DENVER - Grand Canyon's Emily Wilkinson and NM State's La'Shya Cole have been named Western Athletic Conference Track & Field Athletes of the week, respectively, for Jan. 18-24.
Wilkinson, a senior from Tucson, Ariz. (Ironwood Ridge) broke her own school record in the mile, running 5:06.72 to place third overall and finish as the second collegian at the Cherry and Silver Invitational. Wilkinson's mile is the fastest in the WAC by over seven seconds.
Cole, a sophomore from Orange, Texas (West Orange-Stark HS) swept both events she competed in. She led the team of Aggies that took the top three spots in the Triple Jump with a mark of 11.75m (38 ft. 7in.). In the Long Jump, she won with a mark of 5.61m (18 ft. 5 in.). Her marks in both events were a college best for Cole. She currently is second in the WAC in both events. She played a large role in helping the Aggies sweep the other five teams in the team scored meet, defeating CSU Bakersfield 99-35, UNLV 70-66, Pepperdine 95-31, Northern Arizona 72-65 and Cal State Fullerton 85-55.
Other track nominees: NM State's Dominique Jackson finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.32. She currently leads the conference in this event. Jackson played a large role in helping the Aggies sweep the other five teams in the team scored meet, defeating CSU Bakersfield 99-35, UNLV 70-66, Pepperdine 95-31, Northern Arizona 72-65 and Cal State Fullerton 85-55. Utah Valley's Savannah Berry led the women's distance team with a second place finish in the 3000m run with a time of 10.28.25.
Other field nominees: Grand Canyon's Nyomi Mosley finished 8th overall in the weight throw with a mark of 16.50m, good for 3rd in the WAC. Utah Valley's Chantil Martin placed sixth in the weight throw with a mark of 54'-08" (chasing a school record of 54'-11.5").