Feb. 28, 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

• 2008 MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships Web page
• Real-Time Results
• Pentathlon Results
• Heptathlon Results
• Women's Team Scoring

New Mexico junior Sandy Fortner won the women's pentathlon, defeating Colorado State's Emily Pearson 4,005-3,820 on the first day of the 2008 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Air Force Academy. Fortner's point total is a season-best in the league and ranks third all-time in MWC championship history. San Diego State sophomore Kristin Olafsdottir finished third for the third consecutive year with a score 3,777.

Colorado State has an early lead in the women's team standings with 13 points, followed by New Mexico (10), San Diego State (10), TCU (5) and BYU (1).

Fortner never trailed after overpowering Pearson for first in the second event of the day, the high jump, with a leap of 5'-08.50" (1.74m). She also placed second in both the 60-meter hurdles (8.66) and the long jump (18'-09.75" [5.73m]), third in the shot put (39'-08.00" [12.09m]) and fifth in the 800-meter run (2:30.67). Each of the top three finishers surpassed the NCAA provisional qualifying standard in the pentathlon.

Meaghan Peoples of TCU (3,680) and Shana Watson of San Diego State (3,595) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Colorado State's Ashleigh Morton (3,589) was sixth and fellow Ram Kristen Krugler (3,454) was seventh. BYU's Chelsi Peterson rounded out the scoring at eighth with 3,435 points.

BYU junior Justin Palmer leads the men's heptathlon competition after four events with a score of 3,031. An impressive 211 points separate him from teammate Chase Dalton, who currently sits in second at 2,820 points. The Cougars occupy the top three positions heading into the second day of the competition with sophomore Lance Walker (2,739) sitting in third. Air Force junior Skylar Morgan (2,669) is in fourth, followed by BYU's Tanner Emrich (2,622) in fifth. Colorado State's Doug Dieker (6th - 2,601), Air Force's Matt Gensic (7th - 2,583), Wyoming's Jay Petsch (8th- 2,538) and Air Force's Noah Palicia (9th - 2,250) round out the field.

Palmer, who led the league throughout the season in the men's heptathlon, won both the long jump (22'-08.50" [6.92m]) and the shot put (44'0.00" [13.41m]), while placing second in the high jump (6'-02.75' [1.90m]) and third in the 60-meter dash (7.15). On Friday, the first event of the heptathlon will be the 60-meter hurdles at 12 Noon MT.

Final pentathlon results:
1. Sandy Fortner, New Mexico - 4,005; 2. Emily Pearson, Colorado State - 3,820; 3. Kristen Olafsdottir, San Diego State - 3,777; 4. Meaghan Peoples, TCU - 3,680; 5. Shana Watson, San Diego State - 3,595; 6. Ashleigh Morton, Colorado State - 3,589; 7. Kristen Kugler, Colorado State - 3,454; 8. Chelsi Peterson, BYU - 3,435; 9. Danielle McCarty, Air Force - 3,306; 10. Mindy Robins, BYU - 3,106; 11. Tamara Keys, BYU - 2,946; 12. Claire Schreiner, UNLV - 2,847.