Bronco Women Third For Now at WAC Track Championships

They won't be able to hold it, but Boise State's women are currently in third place at the WAC Track Championships in Nampa.  Utah State is in the lead with 60 points, and Nevada is in second with 50 points. Boise State is in third place with 49 points, followed by New Mexico State in fourth place with 31.50 points. Hawai'i has a hold of the fifth spot with 26.50 points, while Fresno State is in sixth place with 20 points. Louisiana Tech is in seventh with 19 points, while Idaho finishes the second day in eighth place with 16 points

Mele Vaisima finished second in the women's weight throw at the WAC Track & Field Championships at Jackson's Track in Nampa.  The Bronco senior uncorked a throw of 57-feet, 07.00 inches.


Also a nice finish for the Boise State women in one of their top events.  Senior BreAnna Craig vaulted 12-feet, 5.50 inches to take second to Utah State's Sonia Grabowska (13-11.25) in the pole vault.  Danielle Valentine of Boise State was fourth with a height of 12-5.50.


Emma Bates finished eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:40.02 to earn Boise State a point.  Louisiana Tech is expected to win the team title although Utah State is off to a great start.


Boise State's Alexi Morton, who already won gold in the pentathlon last night, has qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles.


Preliminaries                                                  
  1 Francis, Kim              FR Louisiana Tech            8.55Q
  2 Davis, Tiana              SR Louisiana Tech            8.58Q
  3 Hawkins, Chari            FR Utah State                8.75q
  4 Pate, April               JR Nevada                    8.79q
  5 Peterson, Heidi           JR Utah State                8.82q
  6 Morton, Alexi             FR Boise State               8.84q
  7 Cleveland, Jndia          JR New Mexico St.            8.84q
  8 Morris, Erin              FR Fresno State              8.87q
  9 Jones, Jesseka            JR Louisiana Tech            9.07
10 Simmons, Tajanee          JR Boise State               9.15
11 Flores, Alyssa            SR New Mexico St.           10.19




On the men's side...


Four Broncos qualify for 400-meter final.  This is one of Boise State's strongest events.


Preliminaries                                                  
  1 Terry, Justin             SR Louisiana Tech           47.88q
  2 Butler, Karrie            FR Boise State              48.57q
  3 Goree, Josh               SO Louisiana Tech           48.73q
  4 Hunt, Tanner              FR Utah State               48.82q
  5 Robertson, Paul           SO Boise State              48.96q
  6 Daw, Jeff                 SO Boise State              48.98q
  7 Wesson, Manoah            SO Boise State              49.03q
  8 MaGaha, Wade              SR Louisiana Tech           49.62q
  9 Boully, AJ                FR Utah State               53.24






Seven Bronco women were entered in the 400; none qualified for the final.....




Boise State qualified three for the men's 800 final while Utah State qualified four.  Important for the three Broncos to beat the four Aggies in the final tonight.


Heat  1 Preliminaries                                          
  1 Holt, Jason               JR Utah State             1:55.05Q
  2 Green, Alwayne            SO Louisiana Tech         1:56.06Q
  3 Edwards, Austin           SO Boise State            1:56.09q
  4 Peterson, Jacob           FR Utah State             1:56.52q
  5 Tylor, Kyle               SO Idaho                  1:57.23
  6 Morris, Jermaine          SO Louisiana Tech         1:57.59
Heat  2 Preliminaries                                          
  1 Allred, James             SR Utah State             1:56.23Q
  2 Klein, Dusty              JR Boise State            1:56.37Q
  3 Owen, Mercer              SR Utah State             1:56.43q
  4 Moyer, Matthew            JR Boise State            1:56.57q
  5 Killpack, Tyler           JR Utah State             1:56.71
  6 Boudreaux, Jeff           SO Louisiana Tech         1:57.98


Paul Robertson and Rolando Trammel qualified in the 200 but Manoah Wesson, Karrie Butler and Jeff Daw did not.


Back to the women--Alexi Morton and Racquel Jones finished a surprising fourth and fifth, respectively, in the long jump, giving the Broncos 9 team points.

1 Hayes, Chelsea            SR Louisiana Tech           6.34m   20-09.75  10   
      FOUL  5.88m  PASS  6.16m  6.34m  PASS                                      
  2 Davis, Tiana              SR Louisiana Tech           6.16m   20-02.50   8   
      6.04m  6.16m  6.08m  6.03m  FOUL  FOUL                                     
  3 Amoah, Deborah            SO Nevada                   5.99m   19-08.00   6   
      5.79m  5.85m  5.62m  5.90m  FOUL  5.99m                                    
  4 Morton, Alexi             FR Boise State              5.71m   18-09.00   5   
      5.71m  FOUL  FOUL  5.67m  5.67m  FOUL                                      
  5 Jones, Racquel            JR Boise State              5.68m   18-07.75   4   
      5.37m  5.61m  5.56m  5.68m  FOUL  5.55m                                    
  6 Avery, La Tijera          JR Nevada                   5.63m   18-05.75   2.50
      5.46m  5.59m  5.29m  5.44m  5.63m  5.53m                                   
  6 Hawkins, Chari            FR Utah State               5.63m   18-05.75   2.50
      5.26m  5.50m  5.33m  FOUL  5.34m  5.63m                                    
  8 Williams, Quatisha        SR Louisiana Tech           5.54m   18-02.25   1   
      5.54m  FOUL  5.40m  FOUL  FOUL  5.53m                                      
  9 Daye, Markeva             SR Louisiana Tech           5.47m   17-11.50       
      5.47m  4.57m  4.90m  5.14m  5.27m  5.23m                                   
 10 Jones, Daphne             FR Utah State               5.44m   17-10.25       
      5.15m  5.36m  5.44m                                                        
 11 Jacobs, Shannon           FR Boise State              5.42m   17-09.50       
      5.18m  5.42m  FOUL                                                    

Broncos Start Off Well at WAC Swimming Championships

Boise State has advanced 15 swimmers to tonight's finals at the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships in San Antonio.  San Jose State, considered by most to be the top challenger to the Broncos, qualified six.
Four Broncos have advanced in the 400-yard individual medley, which consists of 100 meters in each stroke (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly):

1 Raininger, Christine   SO Boise St          4:22.44    4:20.56 
  2 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State          4:26.60    4:20.80 
  3 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          4:26.56    4:23.16 
  4 Craddock, Julia        SO SJSU              4:25.08    4:24.24 
  5 Thaveesupsoonthorn, C  SO Nevada            4:27.43    4:25.39 
  6 Gray, Madison          JR Boise St          4:28.43    4:27.42 
  7 Palmer, Rachel         FR NAU               4:35.66    4:27.49 
  8 Balogh, Brooke         FR Boise St          4:31.02    4:27.58

And the Broncos have the three fastest qualifying times and will have half of the competitors in the 100-yard fly final:

 1 Boucher, Amber         JR Boise St            53.44      52.46 
  2 Hughey, Stevie         SO Boise St            56.12      54.72 
  3 Heaney, Rachel         FR Boise St            56.26      55.32 
  4 Cate, Beth             SO NM State            57.10      55.33 
  5 Denman, Heather        JR SJSU                54.73      55.51 
  6 Takaki, Maddie         SO Hawaii              57.52      55.78 
  7 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            57.83      55.89 
  8 Acosta, Ashlyn         FR SJSU                57.26      56.08 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Irvin, Emily           JR Boise St            58.32      56.12 
10 Ferrin, Hannah         SO NM State            58.71      56.28 
11 Seaver, Terrin         FR NM State            58.98      56.37 
12 Gandionco, Marichi     SR Nevada              58.15      56.61 
13 Guerrero, Rudie        SR SJSU                57.32      56.78 
14 Nguyen, Rayanne        SO Fresno St           58.13      56.79 
15 Larson, Nicole         JR Hawaii              57.69      57.05 
16 Bassen, Rachelle       JR NM State          1:00.39      57.13


Boise State's Stephanie North had the fastest time in qualifying for the 200-yard freestyle finals:

  1 North, Stephanie       JR Boise St          1:49.51    1:48.12 
  2 Barrett, Maura         JR Hawaii            1:49.08    1:49.85 
  3 DeWames, Marisa        SO SJSU              1:50.86    1:49.98 
  4 Mi, Mengjiao           SO Nevada            1:51.65    1:50.02 
  5 Conrad, Kelly          SR NM State          1:52.51    1:50.06 
  6 Diener, Kelsy          JR Boise St          1:51.82    1:50.09 
  7 Landeck, Vivian        SR NAU               1:53.64    1:50.28 
  8 Koch, Julia            SR SJSU              1:51.36    1:50.37 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Kostecki, Andrea       FR Nevada            1:55.51    1:50.49 
10 Maier, Krista          JR NAU               1:53.67    1:50.58 
11 Friedhoff, Amy         SO SJSU              1:50.34    1:50.67 
12 Foster, Kiley          SO SJSU              1:53.48    1:50.69 
13 Cahill, Jennifer       SO Boise St          1:52.05    1:50.91 
14 Schellenberg, Ricarda  SR Hawaii            1:51.67    1:51.30 
15 Vlasic, Jessica        SO NM State          1:58.03    1:51.72 
16 Fenton, Alex           SO NM State          1:55.27    1:51.73


At least three Broncos moved on in the 100-yard breaststroke:

  1 Lawrence, Alannah      SR NM State          1:03.75    1:01.84 
  2 Forrester, Kelly       SR Boise St          1:04.02    1:01.94 
  3 Ritenberg, Taylor      SO Hawaii            1:03.66    1:02.18 
  4 Anderson, Darcie       FR SJSU              1:02.52    1:03.45 
  5 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          1:04.25    1:03.64 
  6 Spies, Maria           JR NM State          1:06.05    1:03.85 
  7 Vogel, Britney         SO Fresno St         1:04.14    1:04.27 
  8 Irvin, Emily           JR Boise St          1:08.05    1:04.43 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Branning, Jaclyn       SO NAU               1:08.40    1:04.76 
10 Runestrand, Kelly      SR NM State          1:06.01    1:04.84 
11 Brown, Karly           JR SJSU              1:09.11    1:04.91 
12 Stacy, Jessica         JR Hawaii            1:06.62    1:04.97 
13 Macky, Caitlin         SR SJSU              1:05.24    1:05.37 
14 Pagett, Valerie        SO Hawaii            1:06.53    1:05.38 
15 Burnes, Jordan         FR NAU               1:05.77    1:05.47 
16 Stotts, Erin           SR Boise St          1:06.70    1:05.54

Denise Green was second in qualifyng for the 100-yard backstroke:

1 Connell, Fi            SO NAU                 56.87      54.97 
  2 Green, Denise          SR Boise St            56.17      55.01 
  3 Lim, Shana             FR Idaho               55.11      55.04 
  4 Prior, Christa         JR Hawaii              57.15      55.78 
  5 Gjoen, Heidi           JR Fresno St           57.14      56.47 
  6 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State            57.73      56.59 
  7 Swinney, Briana        FR SJSU                58.20      56.67 
  8 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            58.06      56.68 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 McLain, Morgan         JR Boise St            56.95      56.69 
10 Seaver, Terrin         FR NM State            58.12      56.92 
11 Stratton, Staci        SR Idaho               59.61      57.49 
12 Guerrero, Rudie        SR SJSU                56.06      57.86 
13 Takaki, Maddie         SO Hawaii              59.57      58.14 
14 Foo, Alyssa            FR Hawaii              59.50      58.30 
15 Egloria, Meredith      SR NAU                 59.18      58.38 
16 Mariani, Kayla         JR Nevada            1:00.93      58.47

Felix Shatters School Record in Heptathlon

Kurt Felix is on fire.  Not only has he beaten the best athletes in the WAC in all five events of the heptathlon, but he is closing in on his school record.  Felix set the mark with 5,348 points.  He is less than 1,100 points from that with two events to go.

Section  1                                                            
  1 Felix, Kurt               JR Boise State               8.46     869
  2 Balcirak, Nathan          FR Boise State              10.64     427
  3 Hawkins, Sam              JR Utah State               11.49     295
Section  2                                                            
  1 Noble, Philip             SR Utah State                8.59     839
  2 Belcher, Anthony          JR Boise State               9.12     720
  3 Johnson, John             JR Utah State               10.29     488
  4 Malashin, Justin          FR Boise State              11.82     250




Philip Noble won the pole vault with Felix fourth.  The 1,000 isn't one of Kurt's best events.  We'll see if he has enough to break the record.

=================================================
    Name                 Year School       Finals
=================================================
  1 Noble, Philip          SR UTST          4.73m 828 points
  2 Balcirak, Nathan       FR BOIS          4.53m 769 points
  2 Johnson, John          JR UTST          4.53m 769 points
  4 Felix, Kurt            JR BOIS          4.13m 654 points
  5 Hawkins, Sam           JR UTST          3.83m 570 points
  6 Belcher, Anthony       JR BOIS          2.63m 271 points
  7 Malashin, Justin       FR BOIS          2.33m 206 points


Here are the standings:

1.  Felix, Boise State 4,910
2.  Noble, Utah State 4,322
3.  Johnson, Utah State 3,701
4.  Belcher, Boise State 3,412
5.  Hawkins, Utah State 3,132
6.  Balcirak, Boise State 2,884
7.  Malashin, Boise State 2,695

That means Felix needs 439 points in the 1,000 to break his own school record.  He has to run the distance in 3:25 or less to break the mark.

The final event is in, and Felix has done it.  He ran the 1,000 36 seconds faster than he needed to to break the school record.  He shattered it.  He will get 781 points in the event, giving him 5,691, breaking his own school record by 343 points.  Felix also broke the WAC record with his performance.


1 Noble, Philip          SR UTST        2:39.27      882 points
  2 Felix, Kurt            JR BOIS        2:48.49       781 points
  3 Hawkins, Sam           JR UTST        2:48.69  779 points
  4 Johnson, John          JR UTST        2:57.51    689 points
  5 Belcher, Anthony       JR BOIS        2:57.55   688 points
  6 Malashin, Justin       FR BOIS        3:12.83     544 points
  7 Balcirak, Nathan       FR BOIS        3:15.60   520 points


Here are the final standings in the heptathlon:

1.  Felix, Boise State 5,691   10 team points
2.  Noble, Utah State 5,204    8 pts.
3.  Johnson, Utah State 4,390  6 pts.
4.  Belcher, Boise State 4,100  4 pts.
5.  Hawkins, Utah State 3,911  2 pts.
6.  Balcirak, Boise State 3,404  1 pt.
7.  Malashin, Boise State 3,239

Brilliant move by Coach Hardy to tie Utah State is one of their best events.

Boise State Basketball Team Becoming a Force Down the Stretch

Coach Leon Rice has Boise State playing its best basketball of the season, putting a modest four-game winning streak together with a 70-56 WAC win over Fresno State tonight in Fresno.

La'Shard Anderson was spectacular for Boise State with 33 points, nine shy of the school record.  Anderson, who torched San Jose State for 31 last week, was 11-14 on the night.  Anderson moved into second place on the all-time steals list at Boise State.

Kevin Olekaibe led Fresno State with 23 points.

With the win, the Broncos advanced to 16-11 overall and 8-6 in the WAC.  With Idaho's win over Nevada, Boise State and Idaho are tied for third in the conference but should they remain that way, the Broncos would get the tie-breaker because of two wins over the Vandals.

Boise State takes on that same Nevada team Saturday night.

Seeds for Pac-10 Wrestling Championships

125 pounds
1. Anthony Robles, Arizona State
2. Ryan Mango, Stanford
3. Jason Lara, Oregon State
4. Alan Bartelli, Boise State
5. Tyler Iwamura, Bakersfield
6. Andre Gonzalez, Fullerton
7. Britain Longmire, Cal Poly

133 pounds
1. Andrew Hochstrasser, Boise State
2. Justin Paulsen, Stanford
3. Garrett Drucker, Oregon State
4. Jose Mendoza, Bakersfield
5. Brandan Rocha, Cal Poly
6. Marcus Orona, Fullerton
7. Kalin Goodsite, Arizona State

141 pounds
1. Boris Novachkov, Cal Poly
2. Levi Jones, Boise State
3. Michael Mangrum, Oregon State
4. Elijah Nacita, Bakersfield
5. Jordan Gray, Stanford
6. Josh Sandoval, Arizona State
7. Peter Hoang, Fullerton

149 pounds
1. Jason Chamberlain, Boise State
2. Scott Sakaguchi, Oregon State
3. Filip Novachkov, Cal Poly
4. Timmy Boone, Stanford
5. John Cardenas, Bakersfield
6. Nick Jordan, Fullerton
7. Tai Fukumoto, Arizona State

157 pounds
1. Adam Hall, Boise State
2. Bubba Jenkins, Arizona State
3. Barrett Abel, Cal Poly
4. Kyle Meyer, Stanford
5. Alex Elder, Oregon State
6. Andrew Balch, Bakersfield
7. Chris Stinnett, Fullerton

165 pounds
1. Ryan DesRoches, Cal Poly
2. Kurt Swartz, Boise State
3. Jon Brascetta, Oregon State
4. Te Edwards, Arizona State
5. Trevor Hall, Bakersfield
6. Lucas Espericueta, Stanford
7. Bryce Whitehead, Fullerton

174 pounds
1. Colby Covington, Oregon State
2. Nick Amuchastegui, Stanford
3. Joey Granata, Bakersfield
4. Jake Swartz, Boise State
5. Eric Starks, Arizona State
6. Steve Vasquez, Cal Poly
7. Mark Savalle, Fullerton

184 pounds
1. Kirk Smith, Boise State
2. Jake Meredith, Arizona State
3. Todd Noel, Fullerton
4. Brice Arand, Oregon State
5. Dan Sherer, Stanford
6. Troy Goodban, Bakersfield
7. Kelan Bragg, Cal Poly

197 pounds
1. Matt Casperson, Boise State
2. Zack Giesen, Stanford
3. Riley Orozco, Bakersfield
4. Ryan Smith, Cal Poly
5. Chad Hanke, Oregon State
6. Luke Macchiaroli, Arizona State
7. Kyle Bergstedt, Fullerton

Heavyweight
1. Levi Cooper, Arizona State
2. Clayton Jack, Oregon State
3. David Morgan, Bakersfield
4. J.T. Felix, Boise State
5. Atticus Disney, Cal Poly
6. Kurt Klimek, Fullerton
7. Dylan Rush, Stanford

Broncos Roar Back to Lead Fresno State 33-31

Boise State came from seven points down to take a 33-31 lead at Fresno State tonight.  Idaho is beating Nevada so Boise State could move into a tie for third in the WAC with a win.

Boise State hit 10 of their last 13 shots to get the halftime lead.  La'Shard Anderson has been magnificent, scoring 17 first-half points and moving into second place on the all-time Boise State steals list.

Bronco Wrestlers Drop to #6 in Intermat Poll

The fallout from the poor performance in Stillwater continues to affect Boise State.  No matches were played, and the Broncos still dropped, as voters assess their chances in the upcoming post-season.  With an injured Kirk Smith and the fact that only Alan Bartelli stepped forward against Oklahoma State, Intermat views Boise State as a team without a leader.

Click on the story title for the Intermat poll.

Bronco Players Set to Work Out at NFL Combine

In the ridiculous modern NFL, it isn't how good you are but rather how fast you are and how much you can lift.  But, if you want to get in the crazy league, you have to play the game.

Boise State's Titus Young and Austin Pettis, for example, are the top receiving duo in the nation.  There isn't anything they have not proven, and above all, they are winners.  But Young and Pettis, along with defensive end Ryan Winterswyk and defensive backs Brandyn Thompson and Jeron Johnson will work out for those who pose for NFL "scouts" at the NFL Combine this weekend.  You will note that the 40 times measured are without pads, uniforms and helmets, which is what they'll be wearing when they actually get into the league.

But alas, I'll report the results here on this blog.  The great past stars of the NFL must be thanking God they played in a league where talent mattered.

Boise State Wins Another Relay at WAC Championships, Continues to Lead

At this moment, Boise State is not only keeping its lead but extending it at the WAC Swimming and Diving Championships.  The Bronco 200-yard freestyle relay team of Amber Boucher, Stevie Hughey, Kelsy Diener and Stephanie North eclipsed their season best by nearly three seconds in winning the event.  San Jose State, which had a WAC-best time of 1:33.35, also beat their season-best but it wasn't enough to top Boise State.


Boise State's 200-meter relay team set a pool record in upsetting San Jose State:

1 Boise St  'A'                       1:33.54    1:30.63  
     1) Boucher, Amber JR             2) Hughey, Stevie SO            
     3) Diener, Kelsy JR              4) North, Stephanie JR  

2 SJSU  'A'                           1:33.35    1:32.40  
     1) DeWames, Marisa SO            2) Denman, Heather JR           
     3) Harvey, Erika FR              4) Foster, Kiley SO   

Here are the finals in the 1-meter diving and freshman Ciera Cortney a bit of a surprise at #2, breaking up the Hawai'i monopoly:

1 Friesen, Emma          SR Hawaii             280.20     292.20  
  2 Cortney, Ciera         FR Boise St           244.55     288.75  
  3 Bosnick, Hannah        SO Hawaii             243.05     274.35  
  4 Nero, Daniella         JR Hawaii             241.25     265.15  
  5 Huang, Grace           FR Nevada             250.45     264.05  
  6 Harris, Taryn          SR NAU                245.80     254.05  
  7 De Lima, Stephanie     SR Hawaii             243.05     251.75  
  8 Luke, Stacey           SO Fresno St          238.55     247.10 

Earlier tonight Boise State's Jennifer Cahill was third in the 500-yard freestyle, earning an NCAA-qualifying time of 4:51.96.  Boise State swept the 50-meter freestyle with Amber Boucher, Jennifer North and Stevie Hughey all posting NCAA provisional times.

Five finals are in the books and after two days of competition:

1.  Boise State 281

2.  Hawai'i 215

3.  San Jose State 193

4.  Northern Arizona 190

5.  New Mexico State 136

6.  Fresno State 102

7.  Nevada 86

8.  Idaho 79

Broncos 1-2-3 in 50-Meter Freestyle Time Trial

1 Boucher, Amber         JR Boise St              22.51      22.30    20 points
  2 North, Stephanie       JR Boise St              22.87      22.75    17 points
  3 Hughey, Stevie         SO Boise St              23.15      23.01   16 points
  4 Barrett, Maura         JR Hawaii                23.05      23.09     15 points
  5 DeWames, Marisa        SO SJSU                  23.36      23.12  14 points
  6 Yoho, Dani             SO Fresno St             23.05      23.23     13 points
  7 Foster, Kiley          SO SJSU                  23.17      23.52       12 points
  8 Conrad, Kelly          SR NM State              23.41      23.66    11 points

These are time trials, so I believe the eight fastest times get points.

After three finals, Boise State continues to lead with 133 points and so far, San Jose State, which accumulated their fast times at sea-level pools, is seeing the Broncos top them.

1.  Boise State 133
2.  San Jose State 88
3.  Hawai'i 77
4.  New Mexico State 73
5.  Fresno State 65
6.  Northern Arizona 56
7.  Idaho 30
8.  Nevada 22

Diener second, Thiltgen finishes third in 200 IM Heat

1 Ritenberg, Taylor         Hawaii              2:02.80    2:00.66
  2 Diener, Kelsy          JR Boise St            2:02.45    2:01.95
  3 Connell, Fi               NAU                 2:03.56    2:03.05
  4 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State            2:03.06    2:03.22
  5 Denman, Heather        JR SJSU                2:01.94    2:03.71
  6 Raininger, Christine   SO Boise St            2:04.87    2:04.38
  7 Cate, Beth             SO NM State            2:03.21    2:04.42
  8 Craddock, Julia        SO SJSU                2:03.77    2:04.68



 1 Anderson, Darcie       FR SJSU                2:07.24    2:05.84
  2 Venlos, Megan          FR Idaho               2:09.58    2:06.73
  3 Thiltgen, Andrea       SR Boise St            2:07.53    2:06.89
  4 Brown, Karly           JR SJSU                2:07.54    2:07.43
  5 Eisenman, Kyley        JR Hawaii              2:07.88    2:08.38
  6 Runestrand, Kelly      SR NM State            2:08.41    2:09.29
  7 Macky, Caitlin         SR SJSU                2:10.77    2:09.78
  8 Nelson, Kim            SR Boise St            2:09.24    2:10.29

Green wins 500-free heat

Boise State's Denise Green won her heat of the 500-yard freestyle at the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships tonight in San Antonio.

I believe these are timed finals, so Green puts her 4:55.64 out there.



Event 3  Women 500 Yard Freestyle
Heat 2 of 3 - Finals
====================================================================
    Name                 Year School              Prelims     Finals
====================================================================
  1 Green, Denise          SR Boise St            4:56.28    4:55.64
  2 Ferro, Claire          SR NAU                 4:59.03    4:57.65
  3 Myers, Melissa         FR Hawaii              4:58.56    4:58.33
  4 Gray, Madison          JR Boise St            5:01.74    4:58.93
  5 Moore, Brittney        JR NM State            5:00.31    4:59.16
  6 Jones, Kristin         JR NAU                 5:01.22    5:00.40
  7 Schellenberg, Ricarda     Hawaii              4:58.32    5:00.76
  8 Gansneder, Haley       SO NM State            5:02.52    5:03.88

Boise State's Morton Wins Pentathlon

The team hopes for the Boise State women aren't good, but the Broncos have a few stars that are threats for finishing first.  A bit of a surprise here, though, as freshman Alexi Morton has taken the prize in the pentathlon, breaking the Boise State school record no less in the first event to be decided at the WAC Track Championships in Boise.

Morton set lifetime bests in all five events in racking up 3,769 points.  That shattered the existing school mark of 3,600 points which was shared by Megan Olivetti two years ago and Sally Vail (2002).  Morton's score is the 26th-best in the nation this year.  She ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.89, placed fourth in the high jump (5-5) and tied her career-best in the shot put (34-0.75).  Alexi then moved on to the long jump and let loose for a leap of 19-feet to not only beat her personal recor by 9.5 inches but win the event and move into the lead after four events.  Morton ran the 800 in 2:29.34, nearly seven seconds better than her career best and most importantly, ahead of Utah State's Chari Hawkins, who was challenging her for the title.


  Women Indoor Pentathlon                           
                            Points      60H       HJ       SP       LJ      800
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1 Morton, Alexi                      8.89    1.65m   10.38m    5.79m  2:29.34
    Boise State                                 5-05 34-00.75    19-00        
    FR Team Points: 10        3769    (933)    (795)    (554)    (786)    (701)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  2 Hawkins, Chari                     8.76    1.68m   10.34m    5.57m  2:33.01
    Utah State                                  5-06 33-11.25 18-03.25        
    FR Team Points: 8         3719    (961)    (830)    (552)    (720)    (656)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  3 Meade, Zoe                         9.62    1.68m   10.46m    5.19m  2:23.74
    New Mexico St.                              5-06    34-04  17-00.5        
    FR Team Points: 6         3560    (785)    (830)    (560)    (612)    (773)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  4 Pate, April                        8.82    1.56m   11.68m    5.45m  2:38.47
    Nevada                                   5-01.25    38-04 17-10.75        
    JR Team Points: 5         3554    (948)    (689)    (640)    (686)    (591)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  5 Balentine, Samantha                9.64    1.68m   10.19m    5.08m  2:31.56
    Hawaii                                      5-06 33-05.25    16-08        
    SO Team Points: 4         3407    (781)    (830)    (542)    (581)    (673)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  6 Fehlberg, Camille                  9.57    1.50m    9.97m    5.32m  2:21.72
    Utah State                                  4-11  32-08.5  17-05.5        
    JR Team Points: 3         3390    (794)    (621)    (527)    (648)    (800)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  7 Nichols, Sarah                     9.41    1.50m   10.69m    5.29m  2:28.27
    Nevada                                      4-11    35-01 17-04.25        
    SO Team Points: 2         3377    (826)    (621)    (575)    (640)    (715)
                              -------------------------------------------------
  8 Cleveland, Jndia                   8.94    1.50m    7.38m    5.68m  2:33.86
    New Mexico St.                              4-11  24-02.5 18-07.75        
    JR Team Points: 1         3300    (922)    (621)    (359)    (753)    (645)
                              -------------------------------------------------

Felix Starts Strong in WAC Heptathlon

Boise State Head Coach J.W. Hardy has sent a monkey wrench into Utah State's expectation to win the WAC.  Today Hardy sent freshmen Nathan Balcirak and Justin Malashin into the competition for men's heptathlon.  Neither has competed at the collegiate level in this event.  Utah State has two heptathletes, John Johnson and Philip Noble, that are expected to score strong in the event.  Boise State often has a student-athlete win this competition but Utah State scores more points because they have more entries. 

This time, Boise State has four competitors (Kurt Felix is favored and Anthony Belcher should score some points) compared to three for Utah State.  If the Broncos can disrupt USU and steal some of their points away, it would already be a bit of a problem for Utah State.

Kurt Felix today won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.10; he was followed closely by Belcher (7.21)..  Here is the scoring in this event:

1 Felix, Kurt               JR Boise State               7.10     847
  2 Belcher, Anthony          JR Boise State               7.21     809
  3 Noble, Philip             SR Utah State                7.29     782
  4 Balcirak, Nathan          FR Boise State               7.41     742
  5 Johnson, John             JR Utah State                7.45     729
  6 Hawkins, Sam              JR Utah State                7.73     640
  7 Malashin, Justin          FR Boise State               7.84     607


Felix also won the long jump portion of the heptathlon:

Finals                                                                          
  1 Felix, Kurt               JR Boise State              7.22m   23-08.25    866
      7.22m  7.17m  6.07m                                                       
  2 Noble, Philip             SR Utah State               6.56m   21-06.25    711
      6.21m  6.56m  6.44m                                                       
  3 Malashin, Justin          FR Boise State              6.49m   21-03.50    695
      6.43m  6.49m  6.46m                                                       
  4 Belcher, Anthony          JR Boise State              6.24m   20-05.75    639
      6.10m  6.21m  6.24m                                                       
  5 Johnson, John             JR Utah State               6.19m   20-03.75    628
      5.84m  FOUL  6.19m                                                        
  6 Hawkins, Sam              JR Utah State               5.90m   19-04.25    565
      5.81m  5.69m  5.90m                                                       
  7 Balcirak, Nathan          FR Boise State              5.88m   19-03.50    561
      5.22m  5.42m  5.88m   

Felix won his third event of the day in the shot put, blowing away the competition.  Felix threw 44-11.75 inches to score 711 points.  Noble was second with 36-05, followed by Johnson (36-4.75), Hawkins (30-11.75), Belcher (28-9.75), Malashin (28-1.75) and Balcirak (27-3.75).

Felix also won the high jump and picked up 963 points.  The Bronco star won all four events on the first day.

After today's four events:

1.  Kurt Felix, Boise State (3,387 points)
2.  Philip Noble, Utah State (2,655)
3.  John Johnson, Utah State (2,444)
4.  Anthony Belcher, Boise State (2,421)
5.  Sam Hawkins, Utah State (2,267)
6.  Justin Malashin, Boise State (2,239)
7.  Nathan Balcirak, Boise State (1,688)

Boise State to Face Auburn Friday

The #37 Boise State tennis team heads to the annual Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Alabama this weekend.  It's a good test of where the Broncos are nationally.  In the opening match Friday, the Broncos will take on #22 Auburn.

Besides those two, there are six other ranked teams in this year's competition.  #17 Texas Tech is the favorite, with #21 Pepperdine, #26 Notre Dame, #32 Alabama, #46 Arizona and #69 Penn State also competing.  

Stay tuned to this blog for the most up-to-date results.

Another Relay, Another Win for Boise State

One thing we know for sure now--the San Antonio pool is built for speed.

Boise State won its second relay race in as many events at the Western Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships in San Antonio and, pardon the pun, but blew their competition out of the water.  The Bronco quartet of Amber Boucher, Jennifer Cahill, Stevie Hughey and Stephanie North knocked more than 13 seconds off their season best with a blistering 7:12.91.  Unlike the earlier medley relay, Coach Kristin Hill's group was favored in this one and they did not disappoint, defeating second-place Hawai'i by nearly five seconds.  Boise State's time is eight seconds better than last year when they won the WAC title in the event.  Just like in the 200 medley relay earlier tonight, the Bronco swimmers threatened the existing WAC record.  In this longer race, the 5.78 seconds difference in Boise State's time and the WAC mark of 7:07.13 set by SMU in 2003 isn't much.

San Jose State, which was seeded second, again met their match and finished fourth.  Beginning to think there is something to the altitude theory.  Northern Arizona snuck in for third with New Mexico State touching fifth and Fresno State taking sixth.  Nevada and Idaho were disqualified and did not pick up points.

====================================================================
  1 Boise State  'A'                    7:26.32    7:12.91 
     1) Boucher, Amber JR             2) Cahill, Jennifer SO         
     3) Hughey, Stevie SO             4) North, Stephanie JR


After two events, here is the scoring:

1.  Boise State 80
2.  Hawai'i 62
2.  New Mexico State 62
2.  San Jose State 62
5.  Northern Arizona 56
6.  Fresno State 50
7.  Idaho 30
8.  Nevada 22

Boise State Wins First Relay Race at WAC Swimming Championships

Good news.  In this blog last week, I suggested that one reason for San Jose State having the best times in the WAC was because they mostly competed in pools with no altitude.  Just a hunch.

And we may not know if that is a good explanation or not.  But in the 200-yard medley relay today in San Antonio, Boise State bucked the odds and won the event.  Denise Green, Kelly Forrester, Stevie Hughey and Kelsy Diener swam the event in 1:41.36, two seconds faster than their season best of 1:43.39.  The Bronco time is four seconds better than last year, when they finished sixth.  Boise State's time was just 1.48 seconds off the all-time WAC record of 1:39.88 set by SMU in 1999. San Jose State, which came in with a time of 1:43.20, did do better than that (1:42.04) but finished third.  New Mexico State was second, while Idaho took fourth, followed by Hawai'i and Fresno State.

The 800-yard freestyle relay is being run now.  Those are the only two finals scheduled for tonight.

WAC Indoor Track Championships Schedule

Thursday, February 24

Heptathlon (m)

11:45 a.m. 60-Meters

12:20 p.m. Long Jump

1:30 p.m. Shot Put

2:40 p.m. High Jump

Pentathlon (w)

11:00 a.m. 60-Meter Hurdles

11:45 a.m. High Jump

2:45 p.m. Shot Put

4:45 p.m. Long Jump

6:00 p.m. 800-Meters

Friday, February 25

Heptathlon (m)

11:00 a.m. 60-Meter Hurdles

11:45 a.m. Pole Vault

2:45 p.m. 1,000-Meters

Field Events (all events are finals)

1:30 p.m. High Jump (w)

3:00 p.m. 20 lb. Weight Throw (w)

4:00 p.m. Long Jump (w)

4:30 p.m. Pole Vault (w)

5:30 p.m. Long Jump (m)

6:00 p.m. Shot Put (m)

Running Events (prelims and finals)

4:00 p.m. Mile (m) Prelims

4:10 p.m. Mile (w) Prelims

4:25 p.m. 60-Meter Hurdles (m) Prelims

4:35 p.m. 60-Meter Hurdles (w) Prelims

4:50 p.m. 400-Meters (m) Prelims

5:05 p.m. 400-Meters (w) Prelims

5:20 p.m. 60-Meters (m) Prelims

5:30 p.m. 60-Meters (w) Prelims

5:45 p.m. 800-Meters (m) Prelims

5:55 p.m. 800-Meters (w) Prelims

6:10 p.m. 200-Meters (m) Prelims

6:25 p.m. 200-Meters (w) Prelims

6:40 p.m. 5,000-Meters (m) Final

7:00 p.m. 5,000-Meters (w) Final

7:25 p.m. Distance Medley Relay (m) Final

7:45 p.m. Distance Medley Relay (w) Final

Saturday, February 26

Field Events (all events are finals)

11:00 a.m. High Jump (m)

11:00 a.m. 35 lb. Weight Throw (m)

12:00 p.m. Triple Jump (w)

12:30 p.m. Pole Vault (m)

1:00 p.m. Shot Put (w)

1:30 p.m. Triple Jump (m)

Running Events (all events are finals)

1:00 p.m. Mile (m)

1:10 p.m. Mile (w)

1:20 p.m. 60-Meter Hurdles (m)

1:30 p.m. 60-Meter Hurdles (w)

1:40 p.m. 400-Meters (m)

1:50 p.m. 400-Meters (w)

2:05 p.m. 60-Meters (w)

2:10 p.m. 800-Meters (m)

2:15 p.m. 800-Meters (w)

2:25 p.m. 200-Meters (m)

2:30 p.m. 60-Meters (m)

2:35 p.m. 200-Meters (w)

2:45 p.m. 3,000-Meters (m)

3:00 p.m. 3,000-Meters (w)

3:20 p.m. 4x400-Meter Relay (m)

3:30 p.m. 4x400-Meter Relay (w)