May 14, 2010

Day Two Results

Day Two Team Scores

YANKTON, S.D. - Utah Valley's men's and women's track & field teams enjoyed a successful second day at the Great West Conference Outdoor Championships at Williams Field in Yankton, S.D., as both are currently in first place. The Wolverine women's team is five points ahead of host South Dakota while the men's team is five-and-a-half points in front of Houston Baptist.

With a high tally of 134 points, the UVU women's team picked up three more victories as distance-star Mary Nothum won her second event of the championships (the 3000m steeplechase), Whitney Aste won the high jump and Becky Reeves won the women's discus.

UVU's men's team is currently in first place with 81.5 points and was led on day two with three titles as well, as Trac Norris won the 3000m steeplechase, Kenny Millard the high jump and Chandler Rieske the men's decathlon.

Not only did Nothum win the 3000-meter steeplechase crown, she also set a new conference record in the event with a stellar time of 10:41.90.

Aste also picked up 10-team points by winning the high jump, as she cleared a mark of 5'-05.75". Reeves recorded her victory in the women's discus with a throw of 47.53m (155'-11").

South Dakota women won four events on Friday as Haley Peterson won the pole vault at 12-2, Christena Georgas won the shot put with a personal-best throw of 43-9 1/4, Ashlea Johnson took the long jump title with a leap of 18-3 1/4 and Crystal Schiernbeck defended her title in the heptathlon with a new meet record of 4,539 points. 

Norris led the way in the 3000m steeplechase as he finished with a time of 9:21.90. Millard won the men's high jump as he cleared 6'-08". Rieske won the men's decathlon with 6,332 points, setting a new GWC meet record.

HBU's Jonathan Staples and Jarrett Gilliam each won conference titles to pace HBU to a second-place standing on the men's side.  Staples leaped to a season best in the long jump to take top honors at 7.05m (23-1.75) to claim his first league title.   Gilliam unleashed a lifetime best on his final throw of 51.09m (167-7) to take the discus title.

North Dakota's Brandon Quesenberry won the men's shot put with a throw of 16.81m (55-02).

Men's standings entering the final day of competition are 1) Utah Valley, 81.50 pts.;  2) Houston Baptist, 76 pts. ;  3) South Dakota, 44.50pts.;  4) North Dakota, 36 pts.;  5) NJIT,  26 pts.;  6) Texas-Pan American, 25 pts.;  7) Chicago State, 16 pts.;  8) Seattle University,  7 pts.

Women's standings after day 2 are 1) Utah Valley, 134 pts.; 2) South Dakota, 129 pts.; 3) North Dakota, 28 pts.; 4) Houston Baptist and Texas-Pan American, 19 pts. each; 6) Seattle, 18 pts.; 7) NJIT, 1 pt.

The final day of the GWC Outdoor Championships will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT).