BYU Men, TCU Women Win MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships
Horned Frogs win first MWC championship
March 1, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
The BYU men and TCU women were victorious in the 2008 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Air Force Academy. The Cougar men won their sixth straight title, while the TCU women took home their first ever MWC championship.
On the men's side, TCU finished second (128), followed by Air Force (127), Wyoming (100), Colorado State (88.50) and New Mexico (44.50). The Rams finished second on the women's side (121.50), with BYU (112), San Diego State (94) and Wyoming (64) finishing third, fourth and fifth respectively. New Mexico came in sixth (51.50), while Utah (36), UNLV (33) and Air Force (22) rounded out the scoring.
Final team scores (Men):
1. BYU - 169; 2. TCU - 128; 3. Air Force - 127; 4. Wyoming - 100; 5. Colorado State - 88.50; 6. New Mexico - 44.50.
Final team scores (Women):
1. TCU - 129; 2. Colorado State - 121.50; 3. BYU - 112; 4. San Diego State - 94; 5. Wyoming - 64; 6. New Mexico - 51.50; 7. Utah - 36; 8. UNLV - 33; 9. Air Force - 22.
2008 MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships Award Winners:
Men's Co-Coaches of the Year - Ralph Lindeman, AFA; Mark Robison, BYU; Don Yentes, WYO
Women's Coach of the Year - Darryl Anderson, TCU
Men's Outstanding Performance - Jake Shanklin, WYO (Weight Throw)
Women's Outstanding Performance - Virgil Hodge, TCU (60-meter Dash)
Men's High Point Award - Jeremiah James, WYO (21)
Women's High Point Award - Karoline Koehler, SDSU (28)
2008 MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships Notes:
- TCU sophomore Neidra Covington won her second individual title of the 2008 Indoor Championships, taking the women's triple jump with a leap of 44'-00.00" (13.41m). The mark is the fifth-best in MWC women's championship history and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Championships. San Diego State junior Karoline Koehler came in second with a mark of 43'-05.00" (13.23m). Breaking her school record and coming in third was New Mexico sophomore Deanna Young, jumping 42'-07.00" (12.98m).
- TCU freshman Jordan Pitts won the men's 60-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 7.92, which is the second-best time in MWC men's championship history. Air Force junior Kellen Curry finished second for the second consecutive year with a time of 8.00, followed by Air Force freshman Terry Robinson (8.28), who came in third.
- Junior Kishelle Paul completed the 60-meter hurdles sweep for the Horned Frogs as she was first to cross the finish line in the women's event for the second time in her collegiate career. She clocked a time of 8.37, which ties for fifth in the all-time MWC women's record book and provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Championships. Trailing Paul by four one-thousandths of a second was Wyoming junior Shaylee Babbitt (8.37). Colorado State senior Emily Pearson came in third (8.50).
- TCU senior Virgil Hodge defended her 2007 women's 60-meter dash title by earning her second consecutive crown with a time of (7.30), which is tied for third-best in MWC women's championship history and provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Championships. Hodge edged teammate Brittany Blaylock (7.50), a sophomore, and San Diego State junior Karoline Koehler (7.53), who finished second and third, respectively.
- TCU junior Andon Mitchell became the third consecutive Horned Frog to win the men's 60-meter dash, with a time of 6.70, just fast enough to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships. His time is fourth-best in MWC men's championship history. TCU swept the top three positions as juniors Otis McDaniel (6.72) and Justyn Warner (6.75) finished second and third, respectively.
- The BYU Cougars won the men's mile for the sixth consecutive year, as junior Kyle Perry made a late sprint past teammate Dustin Bybee to win the event in 4:22.99. Bybee, the 2007 mile champion, crossed the finish line in 4:23.07 to take second, while New Mexico junior Lee Emanuel came in third (4:24.03).
- Colorado State senior Drew Morano became the back-to-back men's 400-meter champion, winning the event with a provisional time of 46.80. TCU occupied the next two positions as senior Che Chavez (46.87) and sophomore Dell Guy (47.32) came in second and third, respectively.
- TCU junior Candis Kelley became the first female student-athlete in MWC history to thrice win the women's shot put. Her toss of 49'-05.00" (15.06m) earned the Horned Frog her third consecutive title. Colorado State junior Missy Faubus finished second with a throw of 49'-04.50" (15.05m), while Air Force sophomore Sara Neubauer finished third with a mark of 48'-11.00" (14.91m).
- BYU senior Carlee Platt broke the MWC women's championship record in the 800-meter run to win her second consecutive title in the event. Platt's time provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Championships and replaces her previous record set at last year's championship meet. Freshmen Stacy Slight (2:11.99) and Katie Palmer (2:12.39) completed the BYU sweep for second and third place, respectively.
- Virgil Hodge won her second event of the day in the women's 200-meter dash. The TCU senior clocked a time of 23:53 to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships, edging teammates junior Jessica Clark (24:02) and sophomore Brittany Blaylock (24:40), who came in second and third, respectively.
- Mychal Dungey, a TCU freshman, won the men's 200-meter dash, keeping Air Force's Travis Picou from winning his fourth-consecutive title. Dungey ran the event in 21:17, provisionally qualifying him for the NCAA Championships. Horned Frogs teammate Otis McDaniel, a junior, came in second at 21.28, while Picou followed in third with a time of 21.34.
- TCU senior Jonathan Jackson recorded the third-best triple jump mark in MWC men's championship history, leaping 53'-04.25" (16.26m) to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. John Alderson, a Wyoming sophomore, followed with a jump of 49'-03.00" (15.01m) to come in second. New Mexico junior Domnick Meadows placed third (48'-10.75" [14.90m]).
