"It's beyond challenging, to say the least," Gbaja-Biamila said. "It's probably beyond nuts."

It's Expedition Impossible, a new reality show on ABC (Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT) that began with 13 three-person teams facing the task of traipsing across the scalding sands of Morocco in a quest to overcome physical challenges that abut the absurd and lean toward the ludicrous. The ultimate winning team earns $150,000 and three Ford Explorers. Each week, the last team to finish is eliminated from the competition.

The show premiered last week, with a team known as The Gypsies winning Stage One. In third place was the Football Players, a trio of former San Diego State football players comprised of Gbaja-Biamila, Robert Ortiz and Ricky Sharpe. Gbaja-Biamila, a linebacker, and Sharpe, a defensive back, played at SDSU from 1999-02. Ortiz, a wide receiver, was a member of the Aztecs from 2002-05. All three spent time with NFL teams, which, while perhaps providing a measure of physical superiority, doesn't carry a great deal of weight when a sand viper slips into your sleeping bag.

"You think that because you're a football player that you can contend with the heat factor and the elements, but in my case, I had to convince myself mentally that I could do these things," said Gbaja-Biamila, who currently works as a football analyst for VERSUS/NBC. "It really makes you face your fears."

For Gbaja-Biamila, it began with a tryout to become the next reality TV star in a competition sponsored by talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. During the competition, Gbaja-Biamila was introduced to Expedition Impossible producer Mark Burnett, who convinced the former San Diego State athlete to round up two teammates and join him for 10 episodes of mirth and merriment in the sweltering Sahara.

Gbaja-Biamila turned to Sharpe, now a fitness consultant in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Ortiz, now a businessman in San Diego, to round out the threesome.

"We didn't go out to Morocco just to horse around," Gbaja-Bilamila said. "It's just like being on the football field. We're there to compete and we're in it to win it."

Track the progress of former Aztecs' Gbaja-Biamila, Ortiz and Sharpe on Expedition Impossible. Thursday nights at 9/8 CT on ABC.

Four WNBA players with ties to Mountain West institutions are continuing their professional careers this season in the United States - Erin Thorn (BYU) of the Chicago Sky, Leilani Mitchell (Utah) of the New York Liberty, Sandora Irvin (TCU) of the Atlanta Dream and Becky Hammon (Colorado State) of the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Three games into the 2011 season, all four are making an impact for their teams with Hammon as the veteran in her 13th year in the league. Mitchell was the 2007-08 Mountain West Player of the Year. Thorn was the 1999-2000 MW Freshman of the Year and a three-time all-MW first team honoree. Irvin wrapped up her TCU career in 2004-05.

Check out the links below to follow along with the action this season!

• Becky Hammon - San Antonio Silver Stars

• Sandora Irvin - Atlanta Dream

• Leilani Mitchell - New York Liberty

• Erin Thorn - Chicago Sky

• 2011 WNBA Schedule

• 2011 WNBA Standings

Batty, whose time of 3:36.25 at the Mt. SAC Relays in April represented the top collegiate performance in the country in 2011, as well as a Mountain West record, was clocked at 3:45.07 on Saturday in a race won by Oregon junior Matthew Centrowitz (3:42.54).

By virtue of his top-eight finish, Batty became the fourth BYU men's team athlete to earn first-team All-American honors at the meet.

Also earning first-team All-American honors on Saturday was New Mexico senior Rory Fraser, who posted a sixth-place finish (13:39.40) in the men's 5,000-meter run. Fraser was one of three New Mexico athletes to qualify for the event. Junior Nicholas Kipruto garnered second-team All-American honors by finishing 11th in a time of 13:48.52. Lobo sophomore Ross Millington did not finish the race.

On the women's side, San Diego State junior Whitney Ashley, who earned first-team All-American honors on Wednesday by finishing seventh in the discus, fouled out of Saturday's shot put competition.

In the men's team standings, BYU finished eighth with 27.50 points in a competition won by defending champion Texas A&M (55.00).

Texas A&M (49.00) also captured the women's title. TCU's posted the top finish among MW women's teams, finishing 27th with 11.00 points.

The performance by Arrhenius, who garnered first-team All-American status by virtue of a top-eight finish, turned in his best throw (63'-6.75," 19.06m) on his second attempt.

Arrhenius, who finished behind Arizona State's Jordan Clarke (64'-9.75," 19.75m), wasn't alone in achieving national accolades on the men's side. New Mexico senior Keith Gerrard, who entered the meet with the fourth-best time in the event in the NCAA this season, finished seventh (28:36.33) in the 10,000-meter run, while Air Force senior Justin Tyner placed eighth (8:40.83) in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase.

Meanwhile, the MW women matched the men for first-team All-American honors, with TCU's Jessica Young finishing third in the 100-meter dash (11.14) and the UNLV duo of juniors Amanda Bingson and Chelsea Cassulo placing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the hammer throw. The pair is the first to earn the distinction at UNLV since Ashley Owens finished second in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor National Championships in 2006. Christine Spence was the last Rebel to achieve All-American status in outdoor competition when she finished sixth in the high jump and seventh in the 400-meter hurdles in 2005.

"Ending the season with two All-Americans is really exciting," said head coach Yvonne Scott. "Despite the (rainy) conditions of the meet, Amanda and Chelsea were able to hold their composure and secure their spots in the finals and represent UNLV. We are extremely proud of our Rebels."

Bingson exceeded 200 feet on three attempts, with her best effort measured at 211'-2.00" (64.36m). Cassulo's best throw of 210'-2.00" (64.07m) came on her first attempt.

Virginia Tech's Dorotea Habazin finished first overall with a top distance of 223-7 (68.15m).

Among MW athletes concluding standout seasons on the men's side Friday were Colorado State senior Tyson Williams, who earned second-team All-American honors by finishing 12th (59'-5.00," 18.11m) in the shot put; New Mexico sophomore Richard York, who finished 22nd in the men's decathlon competition with 7,229 points; and BYU senior Trevor Heiner, who placed 21st in the men's high jump with an effort of 6'-10.75" (2.10m).

On the women's side, the TCU team of freshman Briyanni Thomas, senior Kristal Juarez, senior Teneshia Hall and sophomore Quinterra Charles finished 15th in the prelims of the 1,600-meter relay (3:35.60); New Mexico's Deanna Young placed 21st (40'-6.75," 12.36m) in the women's triple jump; San Diego State freshman Allison Reaser posted an 18th-place-place finish in the heptathlon (5,156 points); and San Diego State sophomore Kelsy Hintz no-heighted in the women's pole vault.

Batty, whose Mountain West record time of 3:36.25 also represents the top mark in the NCAA this season, finished in a time of 3:42.84, second to Dorian Ulrey of Arkansas (3:42.44). New Mexico senior David Bishop (3:52.20) came up short in his attempt to qualify for Saturday's final, finishing in 20th place.

San Diego State freshman Allison Reaser is in 21st place with 3,106 points after the first day of the women's heptathlon.

Among MW athletes concluding standout seasons in their respective events on Thursday were TCU sophomore sprinter Charles Silmon, who finished 10th (20.82) in the men's 200-meter prelims; TCU senior sprinter Jessica Young, who posted a 14th-place finish (23.15) in the prelims of the women's 200 meters; Utah's Amanda Mergaert, who narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the women's 1,500-meter race (4:19.96); and BYU's Ada Robinson, who tied for ninth in the women's high jump at 5'-10.75" (1.80m).

Air Force senior Noah Palicia was forced to withdraw from the second day of the men's decathlon competition due to a hamstring injury.

The meet was halted at approximately 10:30 p.m. CT Thursday due to storms in the area. Four events have been delayed until Friday, including the men's long jump and women's 1,600-meter relay, which had already begun when competition was initially delayed by weather earlier Thursday night. Competition in the men's 1,600-meter relay and men's 10,000-meter run has yet to begin.

"We're just scratching the surface," Thompson said. "In the last three to five years, we've had phenomenal growth and unbelievable national accomplishments. And that's just the beginning. With our new members and the new excitement and new energy incorporated into that by the new logo and the rebranding efforts, you're going to continue to follow us and you're going to want to follow us, because we're on the verge of great things."

The league's new logo features an adjoining "MW" but no longer includes the word "conference" in its title.

"We're confident it's a brand that's going to grow and one we're very happy with," Thompson said. "It symbolizes the strength and unity of the Mountain West going forward and gives us a basis for laying the foundation when (Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada) join us in 2012.

"It's going to take awhile for people to understand the MW. The old logo served us very well, but it was also a little busy. I think if you look at other league logos, very seldom do you see the word conference. We're now the MW; the Mountain West."

Thompson said work on the rebranding of the league began last fall, with the new logo being selected from nearly three dozen prototypes over the last two months.

The league will officially add Boise State to the fold July 1. Fresno State, Hawaii (football only) and Nevada will join the MW in 2012.

"Because (the league) is located in a mountain state (Colorado) in the Mountain Time Zone, somewhere over the years we've lost track of the West a little bit and put more emphasis on the Mountain," Thompson said. "But with our new members, we're about as much west as we are mountain, so we're going to emphasize both names.

"This is a rebranding from the standpoint that as of July of next year, we will have undergone quite a drastic change in our membership. I think we felt we needed to reintroduce ourselves. We've got to get the public behind it and we've got to get our fans saying, 'Hey, this is a really good league.' We've had 8,000 respondents (from member schools) say that this is an up-and-coming league; it's a growing league. We still need to have them saying that when we introduce our new members."

The new logo, developed by Loma Media of San Diego, will be introduced on MW campuses beginning July 1. Thompson said there was never any consideration given to changing the name of the conference entirely, or to keeping the former name.

"In terms of agreeing it was time to refresh the logo, there was never any controversy (on the part of presidents or athletic directors) about that," said Dr. Stephen Weber, the longest-tenured member of the league's Board of Directors, who will retire effective July 5 after spending the past 15 years as the president at San Diego State. "From a parochial standpoint, one of the reasons I like this is because the old logo was a very Mountain-centric logo. This gives equal billing to the West."

In a field featuring 30 of the NCAA's top teams, the Aztecs finished tied for 16th, while the Rams placed 30th. San Diego State junior J.J. Spaun, one of six underclassmen on a team that features just one senior, finished in a tie for third in the individual standings.

It was the second consecutive season and eighth time in league history that at least two men's golf teams represented the Mountain West at the NCAA National Championships.

The tournament, which runs through Sunday, continues Friday with the top eight finishers --- UCLA, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Illinois,, Georgia, Ohio State, Augusta State and Duke --- taking part in match play. The national title will be determined between the top two teams on Sunday. The individual national champion was crowned Thursday, with LSU's John Peterson taking honors after finishing with a 54-hole total of 5-under 211.

No. 7 seed San Diego State, which pocketed its first NCAA regional title last month at the Southwest Regional in Tucson, Ariz., had two players --- Spaun and freshman Todd Baek --- finish in the top 10. Spaun, who carded a 1-under 71 on Thursday, concluded the 54-hole tournament with a 1-under 215. Meanwhile, Baek finished in a tie for 10th place. After shooting even-par 72 on each of the first two days of the tournament, Baek finished with a 1-over 217. As a team, the Aztecs had a 54-hole total of 898 (34-over).

Unseeded Colorado State, which was participating in its second NCAA Championship and first since 1999 following its second-place finish at the NCAA South-Central Regional in Erie, Colo., was led by junior Zahkai Brown (13-over 229) and senior Ryan Peterson (16-over 232). Brown finished tied for 88th, while Peterson concluded the tournament tied for 106th. The Rams finished with a team score of 937 (73-over).

No. 2 seed UCLA (8-over 872) topped the team standings.

For more information on Mountain West men's golf, follow the MW on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TheMWC and www.Twitter.com/TheMWCOlySports. For the latest news from around the league, become a Facebook fan at www.Facebook.com/MountainWestConference, check out its official YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/MountainWestConf, and read the league's official blog at www.TheMWC.com/blog.

The Aztecs and Colorado State are two of 30 teams taking part in the event, marking the second consecutive season and eighth time in league history that at least two men's golf teams have represented the Mountain West at the NCAA National Championships.

The tournament, which runs through Sunday, June 5, features 54 holes of stroke play with one round played each day. The individual national champion will be crowned at the conclusion of stroke play on Thursday, June 2. The top eight teams head to match play beginning on Friday, with the national title determined between the remaining two squads on Sunday. Live hole-by-hole stats are available at GolfStat.com.

No. 7 seed San Diego State, which pocketed its first regional title last month at the Southwest Regional in Tucson, Ariz., is currently paced by freshman Todd Baek and junior J.J. Spaun, who enter Thursday's round in a seven-way tie for 14th place at an even-par 144. Baek has carded an even 72 in each of the first two days, while Spaun, who posted a 3-under 69 during Tuesday's opening round, finished with a 3-over 75 on Wednesday. As a team, the Aztecs have a 36-hole total of 20-over-par 596.

Colorado State is participating in its second NCAA Championship and first since 1999 following its second-place finish at the South-Central Regional in Erie, Colo. The unseeded Rams, who find themselves in 30th place with a 36-hole total of 54-over 630, are currently led by juniors Zahkai Brown and Kory Harrell, both of whom are in a 12-way tie for 105th at 11-over 155.

No. 4 seed Georgia Tech, which led after the opening round, continues to hold the top spot in the team standings at 3-under 573. LSU's John Peterson (5-under 139) is the individual leader after carding a 7-under 65 on Wednesday.

For more information on Mountain West men's golf, follow the MW on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TheMWC and www.Twitter.com/TheMWCOlySports. For the latest news from around the league, become a Facebook fan at www.Facebook.com/MountainWestConference, check out its official YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/MountainWestConf, and read the league's official blog at www.TheMWC.com/blog.