THIS WEEK IN THE WAC
Thursday, January 9
Utah Valley at BYU Invitational Provo, Utah
Friday January 10
Chicago State at Bob Eubanks Open Allendale, Mich.
Kansas City at Bill Easton Classic Lawrence, Kan.
Utah Valley at BYU Invitational Provo, Utah
Saturday, January 11
Utah Valley at BYU Invitational Provo, Utah
PREVIOUS RESULTS
Friday, December 6
Texas-Pan American at Green & White Alumni Meet NTS
Saturday, December 7
Kansas City at Bob Timmons Challenge M-NTS, W-2nd/6
Friday, December 13
Utah Valley at Jacksons Open NTS
Kansas City at Carol Robinson Winter Pentathlon NTS
TEAM RECAPS
Bakersfield Roadrunners
The Bakersfield women will compete in three indoor meets, including the WAC Championships during the 2014 Indoor Track season ... this will be the ‘Runners first season in the WAC .... sophomore Jamara Scott placed second in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump at the 2013 Great West Outdoor Championships ... junior Alyssa Page was third in the 400m at the 2013 Great West Outdoor Championships .... Marcia Mansur-Wentworth is in her second season at CSU Bakersfield ... Mansur-Wentworth joined the Roadrunner staff in 2013 as the director of track and field, adding cross country responsibilities in the Summer of 2013 ... Bakersfield begins the season on Jan. 24-25 at the Northern Arizona Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Chicago State Cougars
The Chicago State will begin its inaugural WAC track season on Jan. 10 at the Bob Eubanks open in Allendale, Mich. ... the Cougars 2014 indoor and outdoor schedule features meets in 11 different states .... the Cougars return several standouts from last season .... senior Sam McKinney placed third in the javelin at the 2013 Great West Conference Outdoor Championships (48.30 meters) ... senior Tyler Odom finished the 400 meter hurdles in third place at the 2013 Great West Conference Outdoor Championships with a time of 54.20 ... senior Jaya Emerson took third at the 2013 Great West Conference Outdoor Championships in the shot put after a throw of 13.40 meters.
Grand Canyon ‘Lopes
Grand Canyon University is competing at the Division I level for the first time in program history ... after stellar indoor seasons in 2013, seniors Shavine Hodges and Brianne Kee return to lead the GCU women’s squad in 2014 ... both Hodges and Kee earned second place finishes at the 2013 Division II Indoor Championships, in their respective events of the 60-meter dash and long jump ... the ‘Lopes return a pair of All-Americans on the men’s side, as seniors Kevin Lashley (Long Jump) and Oliver Smith (400-meter dash) both placed in the top eight at the indoor championships last February in Birmingham .... Lashley had a jump of 7.40 meters in the long jump at the indoor championships, which topped any number put up in the same event in the WAC Indoor Championships last year ... the ‘Lopes open the season at the Lumberjack Team Challenge in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Jan. 17.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho will compete in eight meets prior to hosting the WAC Championships this season, including four meets in Moscow … the Vandals will be led by senior Hannah Kiser, who enter the season fresh off an individual title in the WAC Cross Country Championships ... she also placed fifth in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships last year and holds multiple school records ... the women have a strong distance squad, laying claim to four-straight WAC cross country titles ... the men’s team has a fairly new roster this season, but returns all-WAC performers in Ben Ayesu-Attah, Matt Sullivan and Kyle Rothwell ... freshman Nicholas Boersma won the WAC Cross Country individual title last fall, while junior Cody Helbling was named Cross County Athlete of the Year ... Idaho opens competition on Jan. 17-18 at the WSU Cougar Invite in Pullman, Wash.
Kansas City Kangaroos
Kansas City opened the indoor track season with two competitions in December, with the Bob Timmons Challenge and the Carol Robinson Winter Pentathlon ... the ‘Roos will compete in five more meets prior to the WAC Championships ... at the Bob Timmons, senior Kris Leverette placed first in the men’s shot put (17.35m), while Martin Williams came in second at 16.42 meters ... the women earned a second place team finish and were led by field athletes, with Kelsey Benoit (13.61m) winning the shot put, and Dahlia Dyson (13.55m) placing second ... Benoit and Dyson both broke the pre-existing school record in the process ...
Dyson also earned a victory in the weight throw with a distance of 17.25 meters ... UMKC is back in action on Jan. 10 at the Bill Easton Challenge in Lawrence, Kan.
New Mexico State Aggies
The Aggies women’s track program will compete in five meets before the WAC Championships, with four of the five meets taking place in Albuquerque, N.M., which is the home of the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships ... NM State returns seniors Brianna Cromartie and Alishia Perkins, as well as junior Jenna Banegas, who all qualified for the 2013 USA Indoor Track and Field Championship ... Cromartie was named WAC Athlete of the Year and was also the High Point Award recipient at the 2013 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships ... senior Zoe Meade will look to defend her 2013 WAC Indoor Championship in the pentathlon ... the Aggies travel to Albuquerque for the Lobo Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Seattle University Redhawks
Seattle U will compete in three meets prior to the WAC Indoor Championships, all of which will take place in Seattle, Wash. ... Trisha Steidl enters her eighth season as head track and field coach at Seattle University ... during the past seven years, every possible school record has been broken except for two (men’s heptathlon, women’s shot put) ... eight individual indoor record holders are among the returners for the Redhawks this season ... one of this year’s captains is Cali Cull, the 2012 Great West Conference indoor triple jump champion ... the women’s distance runners are coming off a second place finish at the WAC Cross Country Championships which featured four All-WAC performances, including WAC Freshman of the Year Lila Rice ... Seattle U will begin the indoor season on Jan. 18 at the UW Indoor Preview hosted by Washington.
Texas-Pan American Broncs
The Broncs open their first indoor season in the WAC at the Texas A&M 12-Team Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M on Jan. 17 ... UTPA will compete three times in Texas leading up to the WAC Indoor Championships, including twice at Texas Tech for the Masked Rider Open and the Red Raider Open ... three returning athletes won championships at the Great West Indoor Conference Championships in 2013; junior Jasmine Davison (weight throw), senior Jesus Alvarez (weight throw) and senior Martin Casse (mile and 800-meter run) ... the Broncs warmed up for the season with the Green and White Alumni Meet on Dec. 6, which served as a preview for several newcomers that Head Coach Xavier Richardson expects to contribute.
Utah Valley Wolverines
This marks the Wolverines first season in the WAC after winning 12 conference titles in five years in the Great West ... both the Wolverine men and women kicked off their campaigns at Boise State’s Jacksons Open and Multis on Dec. 13, as they won seven events that day as well as posted 27 top-three finishes ... UVU also set three new school records at the Jacksons Open ... sophomore Cole Eisenhour broke the 60m hurdles record with a time of 8.22 seconds ... freshman Lauren Hicks set a new triple jump mark with a leap of 11.20m, before her teammate, senior Ali Shields, broke it again with a leap of 11.39m later in the meet ... UVU will be in action from Jan. 9-11 at the BYU Invitational, competing against BYU, Utah and Westminster College.