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INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN
Missouri-Kansas City's Blake Hocking has been named Western Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the week, respectively, for Feb. 15-21.
Hocking, a senior from Lawrence, Kan. (Lawrence HS) took first-place in the shot put at the Nebraska Tune-Up on February 19. Hocking's winning mark of 16.99 meters proved to be a season-best, and places him atop the WAC performance list in the event.
WOMEN
Missouri-Kansas City's Mallory Short and Kelsey Benoit have been named Western Athletic Conference Track & Field Athletes of the week, respectively, for Feb 15-21.
Short, a junior from Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge HS) took fourth-place in the 60-meter hurdles at the Nebraska Tune-Up on February 19. Short's time of 8.75 seconds was a season-best and places her second in the WAC standings heading into the conference championships.
Benoit, a senior from Centralia, Mo. (Centralia HS) placed first among Division I competition in the weight throw at the Nebraska Tune-Up on February 19. Benoit's winning toss of 17.29 meters proved to be a career-best mark, and places her third in the WAC this season in the event.
PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES POLL ANNOUNCED
The Western Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's indoor track and field pre-championship coaches polls, as voted on by the eight head coaches in the league. Grand Canyon was selected as the favorite to win both the men's and women's championship.
On the men's side, Grand Canyon was picked as the favorite with five first place votes and 25 points overall. Utah Valley captured second place with 21 points and one first place vote. Right behind the Wolverines is Missouri-Kansas City with 16 points. Seattle U with 12 points and UT Rio Grande Valley with 11 points grab the fourth and fifth spots and Chicago State rounds out the men's poll with five points.
For the women, Grand Canyon was also picked as the favorite to win the conference championship with four first place votes and 46 total points. Missouri-Kansas City and Utah Valley were close behind, earning 40 points each. The Wolverines picked up three first place votes and the ‘Roos picked up one first place vote. NM State grabs the fourth spot with 28 points. Seattle U with 24 points, UT Rio Grande Valley with 21 points, and Chicago State with 12 points are fifth, sixth, and seventh. CSU Bakersfield rounds out the women's poll at eighth place with eight points.
The 2016 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field championships will take place at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho this Thursday-Saturday, February 25-27.
2016 Pre-Championship Men's Indoor Track & Field Coaches Poll
Rank Team (1st - Place Votes) Points
1 Grand Canyon (5) 25
2 Utah Valley (1) 21
3 Missouri-Kansas City 16
4 Seattle U 12
5 UT Rio Grande Valley 11
6 Chicago State 5
2016 Pre-Championship Women's Indoor Track & Field Coaches Poll
Rank Team (1st - Place Votes Points
1 Grand Canyon (4) 46
2 Utah Valley (3) 40
2 Missouri-Kansas City (1) 40
4 NM State 38
5 Seattle U 24
6 UT Rio Grande Valley 21
7 Chicago State 12
8 CSU Bakersfield 8
REGIONAL RANKINGS
The USTFCAA regional rankings have been posted and two WAC teams rank in the top 15. The Utah Valley men are 11th in the Mountain Region and the Grand Canyon men are 11th in the West Region.
GRAND CANYON'S PIERRE-LOUIS RICOU RANKED NATIONALLY
The junior from Mornac, France is getting national attention. Ricou is ranked 31st in the country in the heptathlon after dominating at the Mountain T's Invitational, winning six of the seven events in the competition.
UTAH VALLEY'S NICK TAYLOR MAKING STRIDES
The senior set a new school record in the 200m dash with a time of 21.14 seconds as the Utah Valley University track and field team competed in the Bronco Invitational in the Ford Idaho Center on Saturday. Taylor surpassed the four-year standing record of 21.18 seconds, earning a victory in the 200m. Earlier in the day, Taylor also snagged the first-place victory in the 60m dash with a time of 6.78 seconds to pace the Wolverines. Taylor is tied for 23rd in the nation in the 200m, according to tfrrs.org.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships are held in Nampa, Idaho from Feb. 25-27. The Utah Valley men and Grand Canyon women will be looking to repeat titles from last year.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 Indoor Track and Field National Championships will be hosted by Samford and take place in Birmingham, Ala. from March 11-12.
March 11-12, 2016
Host: Samford
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Facility: Birmingham Crossplex