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Utah Track And Field Set To Compete In Conference Championships
2/22/2000 12:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 22, 2000
SALT LAKE CITY -
The Utah track and field team will compete in the first Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Air Force Feb. 24-26.
Utah does not field a complete men's team and has a comparatively small women's team, so individual accomplishments will be Utah's focus at the conference championships. "Our team is very small compared to other schools, so we are turning our attention to individual performances," says Head Coach Mike Jones. "We have very high goals for many of our athletes."
Utah has several athletes that will challenge for conference titles. Senior Chris Merkley will try to defend Utah's 3,000 meter title, which former Ute Jeff Simonich captured last year. Merkley is currently ranked third in the MWC with a time of 8:19.96. Senior Travis Hildebrand will challenge for the 5,000 meter title. He is ranked second in the conference with a time of 14:34.63. Sophomore Teren Jameson will compete in the mile run. He boasts the third fastest conference time of 4:09.34.
The Ute women have an opportunity to score more points and place higher in the conference than the men, however the women's team lacks the number of athletes needed to finish strong in the conference. "Our women's team is young and inexperienced, and we do not have a complete team," says Jones. "Our objective is to do the best we can."
Sophomore Audrey Kiser could have two top-10 conference finishes in the shot put and 20-pound weight throw. Her throw of 46' 5.50" in the shot put at the Weber State Invitational on Feb. 12 broke the school record and places her seventh in the MWC. She is ranked sixth in the conference in the weight throw (54' 9.75"). Chantel Goldsberry is right behind Kiser. She is ranked 10th in the shot put (41' 8.00") and seventh in the weight throw (52' 1.75").
Sophomore Erianne Allen and freshman Kristy Slade are ranked third and fourth in the conference, respectively, in the pentathlon. Their highest marks of the season came on Feb. 5 at the Mountain States Games in Pocatello, Idaho, with Allen accumulating 3,173 points and Slade totaling 3,076 points.
Senior Johanna Nielsen will make a run in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. She is ranked seventh in the conference in the 3,000 (9:57.30) and fifth in the 5,000 (17:17.03). And senior Elisha Kekacs should fare well in the 60-meter hurdles as she is ranked third in the conference with a time of 8.50 seconds.
The Utes outdoor season begins on Mar. 25 at the Stanford Invitational Distance Carnival in Palo Alto, Calif.
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