 6.93, respectively.
Louisiana Tech's Chelsea Hayes claimed gold in the women's 60-meter dash as she matched her own WAC-record time of 7.34 seconds, which she set yesterday in the prelims. Hayes' teammate and three-time reigning champion in the 60m, Chasidee Lewis-Baker took silver with a time of 7.50, while Leah Benton of New Mexico State finished in third with a time of 7.69. The victory marks the seventh straight year the Louisiana Tech women have won the 60m dash.
In the women's triple jump, Louisiana Tech's Quatisha Williams repeated as the WAC champion, winning the event with a leap of 40 ft., 1.25 in. (12.22m). Hawai'i's Madara Apine took the silver with a season-best leap of 39 ft., 11.25 in. (12.17m), while Brittany Guy of Louisiana Tech rounded out the top three as she claimed the bronze with a jump of 39 ft., 10.75 in. (12.16m)
Idaho sophomore Liga Velvere claimed gold in the women's 800-meters after posting a season-best time of 2:10.70. This is the second time in as many years the Vandals have claimed victory in the women's 800m event. Utah State's Kylie Hirschi took second place with a time of 2:12.70, while Hawai'i's Ashley Aitken took third, finishing in 2:12.97.
James Allred of Utah State won the men's 800-meter run for the second year in a row, finishing the race with a time of 1:53.24. Allred's teammate Jason Holt took the silver medal, crossing the line right on Allred's heels in a time of 1:53.86. Louisiana Tech's Alwayne green grabbed the bronze as he finished with a time of 1:54.28.
In the men's 200-meter dash, Utah State's Armahd Lewis claimed his second gold medal on the afternoon as he won the race in a time of 21.46 seconds. Lewis' win breaks Louisiana Tech's three-year reign as WAC champions in the event. Trey Hadnot of Louisiana Tech claimed the silver medal, crossing the line at 21.53, and Boise State's Rolando Trammel took third with a time of 21.73.
Chelsea Hayes of Louisiana Tech claimed her third gold medal of the WAC championships as she posted the top time in the women's 200-meter dash. Hayes' time of 23.93 seconds placed her ahead of Teammate Stacia Hanneman, who claimed the silver with a time of 24.42. New Mexico State's Leah Benton took third place as she finished the race in a time of 24.51.
Rosario Sanchez capitalized off her great indoor season by capturing the women's shot put title with a season-best toss of 50 ft., 2.75 in. (15.31m). Sanchez' victory in the event is the first for Fresno State since Jennifer Viavia won the title for the Bulldogs in 1993. Utah State's Lindsey Spencer claimed the silver medal after a season-best throw of 48 ft., 8.25 in. (14.84m), while Louisiana Tech's Macella LeBlanc took third with a season-best toss of 45 ft., 5.75 in. (13.86m).
Boise State's Kurt Felix finished out his championship run by adding another gold medal to his collection, this time in the triple jump, bringing his championship total to four medals (two gold; two silver). His leap of 50 ft., 0.75 in. (15.26m) was a personal best and put him in front of teammate Rolando Trammel, who finished second with a jump of 47 ft., 9 in. (14.55m). Boise State's Joshua Butler helped complete the 1-2-3 sweep for the Broncos in the event as he claimed the bronze with a leap of 47 ft., 5.25 in. (14.46m).
In the men's 3,000-meter run, Utah State junior Daniel Howell claimed the title, finishing the race in a time of 8:26.54. Idaho's Markus Geiger collected his second individual medal of the meet (one gold; one silver) as he claimed second place with a time of 8:27.25. Boise State's Brain Pierre rounded out the top three as he earned the bronze with a time of 8:30.94.
Idaho's Hannah Kiser collected her second gold medal of the meet, the other coming as a member of the distance medley relay team, after winning the women's 3,000-meters with a time of 9:53.78. Utah State's Ruth Hilton and Kim Quinn rounded out the top three as Hilton claimed the silver with a time of 9:54.73 and Quinn, last year's WAC champion in the event, took the bronze, finishing with a time of 9:55.61.
In what proved to be the most dramatic men's race of the championship, the Boise State Broncos claimed gold in the 4x400-meter relay, in turn giving the Broncos a share of the team championship with Utah State. The team of Karrie Butler, Paul Robertson, Rolando Trammel and Manoah Wesson took the gold with a time of 3:12.13, setting a new WAC-championship meet record as well as a Boise State school record. By finishing second in the race with a time of 3:14.16, Utah State also claimed a share of the team championship. Louisiana Tech's relay team rounded out the top three by claiming the bronze with a time of 3:15.92.
The women's 4x400-meter relay finish was just as dramatic as the men's, with the Louisiana Tech women claiming victory in the race for the third year in a row with a time of 3:43.64, in turn giving them the team championship by a very narrow margin over Utah State. The Boise State women claimed the silver by finishing the race in 3:44.64, and the Utah State women finished third with a time of 3:44.82.
Friday's Results
NAMPA, Idaho - The Boise State men and the Utah State women are in the lead after day two of the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. For the men, Boise State is out in front with 54 points, followed closely by Utah State in second with 50 points. Idaho is in third place with 36 points and Louisiana Tech is in fourth with 8 points. On the women's side, Utah State is in the lead with 60 points, and Nevada is in second with 50 points. Boise State is in third place with 49 points, followed by New Mexico State in fourth place with 31.50 points. Hawai'i has a hold of the fifth spot with 26.50 points, while Fresno State is in sixth place with 20 points. Louisiana Tech is in seventh with 19 points, while Idaho finishes the second day in eighth place with 16 points.
Day two of the championships began with the conclusion of the men's heptathlon. Upon completion of the first four of the seven events on Thursday, Boise State's Kurt Felix was leading with 3,769 points. After another impressive day in the multi events, the Bronco junior captured his second-straight WAC heptathlon title, breaking his own WAC and school records in the process, posting 5,691 points. Felix's score is the fifth-best score in the NCAA this season, and it automatically qualifies him for the NCAA Indoor Championships March 11-12 in College Station, Texas. Utah State's Phillip Noble improved off his third-place finish last year as he claimed the silver with 5,204 points. Noble's teammate John Johnson rounded out the top three as he claimed the bronze after scoring 4,390 points.
In the women's high jump, Nevada's La Tijera Avery put an end to Hawai'i's four-year domination of the event as she claimed Nevada's first-ever WAC title with a leap of 5 ft., 9.25 in. (1.76m). Hawai'i's Sarah Saddleton and Nevada's Cortney Beasley shared second-place as each athlete recorded a jump of 5 ft., 5.75 in. (1.67m).
Fresno State's Megan Mckee took first in the women's weight throw with a toss of 58 ft., 11.50 in. (17.97m), giving the Bulldogs their first gold medal of the meet. Last year's WAC champion, Mele Vaisima of Boise State, claimed silver with a toss of 57 ft., 7 in. (17.55m), and Gabby Midles of Idaho took third with a throw of 57 ft., 2.75 in. (17.44m).
Sonia Grabowska brought Utah State it's first-ever indoor WAC title in the women's pole vault as she tied the WAC's all-time record and set the WAC championship meet record with a vault of 13 ft., 11.25 in. (4.25m). Boise State's BreAnna Craig claimed the silver medal with a vault of 12 ft., 5.50 in. (3.80m) and three misses, while Nevada's Alicia Echaverria recorded a season-best vault of 12 ft., 5.50 in. (3.80) with five misses to take third.
Louisiana Tech's Chelsea Hayes claimed gold in the women's long jump as she set a school-record with a leap of 20 ft., 9.75 in. (6.34m). Hayes now owns the fifth-best jump in the NCAA this season. Earlier, during the 60-meter dash prelims, Hayes tied the WAC record for the event with a time of 7.34 seconds, making her the top runner heading into tomorrow's finals. Louisiana Tech's Tiana Davis, last year's WAC champion, took second in the long jump with a mark of 20 ft., 2.50 in. (6.16m), while Nevada's Deborah Amoah recorded a season-best leap of 19 ft., 8 in. (5.99m) to round out the top three.
Eugenio Mannucci helped Idaho to its first gold as he claimed the men's shot put title with a season-best throw of 59 ft., 0.25 in. (17.99m). Louisiana Tech's senior thrower Larry Jones earned the silver medal with a toss of 54 ft., 11.25 in. (16.74m), while Boise State's Chase Sexton claimed third with a toss of 54 ft., 8.25 in. (16.67m).
In the men's long jump, Boise State's Eetu Vitalia and Kurt Felix claimed the top two spots, with Vitalia claiming gold after a leap of 25 ft., 1.25 in. (7.65m) and Felix taking silver, his second medal on the day, with a mark of 24 ft., 1.50 in. (7.35m). Damian Szade of Utah State nabbed third place with a jump of 23 ft (7.01m).
Idaho's Markus Geiger brought home gold medal no. two on the day for the Vandals as he won the men's 5,000 meters in a time of 14:43.49. Utah State's Daniel Howell and Brian McKenna rounded out the top three as Howell claimed silver with a time of 14:46.37 and McKenna, who followed closely behind, took bronze with a time of 14:46.56.
New Mexico State sophomore Courtney Schultz reaped the benefits of a fine indoor season as she claimed the women's 5,000 meter title, finishing with a time of 17:11.05. Utah State's Ruth Hilton used a late surge on the final turn to overtake Shultz's twin sister and teammate Camille Schultz, giving Hilton the silver after finishing the race in 17:13.15. Camille Schultz would end up in third, crossing the finish line with a time of 17:18.96.
The men's distance medley relay team of James Allred, Jason Holt, Hunter Nelson and Eric Larson helped Utah State claim the WAC title in the event for the fifth-straight year, crossing the finish line in 9:59.38, winning the race by nearly 13 seconds. Louisiana Tech came in second after finishing with a time of 10:12.17, while Boise State claimed the bronze, finishing with a time of 10:26.92.
In the final event of the evening, the Idaho Women put a stop to Utah State's four-year title reign as the distance medley relay champions, as the Vandals team of Anna Kalbrener, Liga Velvere, Keli Hall and Hannah Kiser took gold this year with a time of 1:48.25. Utah State would claim the silver finishing with a time of 1:50.29, and Fresno State would take third as the Bulldogs finished with a time of 1:57.62.
Tomorrow's action begins at 11 a.m., starting with the men's high jump followed by the rest of the remaining field events. The running events will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude with the women's 4X400-meter relay, slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday's Results
NAMPA, Idaho - The Utah State women are in the lead after day one of the three-day Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. After the pentathlon, which was the only women's event held on the first day of competition, Utah State leads with 11 points, followed by Boise State in second place with 10 points and New Mexico State and Nevada in a tie for third with seven points.
The first day of competition consisted of the women's pentathlon and the men's heptathlon. On the women's side, Boise State's Alexi Morton, a true freshman, claimed her first ever gold medal, scoring a school-record 3,769 points en route to the title. Morton is the first woman athlete from Boise State to ever win the pentathlon at the WAC championships. Utah State's freshman Chari Hawkins finished in a close second with 3,719 points, followed by New Mexico State's Zoe Meade, who claimed third place with 3,560 points.
With four of the seven men's heptathlon events complete, Boise State sophomore Kurt Felix is in the lead with 3,387 points. Felix, who set the WAC record in the heptathlon earlier this season, had a nice showing as he set personal bests in the 60-meter dash (7.10) and the high jump (2.17m; 7 ft., 1.50 in.) Utah State's Phillip Noble (2,655) and John Johnson (2,444) follow in second and third place, respectively.
The heptathlon's three remaining events will take place tomorrow, Feb. 25, starting at 11:00 a.m. with the 60-meter hurdles. Tomorrow's championship events continue as the field events begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by the running events at 4:00 p.m.
Preview
The 2011 edition of the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championship returns to Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho, Feb. 24-26, for the ninth-straight year. Four men's teams and eight women's teams will compete for the 2011 championship crown. On the men's side, Utah State looks to defend its 2010 title, hoping for a second-consecutive WAC championship. For the women, Louisiana Tech hopes to extend its championship dominance, as a 2011 crown would be the sixth in the last seven years.
The championship gets underway on Thursday with the women's pentathlon and men's heptathlon, with field event finals and running events taking place on Friday and Saturday.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, February 25
Pentathlon: 11:00 a.m.
Heptathlon: 11:45 a.m.
Friday, February 26
Heptathlon: 11:00 a.m.
Field Events (Finals): 1:30 p.m.
Running Events (Prelims & Finals): 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, Febryary 27
Field Events (Finals): 11:00 a.m.
Running Events (Finals): 1:00 p.m.
All times Mountain
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location:
Jacksons Indoor Track at the Idaho Center
16200 Idaho Center Boulevard
Nampa, Idaho 83687
Date:
February 24 - 26, 2011
Host:
Boise State University
Tickets:
Thursday, February 24th: Men's Heptathlon and Women's Pentathlon
Single-Session
Adults $8
Students, Senior Citizens & Youth $5
Friday, February 25th - Saturday, February 26th
Single-Session All-Session
Adults $12 $20
Senior Citizens & Youth $8 $15
Students $6 $10
Parking:
Fan parking is available at the Jacksons Indoor Track at the Idaho Center parking lot free of charge.
Directions:
From downtown Boise: Take I-184 west to I-84 west toward Nampa. Take exit 38, the Garrity Boulevard exit. Turn right onto Can Ada Road. Turn right onto Franklin Road. The Idaho Center and Jacksons Indoor Track will be on your left.
Photos:
Championship photos will be available for purcahse following the championship at the photo store at www.wacsports.com.
Boise, Idaho
For more information regarding all that the city of Boise has to offer, please click on the links below to visit the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau.