SCHEDULE
Thursday-Friday, Jan. 12-13 Location
Louisiana Tech at Blazer Invite Birmingham, Ala.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 13-14 Location
Idaho at WSU Open Pullman, Wash.
Saturday, Jan. 14 Location
Hawai’i at UW Indoor Preview Seattle, Wash.
New Mexico State at Texas Tech Invite Lubbock, Texas
Nevada at Blue and Orange Opener Nampa, Idaho
Utah State at Idaho State Invitational Pocatello, Idaho
ON TAP IN THE WAC
The 2012 indoor track and field season begins on Friday with road trips for six schools. Nevada will compete at the Blue and Orange Opener on Saturday in Nampa, Idaho. Hawai’i travels to Seattle, Wash., for the UW Invitational on Saturday. Idaho heads to Pullman, Wash., for the WSU Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Louisiana Tech will compete in the Blazer Invite in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday. New Mexico State travels to Lubbock, Texas for the Texas Tech Invite. Utah State will be in Pocatello, Idaho, for the Idaho State Invitational on Saturday.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO NAMPA
The 2012 edition of the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championship returns to Idaho Sports Center and Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho, for the ninth-straight year. The meet will be held Feb. 23-25. Championship details, as well as WAC Indoor Track and Field news, records and award information is available at www.wacsports.com.
2012 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2012 Men’s and Women’s Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Idaho Sports Center and Jacksons Track in Nampa, Idaho. The meet will be hosted by Boise State.
TEAM RECAPS
Fresno State
Fresno State will kick off the indoor season by hosting the Run for the Dream meet at the Save Mart Center on Jan. 20 ... FSU has several top returnees coming back this 2012 indoor track and field season ... sophomore Meagan McKee took first in the women’s weight throw at the WAC Championships, giving the Bulldogs their first gold medal of the meet in 2011 ... senior Latrisha Jordan finished third in the women’s 400-meter and junior Breeauna Thompson finished third in the 200-meter ... senior Shanelle Stephens, who has one steel rod in each leg, competed in her first meet all year last season and placed fifth at the WAC Championships.
Hawai’i
The University of Hawai’i women’s track and field team opens the 2012 indoor season with its annual trip to Seattle, Wash. on Saturday for the University of Washington Indoor Preview ... UH will send a contingent of 16 athletes to the season-opening meet ... two-time Western Athletic Conference discus champion TeRina Keenan begins her senior season ... just last week, Keenan smashed her personal best with a throw of 49-5 (15.06m) in her native New Zealand ... making her debut for the Rainbow Wahine is freshman Andrea Hinkle, who broke the school’s 150-meter record (18.09) at an intrasquad meet last month.
Idaho
The Idaho men’s and women’s indoor track team will travel to Washington State for the WSU Indoor Preview on Friday and Saturday ... senior Jeremy Klas (two-time reigning WAC indoor champion and Idaho school record holder) is the NCAA’s No. 2 returning vaulter after his vault of 17-9 (5.41m) was tied for fifth-best in the country ... sophomore Hannah Kiser was the only WAC freshman to win multiple conference titles last year during the indoor season as she claimed 3000m gold and led the women’s Distance Medley Relay to a WAC title.
Louisiana Tech
The indoor schedule starts on Thursday and Friday as Tech kicks off the season at the Blazer Invite in Birmingham, Ala. ... the Lady Techsters will be competing for their eighth consecutive outdoor title and potentially their 15th WAC title in 16 tries ... Louisiana Tech freshman Trey Hadnot ran close to a personal record as he claimed the bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 200m dash at the Pan Am Junior Championships this summer.
Nevada
Nevada opened the season at the Jacksons Open on Dec. 3 in Nampa, Idaho …senior Nicole Williams, fresh off finishing her eligibility from women’s basketball, was competing in the indoor high jump for the first time in her collegiate career and cleared a mark of 1.70-meters (5’7.00”) to pick up the lone victory for the Wolf Pack ... this week, Nevada will return to action at the Blue and Orange Opener on Saturday, hosted by Boise State.
New Mexico State
The New Mexico State University Track and Field team opens up the indoor season this Friday in Lubbock, Texas, at the Texas Tech Invite ... the meet will be hosted by the preseason No. 8 Red Raiders ... NMSU head coach Orin Richburg said he looks for LaSasha Aldredge, Leah Benton, Melanie Clay, Jndia Cleveland and Zoe Meade to be some of the main components to the upcoming season.
Utah State
The Aggie men captured their third Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in four years and second-straight as they shared the award in 2011 with Boise State ... USU’s women finished second, just one point behind Louisiana Tech, who has won the women’s title six out of the last seven years ... USU is set to return six athletes that competed in the NCAA Outdoor Region Championships along with three WAC outdoor track and field individual champions ... senior Sonia Grabowska returns as the only WAC indoor track and field Champion from 2011 ... Grabowska also is the only returner who went to the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2011 ... this week, Utah State will travel to Pocatello, Idaho for the Idaho State Invitational.