MWC Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week

New Mexico's Ortega and San Diego State's Miller take home conference honors.

San Diego State junior Leslie Miller was selected MWC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week.
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April 25, 2002

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - New Mexico sophomore Ben Ortega and San Diego State junior Leslie Miller were selected Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively.

MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ben Ortega - New Mexico
Sophomore * Distance * Taos, N.M./Taos HS

Ortega clocked a time of 29:35.07 in his first 10,000-meter race of the year to finish fourth at the Mt. Mt. San Antonio College Relays to become the third New Mexico athlete to record an NCAA provisional qualifying mark this season. The defending MWC Champion in the event smashed his previous personal-best (30:02.00, 2001) by 27 seconds and was nearly 10 seconds under the NCAA provisional qualifying standard. The time is also the second fastest in the conference this season and fourth all-time.

WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Leslie Miller - San Diego State
Junior * Heptathlon * Humble, Texas/Humble HS

Miller earned an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the heptathlon at the Mt. San Antonio College Heptathlon, held last Thursday and Friday on the Azusa Pacific campus. Miller set four personal-best marks in the eight-event competition. Her 5,472 points in the competition was good for a fourth-place finish. She was the highest collegiate athlete to finish, with the top three finishers being either unattached or club team athlete. The point total is the sixth-best mark in the nation and highest point total by a MWC athlete this season. The mark is also second all-time in the MWC record book and third best in SDSU history. Miller's personal records came in the 100-meter hurdles (14.12), the high jump (5-3.25), the 200 meters (25.23) and the javelin (132-10). On Sunday, in the Mt. SAC Relays, Miller raced to a fourth-place, season-best and career-best time of 14.00 in Heat B of the 100 hurdles.