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MWC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Begin Wednesday
Wyoming to host for the first time in Conference history
May 12, 2009 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2009 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin Wednesday, May 13. For the first time in MWC history, the University of Wyoming will serve as the host site for the Championships, which will run from Wednesday through Saturday, May 16, 2009. Live stats will be available online by visiting TheMWC.com. Air Force senior Sean Houseworth enters this week's action looking to improve on his 2008 third-place conference outdoor finish in the men's 10,000-meter run. Houseworth won the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events at the 2009 MWC Indoor Championships to earn a share of the league's High Point Award. Junior Sara Neubauer, a three-time all-MWC honoree, holds Academy records in the shot put and hammer throw. She has also earned regional-qualifying marks in the shot put, discus and hammer this season. The BYU men will be looking to win their tenth consecutive MWC title, led by senior Kyle Perry. The four-time All-American comes into the weekend leading the league in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 13:35.64, and owning the nation's third-best time in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase (8:40.20). Junior Amy Menlove heads up the women's team having recently been crowned the 2009 NCAA Indoor Pentathlon National Champion. Menlove also holds the league's championship long jump record with a leap of 21'-4.75" (6.52m). Alex Godell, a senior at Colorado State, has won two-consecutive MWC outdoor hammer throw championships and owns the second-farthest mark of the season at 208'-1.00" (63.43m). His female counterpart, senior Missy Faubus, is the defending outdoor champion in the discus throw and is leading the Conference in the shot put with a distance of 53'-0.25" (16.16m), which is the second-best toss all-time in MWC history. New Mexico senior Lee Emanuel is coming off a first place performance in the mile at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. Emanuel also won the men's 1,500-meter at the 2008 MWC outdoor meet and is the New Mexico record-holder in the event. On the women's side, senior Katie Coronado returns as the 2008 NCAA runner-up in the javelin. The 2007 and 2008 MWC champion currently holds first in the league with an NCAA regional-qualifying mark of 181'-0.00" (55.18m), which is the second-best throw in Conference history. Karoline Koehler is the San Diego State entrant to watch in the sprints and jumps. The senior is a two-time indoor All-American in the triple jump and owns the Aztec record in the long jump. Koehler sits atop the MWC season-best list in the long jump (21'-4.00" [6.50m]) and the triple jump (43'-9.75" [13.35m]). TCU is led by sophomore Mychal Dungey, who is looking to improve on his 2008 MWC runner-up performance in the 200-meter dash. His time of 20.85 at the Texas Tech Invitational earlier this season currently leads the league. Junior Jessica Young is leading the league in the women's 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter events with NCAA regional qualifying times in each. She has already earned two All-American awards this season. UNLV's Lekeisha Lawson will lead the way for the Rebels, having run the third-fastest 100-meter time in the league this season. Her time of 11.72, clocked at the Mt. SAC Relays, qualifies her for the NCAA West Regional. The senior also holds the sixth-fastest Conference time of the season in the 200-meter dash at 24.24. Chelsea Shapard will try to defend her 2008 400-meter hurdle crown. The senior holds the Utah school record in the event and ranks first in the league this season with a regional-qualifying time of 58.29. Shapard is also a member of the Utes' 4x400-meter relay team, which owns the second-fastest time in the league this season at 3:41.60. Wyoming has a powerhouse in sophomore Jeremiah James, the 2008 outdoor long jump champion and 2009 indoor long jump and triple jump winner. A recipient of the 2009 MWC Indoor High Point Award, James leads the league in the long jump with a leap of 24'-1.75" (7.36m). On the women's side, junior Emily Higgins has the best 3,000-meter Steeplechase time in Cowgirl history and enters the weekend with a second-place Conference time of 10:30.81. At last year's MWC championships, two women's and one men's records were broken, while 25 men's and women's performances ranked among the top-five in MWC championships history. BYU won five individual titles and earned 210 points overall to capture the men's team crown, while the Colorado State women claimed their first MWC Championship after finishing with 187 points and three individual titles.
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