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WAC TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK ANNOUNCED
MEN
Utah Valley's Jason Lynch and Missouri-Kansas City's Martin Williams have been named Western Athletic Conference Track and Field Athletes of the week, respectively, for May 2-8.
Lynch, a senior from Sandy, Utah (Hillcrest HS) ran a personal record time of 14:17.58 in the 5,000m run at the Oxy Invite. That time puts him at No. 1 in the WAC.
Williams, a senior from Lawrence, Kan. (Coffeyville CC) notched two personal-best performances at the Ward Haylett Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas on May 7. Williams placed third in the hammer throw with a PR mark of 54.45 meters, and took fourth in the discus with a throw of 49.22 meters.
Other field nominees: Utah Valley's Scott Moake finished in second place in the high jump, clearing a mark of 2.01m at the Weber State Twilight Open.
WOMEN
Utah Valley's Jasmine Nesbitt and Missouri-Kansas City's Dahlia Dyson have been named Western Athletic Conference Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, for May 2-8.
Nesbitt, a junior from Jerome, Idaho (Jerome HS) had an outstanding personal record in the 5K, running 16:52.27 at the Oxy Invite. Nesbitt currently leads the WAC in the 800m, the 1500m and the 5,000m.
Dyson, a senior from O'Fallon, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt West HS) placed second in the hammer throw at the Ward Haylett Invitational with a throw of 49.78 meters, while also placing third in the shot put with a mark of 13.03 meters.
Other track nominees: Missouri-Kansas City's Mallory Short notched a personal-best time in the 100-meter hurdles at the Ward Haylett Invitational on May 7, where she placed second in the event with a time of 13.83 seconds.
Other field nominees: Utah Valley's Briana Dusenberry lead the Wolverines in the high jump and finished in fifth place with a mark of 1.58m at the Weber State Twilight Open.
WAC ANNOUNCES PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES POLL
The Western Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's outdoor 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 three first place votes and 28 points overall. Utah Valley captured second place with 27 points and three first place votes. Right behind the Wolverines is Missouri-Kansas City with 23 points. UT Rio Grande Valley with 18 points and Seattle U with 14 points grab the fourth and fifth spots. CSU Bakersfield is sixth with nine points and Chicago State rounds out the men's poll with seven points.
For the women, Grand Canyon was also picked as the favorite to win the conference championship with five first place votes and 41 points overall. Utah Valley was close behind with 36 points and one first place vote. Also earning one first place vote was Missouri-Kansas City. The ‘Roos had a total of 32 points. NM State grabs the fourth spot with 26 points. UT Rio Grande Valley with 23 points, Seattle U with 17 points, and Chicago State with 13 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 Outdoor Track & Field championships will take place in Lawrence, Kansas this Wednesday-Saturday, May 11-14.
2016 Pre-Championship Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Grand Canyon (3) |
28 |
| 2 |
Utah Valley (3) |
27 |
| 3 |
Missouri-Kansas City |
23 |
| 4 |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
18 |
| 5 |
Seattle U |
14 |
| 6 |
CSU Bakersfield |
9 |
| 7 |
Chicago State |
7 |
2016 Pre-Championship Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Grand Canyon (5) |
41 |
| 2 |
Utah Valley (1) |
36 |
| 3 |
Missouri-Kansas City (1) |
32 |
| 4 |
NM State |
26 |
| 5 |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
23 |
| 6 |
Seattle U |
17 |
| 7 |
Chicago State |
13 |
| 8 |
CSU Bakersfield |
8 |
STEEPLECHASE IN THE WAC
Two athletes from the WAC are ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA. UMKC's Bryce Miller one-upped himself on Sunday, May 1, to set a new personal record in the event at one of the most prestigious track meets in the country, the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California. Miller's new personal record of 8:38.59 is now the fifth-fastest time in NCAA Division I this season. Joining Miller in the top 10 is Utah Valley's Trac Norris. Norris rankes No. 9 in the NCAA with a time of 8:40.88.
GRAND CANYON'S TARASUE BARNETT
Tarasue Barnett won the women's discus with a throw of 61.28m (201-00), breaking her own school record of 58.99m earlier this season at the Aztec Invitational. Barnett's record throw came on her fourth attempt of the competition to take the lead and hit the Olympic A standard for the event. The junior from Kingston, Jamaica is currently owns the No. 2 mark in the NCAA and ranks No. 18 in the world.
UTAH VALLEY REGIONAL POLL
The Wolverine Men are currently 10th in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division 1 Regional Index.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are hosted by Missouri-Kansas City and held in Kansas City, Mo. from May 11-14. Last year, the Utah Valley won and the Missouri-Kansas City women took home the championship.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will take place in Eugene, Ore. from June 8-11.
June 8-11, 2016
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Facility: Hayward Field