| Thursday, May 30, 2002
For Immediate Release Hajdu, Poulson Compete During Day Two of NCAA Championships Baton Rouge, LA--Day two of the NCAA Championships brought ups and downs for the Bengals at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) finished 12th in the heptathlon with a point total of 5125 after clocking a personal best time in the 800m to finish day two of action. She clocked a two-second personal best time of 2:19.42 to finish fifth in the event, topping her previous best of 2:21.18. The junior began day two with a leap of 16-7 in the long jump, which ranked 16th among competitors, and then registered a third place javelin toss of 125-6. Her personal best in the long jump was 18-3 3/4 at the ISU Twilight meet and her top javelin throw was 140-7 during the ISU Springfest heptathlon competition. Kansas State senior Austra Skujyte won the event with 6061 points, breaking her own NCAA meet record total of 5857 which she tallied at the 2001 NCAAs. Poulson entered the NCAAs ranked 14th in the heptathlon. Poulson, the Big Sky Champion in the heptathlon and 400 hurdles, clocked
a 14.97 in the 100 hurdles to start her NCAA heptathlon effort. The ISU
school record holder’s season-best in the event was a 14.43 during the
heptathlon at the ISU Springfest meet, April 25-26. Poulson, who was ranked
14th in the nation in the heptathlon entering the NCAA meet, then cleared
5-4 1/2 in the high jump competition. The junior, who’s season best clearance
of 5-6 came during her school record breaking heptathlon performance at
the Springfest meet, tied her third best mark of the season with the 5-4
1/2 mark. In her third event of the day, Poulson registered a toss of 35-1
1/4 in the shot put. Her season best mark of 36-0 1/2 came at the Springfest
meet. She finished out day one of the heptathlon with 3087 points, after
clocking a 25.04 in the 200m
Senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) struggled in the men’s javelin throw, finishing 20th overall with a toss of 204-4. He registered two legal throws on his three attempts. The ISU school record holder threw 204-4 on his first attempt, then fouled, before recorded a toss of 195-1 on his last attempt. Hajdu’s career-best throw was 244-5 at the ISU Twilight meet. The winner of the NCAA javelin title was Kansas senior Scott Russell with a toss of 262-0.Hajdu, the Big Sky Champion in the javelin, ranked fifth in the event entering the NCAA meet. He finished 17th in the javelin at the 2001 NCAAs Sophomore Paul Litchfield (Auburn, CA) will compete in the men’s
pole vault Friday evening to end the NCAAs for ISU.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002 For Immediate Release Griffin Finishes Third in Hammer at NCAAs,
Baton Rouge, LA--The Bengals opened the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a stellar school record-shattering finish by Maureen Griffin in the hammer throw Wednesday at Bernie Moore Stadium on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID), a two-time All-America thrower, finished 3rd in the hammer competition Wednesday evening with a new school and conference record toss of 209-7. The junior, who ranked sixth in the nation entering the NCAAs after registering a toss of 207-0 at the Weber State Invitational April 13, finished less than an inch ahead of fourth place finisher Cari Soong of UCLA. The Pocatello native, who was making her fourth straight NCAA appearance, earned her third straight All-America title after having finished fourth in the hammer at the 2001 outdoor meet and fourth in the weight throw at the 2002 indoor championships. Her third place toss bettered her previous record of 207-11 by nearly two feet. Clemson senior Jamine Moton won the hammer with an NCAA meet record and collegiate best mark of 220-6, while Nebraska senior Melissa Price, who led the nation entering the national meet, finished second with a toss of 212-9. All-America honors are bestowed on the top eight athletes in each event. Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) kicked off the national competition for the Bengals with the first of four day one heptathlon events Wednesday afternoon. Poulson, the Big Sky Champion in the heptathlon and 400 hurdles, clocked a 14.97 in the 100 hurdles, worth 846 points, to start her NCAA heptathlon effort. The ISU school record holder’s season-best in the event was a 14.43 during the heptathlon at the ISU Springfest meet, April 25-26. Poulson, who was ranked 14th in the nation in the heptathlon entering the NCAA meet, then earned another 783 points, clearing 5-4 1/2 in the high jump competition. The junior, who’s season best clearance of 5-6 came during her school record breaking heptathlon performance at the Springfest meet, tied her third best mark of the season with the 5-4 1/2 mark. In her third event of the day, Poulson registered a toss of 35-1 1/4 in the shot put. Her season best mark of 36-0 1/2 came at the Springfest meet. She finished out day one of the heptathlon with 3087 points, after clocking a 25.04 in the 200m competition. The junior was sixth among the field in the 200, 10th in the high jump, 15th in the shot put and 17th in the 100 hurdles. Kansas State senior Austra Skujyte leads the heptathlon competition after day one with a score of 3592. Thursday brings more heptathlon action for Poulson as well as senior Gabor Hajdu’s (Szekszard, Hungary) performance in the men’s javelin. Sophomore Paul Litchfield (Auburn, CA) will compete in the men’s pole vault Friday evening. Griffin’s 2002 Hammer Marks
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISU Sends Four Athletes to Baton Rouge
Complete
release in PDF form
Griffin and Hajdu were guaranteed spots at the NCAAs, having recorded automatic qualifying marks in the hammer and javelin respectively. Poulson and Litchfield reached provisional qualifying marks in the heptathlon and pole vault respectively. Provisional qualifiers are added in order of performance to fill out the field after all automatic qualifiers have been admitted to the championships. Litchfield was the Bengals’ most recent addition to the NCAA field, as the sophomore surpassed the provisional qualifying standard with a conference and school record pole vault clearance of 17-8 1/2. Last Week’s Action
Bengal History at the NCAA Championships
Since 1958, the Bengal tracksters have garnered 20 All-America titles on the men’s side and seven on the women’s side. Amber Welty earned the most All-America accolades in her career, earning four honors in the high jump between 1987 and 1990, including ISU’s lone national championship during the 1988 outdoor season. At least one Idaho State athlete has received the honor during each indoor and outdoor season for the past two years and a half, including Griffin’s fourth-place finish in the weight throw at the 2002 Indoor Championships. If I had a Hammer...
Griffin registered a provisional qualifying toss of 181-1 in her first try of the outdoor season, surpassing the provisional mark of 164-0. She then reached the automatic qualifying standard of 200-1 the following week, while setting the Al Manuel Invitational meet and Dornblaser Stadium (Missoula, MT) record with a heave of 204-1. She then improved the mark to 207-0 at the Weber State Invitational with another winning finish. ISU’s top female thrower of the season has won four of the seven competitions she has tallied legal throws in, and was second in two of the other three. Griffin earned Big Sky Field Athlete of the Week honors three times during the season: March 26 and back-to-back on April 9 and April 16. The current national leader in the hammer is Nebraska senior Melissa Price, who’s season-best toss is 219-2. Record Breaking Spearing
Multi-Talented
Soaring High
Results
Saturday, May 18, 2002 For Immediate Release Bengals Boost Big Sky Title Tally to Six;
Missoula, MT---Juniors Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID) and Selena Frazier (Pocatello, ID) boosted the total of ISU conference titles to six on the weekend during day four of the Big Sky Championships. Poulson claimed her second title of the weekend, winning the 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 59.61. She earned ISU’s third consecutive heptathlon title on Thursday and also added a sixth-place finish in the javelin (130-3) and took seventh in the high jump (5-2 1/2) during day four. Poulson was also a member of both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams which took second and third respectively. “It’s conference, everybody steps it up a lot and show up to a race,” Poulson said. “That’s what I did today. I started out the race a lot better and attacked the hurdle more. I’ve been having trouble stutter-stepping the hurdles, so it felt really good to get out there in a good time.” Frazier snatched the 200m dash title, clocking a wind-aided 23.98 and topping her nearest competitor by two-tenths of a second. The Pocatello native also earned all-conference honors with a runner-up finish in the 400m registering a season-best 54.39, and as a member of both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. On the men’s side, two athletes earned all-conference honors as sophomore Ben Allen (Filer, ID) was runner-up in the triple jump and sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) finished third in the 1500m. Allen surpassed his career-best jump by more than three feet, recording a wind-aided leap of 47-6 1/2, which Hoffman clocked a 3:47.15 in the 1500m. Pole vault champion Paul Litchfield (So., Auburn, CA) was named Male Field Athlete of the meet for his ISU and Big Sky record breaking clearance of 17-8 1/2. The provisional qualifying mark ranks him 11th in the nation, and topped the ISU record by more than five inches. The Bengals finished third on the women’s side with 103 points, behind champion Weber State (242) and Northern Arizona (131). The ISU men placed fourth overall with 84 points, while Weber State won the team title (215.5) followed by Montana (158) and Northern Arizona (149). The women and men were picked to finish fourth and fifth respectively in the preseason poll. The Bengals earned six total individual championships, up from last year’s total of five with only one returning conference champion. That haul was the most for the Bengals since the ISU men pulled in eight back in 1977. Jackie Poulson won two titles, marking the first time since Amber Welty won the high jump and heptathlon in 1990 that an ISU woman has reached the feat. Poulson took the heptathlon and 400m hurdles titles, while Selena Frazier claimed the 200m title and Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) won the hammer. Paul Litchfield and Gabor Hajdu (Sr., Szeksazrd, Hungary) earned championships in the pole vault and javelin respectively. Final team scores were as follows:
Heading for the NCAAs
May 18, Big Sky Championships
Women
Friday, May 17, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Tracksters Snag Three More Big Sky Titles;
Missoula, MT--Idaho State upped their tally of Big Sky Championship titles to four so far on the weekend with winning performances by sophomore Paul Litchfield (Auburn, CA), Gabor Hajdu (Sr., Szekszard, Hungary) and junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) on Friday. Litchfield, who was tied for the conference lead in the pole vault entering the Big Sky Championships, surprised himself and the field with a 10-inch career-best mark of 17-8 1/2. The mark reached the NCAA provisional qualifying standard and won the sophomore his second Big Sky title this season, as he took the pole vault title at the indoor championships as well. Teammate Kevin Bell (Sr., Eugene, OR) was the runner-up in the event. “I’m just overwhelmed--my emotions are just going crazy,” Litchfield said after his win. “This has just been my year. It’s been a great year for me. I had injuries last year and I used to be a decathlete, so I focused all my efforts on the pole vault because it’s my favorite event. It’s really just starting to work out for me and everything is coming together. I’, just really overjoyed. I PR’d indoors at 17-1 and this outdoor season the highest I had jumped before today was 16-10 3/4. So when I jumped 17-1 today that was a new PR, and then I threw the bar up to 17-9 (17-8 1/2) to try to qualify for nationals--and I made it. I can’t believe I made it. That was like an 8-inch PR for me and an 11-inch outdoor PR for me. I’d really like to make 5.55 (meters), which is 18-2 and asome change, which is an automatic mark for the national championships--then I’d feel like I was maybe one of the better competitors in the nation.” Hajdu continued his dominance of the conference, claimeding the javelin title with a toss of 224-10, which bettered his nearest competitor by seven feet. The senior, who set the ISU school record (244-5) at the ISU Twilight meet and led the conference by more than 24 feet entering the Big Sky meet, was the runner-up at the 2001 conference meet. He will now prepare for the NCAA Championships, for which he is automatically qualified in the javelin. “I didn’t feel that good today,” Hajdu said despite the victory. “It took me five throws to get the lead, although I had a very good throw on my second attempt, but I could not stop, so I scratched over the line; which hopefully I won’t do in the nationals. I didn’t feel any pressure (being the favorite coming in), the only pressure was on myself to throw far. Again, hopefully, the NCAAs will be better. I think I can finish in the top five at the NCAAs throwing in the 240s--and that’s what I’d like to do at that time.” Griffin, who was the top ranked hammer thrower by more than 20 feet entering the Big Sky meet, claimed her second consecutive hammer throw title with a of 193-9, 12 feet further than her nearest competitor. The junior, who became ISU’s first winner of back-to-back titles in the same outdoor event since Marci Payne claimed the triple jump championship in 1987 and 1988, also won the Big Sky shot put and weight throw titles during the indoor season. Griffin, who will participate in the women’s shot put Saturday, in an NCAA automatic qualifier in the hammer with a toss of 207-0 at the Weber State Invitational earlier in the season. The trio join junior Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID) who claimed ISU’s third straight heptathlon title on Thursday. Besides the three event titles, the Bengals managed two other all-conference finishes and nine total top eight finishes. Kevin Bell (Sr., Eugene, OR) headlines the list of all-conference athletes with a runner-up placing in the pole vault. Bell, who won the 1996 pole vault title, finished second to Litchfield with a clearance of 16-2 3/4. Joining Bell as an all-conference honoree was Dan Lai (So., Casper, WY) who placed third in the long jump with a heavily wind-aided leap of 23-5 1/4. Other point scorers for the ISU men were Travis Ricks (Sr., Tetonia, ID) and Danny Harry (Sr., Salmon, ID) who took fifth and seventh respectively in the steeplechase with personal best times of 9:21.30 and 9:25.50. Eric Bell (Sr., Eugene, OR) was eighth in the pole vault, while freshman Brad Milam (Belgrade, MT) was eighth in the javelin. Sophomore Brooke Benedetti (Pocatello, ID) was also sixth in the 10,000m, clocking a 38:56.19 in her first effort of the year at that distance. Other event results included: Jackie Poulson, ninth in the long jump (17-7 1/2), Kaci Williams, 17th in the hammer (125-7), and Adam Matthews, 11th in the long jump (20-8). Several Bengals also qualified for their respective event finals. Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) will run in Saturday’s 200m and 400m finals, while Alena Munger (Jr., Boise, ID) will compete in the 100m finals. Poulson and freshman Krystal Saling (Fairview, OR) will compete in the finals of the 400 Hurdles, while Ashley Tucker (Jr., Pocatello, ID) will run in the 800m finals. On the men’s side, Dan Lai will run the 100m, while Paul Hoffman (So., Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) will take on the 800m and Branko Teodorovic (Fr., Belgrade, Yugoslavia) will compete in the 400m finals. After day three of the championships, the ISU men are in third place behind Weber State and Montana with 51 points, while the ISU women are tied for fifth with Eastern Washington, just four points out of third where Montana has 33 points. Montana State is currently in fourth with 31. The 10,000-meter results from Friday evening will be release on Saturday at the conclusion of competition. Full results from the Big Sky Championships can be found at www.montanagrizzlies.com.
Thursday, May 16, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Men Finish Fifth through Seventh
Missoula, MT—The three ISU men competing in the decathlon at the Big Sky Championships turned out personal bests in nearly every event of the second day of action. The Bengals packed up the fifth, sixth and seventh place finishes, putting the team in second place behind Montana in the scoring entering individual event competition. ISU basketball player David Schroeder (Fr., Salmon, ID) has completed a successful crossover into the track and field ranks, earning a fifth-place finish in the decathlon at the Championships with a team high tally of 6548 points. Schroeder registered career-bests in all five day two events to just from eighth place to fifth at the end of competition. Schroeder clocked a 14.80 in the 110 hurdles, bettering his previous best of 15.04. He then tacked on a stellar 11-feet to his discus best of 97-11 1/2 with a toss of 109-6 at the Big Sky meet. He added nearly a foot and a half to his pole vault best (10-4) by clearing 11-9 3/4. He finished the day with a javelin heave of 155-10, 18-feet better than his season best (138-5) and shaved 20 seconds off his best in the 1500m, clocking a 4:28.41. During day one of the competition, the freshman acheived personal bests in two of the five events. He rana 11.64 in the 100m, long jumped 20-6 1/4 and heaved the shot put a season-best 36-2 1/4. He rounded out the first day with a 6-1 1/4 high jump performance and a personal-best time of 51.09 in the 400m. Adam Matthews (So., Paris, ID), who was in fifth place following the first day of competition, slipped to sixth during day two but still recorded personal bests in four of the final five events, totalling a season-high 6534 points. In the 110 Hurdles, he ran a personal best 15.70, down from 15.85, and followed it up with a six foot personal best in the discus (from 99-10 to 106-5). He pole vaulted 13-5 1/4 more than a foot higher than his best and finished the day by cutting 25 seconds off his 1500m time, clocking a 4:55.77. Matthews also threw the javelin 173-2 in the competition.Day one of the decathlon saw Matthews register three more season bests. He clocked a best of 11.34 in the 100m, high jumped a best of 6-1 1/4 and ran a 51.60 in the 400m. He also leaped 21-4 1/4 in the long jump and boasted a 34-5 shot put toss. Ben Allen (So., Filer, ID) earned seventh place in the decathlon after tallying personal bests in both of the day’s running events and amassing 6482 points. Allen sliced 12 seconds off his 1500m time, clocking a 5:07.26 and cut his 110 Hurdles time from 16.53 to a wind-aided 16.40. He also registered a mark fo 137-11 in the discus, a toss of 137-11 in the javelin and cleared 14-5 1/4 in the pole vault. All that was added his day one efforts which featured personal bests in four of the five events. Allen clocked a season-best 11.65 in the 100m, a best of 51.54 in the 400m and jumped a best of 5-8 1/2 in the high jump and 22-0 1/4 in the long jump. He also hurled the shot put 35-10 3/4. All three Bengal athletes tallied their highest point totals of the
season, and both Matthews and Schroeder have individual events coming up
in the next two days. Montana’s Adam Bork won the decathlon with a provisional
qualifying total of 7173. The Grizzlies also picked up third and fourth
place in the event giving them the high score of 21 going into individual
events. ISU follows with nine, while Weber State brings eight points into
the rest of the meet.
Thursday, May 16, 2002 For Immediate Release Poulson Wins Big Sky Heptathlon Title Missoula, MT--Junior Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID) claimed the Big Sky Conference heptathlon title Thursday with a point tally of 5158, making her Idaho State’s third straight heptathlon champion. Poulson, who was in second place in the event after the first day of competition, snagged the heptathlon title after long jumping 17-11, registering a javelin toss of 118-6 and running a season-best 2:21.18 in the 800m. In day one action, she clocked a 14.96 in the 100 hurdles, then high jumped 5-5, shot putted 34-3 1/2 and then finished the day with a 25.21 run in the 200 meter dash. The junior who led the conference in the event entering the championship meet, joins Hillary Merkley (2001) and Shannon Sinn (2000) to give the Bengals three consecutive titles in the heptathlon. Poulson’s win boosts the ISU women’s heptathlon title total to six overall including Amber Welty’s 1990 win, Lynne Wingle’s 1984 championship and Tonya Scarborough’s title in 1983. Kimberlee Scott (So., Kennewick, WA) moved from seventh to sixth after day two of the Big Sky meet, tallying 4643 points in the effort. Scott finished out the competition with a personal best clocking of 2:30.72 in the 800m, a 16-1 3/4 long jump mark and a mark of 122-1 in the javelin. During day one, she registered a 15.31 (100 hurdles), then cleared a season-best 5-1 1/4 in the high jump. She then recorded another season-best in the shot put (35-1) and a 26.64 in the 200m. Freshman Krystal Saling (Fairview, OR) recorded a point total
of 4258 over the two day event, finishing in 10th place overall. Saling
topped her personal best in the long jump by nearly a foot, leaping 16-5
3/4. She followed that up with a a javelin toss of 105-10 and a two-and-a-half
second season best in the 800m (2:27.21). Saling was in 13th place after
day one of the heptathlon after running a 16.02 in the 100 hurdles and
following it up with a 4-7 1/2 high jump. She then tallied a
Quotes from Poulson:
“I went in pretty confident, but I kind of screwed up at the beginning and had a lot to make up. I felt confident today, because the second day is usually pretty good to me. My goal in the hurdles was 14.6 and my best is 14.42-ish. I was shooting for at least a 14.6, but wasn’t even close (14.96). I came back and did what I needed to do in the next six events.” “Our goal this fall was the conference championship. I didn’t expect to go to nationals, but I provisionally qualified and I hope some time to be in the top 10. That’s my goal right now.”
Wednesday, May 15, 2002 For Immediate Release Bengal Tracksters Complete Day One
Missoula, MT--The six Idaho State multi-event athletes competing in the heptathlon and decathlon at the Big Sky Championships completed day one of the activities. Junior Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID), the conference leader in the heptathlon entering the Big Sky meet, is currently in second place in the heptathlon with three events to go, while Kimberlee Scott (So., Kennewick, WA) is in seventh and Krystal Saling (Fr., Fairview, OR) is in 13th. Poulson clocked a 14.96 in the 100 Hurdles, then high jumped 5-5, shot putted 34-3 1/2 and then finished the day with a 25.21 run in the 200 meter dash. Scott registered a 15.31 (100 Hurdles), then cleared a season-best 5-1 1/4 in the high jump. She then recorded another season-best in the shot put (35-1) and a 26.64 in the 200m. Saling ran a 16.02 in the 100 hurdles and followed it up with a 4-7 1/2 high jump. She then tallied a 29-10 3/4 mark in the shot put and finished the day with a time of 26.67 in the 200m. In the decathlon, Adam Matthews (So., Paris, ID) is currently in fifth place, Ben Allen (So., Filer, ID) is in sixth place and freshman Dave Schroeder (Salmon, ID) is in eighth after day one. Matthews clocked a season-best 11.34 in the 100m, then tallied a leap of 21-4 1/4 in the long jump and a 34-5 shot put toss. He then high jumped a season-best 6-1 1/4 and finished the day with a season-best time of 51.60 in the 400m. Allen edged a season-best 11.65 in the 100m, leaped a season-best 22-0 1/4 in the long jump and hurled the shot put 35-10 3/4. He followed that up with a season-best high jump mark of 5-8 1/2 and a second and a half personal best in the 400m, clocking a 51.54. Schroeder ran an 11.64 in the 100m, long jumped 20-6 1/4 and heaved the shot put a season-best 36-2 1/4. He rounded out the day with a 6-1 1/4 high jump performance and a personal-best 400m time of 51.09. Day two of the multi-event competition will begin at noon Thursday.
Wednesday, May 15, 2002 For Immediate Release Three ISU Tracksters Earn Athlete of the Week Honors Ogden, UT--Three members of the Idaho State track team received Big Sky athlete of the week honors for their performances at last week’s ISU Twilight meet. Sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) was named men’s track athlete of the week after winning the 800m at the Twilight meet. Hoffman clocked a Big Sky qualifying 1:52.96, a time which ranks him eighth on the Big Sky season list. He will compete in the 800 as well as the 1500m at this weekend’s Big Sky Championships in Missoula, MT. Senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) was dubbed men’s field athlete of the week after taking the javelin title at the ISU Twilight meet by breaking his own school record by more than 11 feet. His mark of 244-5 met the NCAA automatic qualifying standard and ranks him tied for third in the nation this season. This is Hajdu’s second such honor this season as he was also named field athlete of the week on March 26. This is also the fourth athlete of the week honor for a member of the ISU men’s team, including Paul Litchfield’s (So., Auburn, CA) honor on April 23. Sophomore Kimberlee Scott (Kennewick, WA) received women’s field athlete of the week accolades after winning the javelin and finishing second the triple jump at the Twilight meet. The sophomore tallied season-best marks in both events, tossing 130-4 in the javelin and jumping 37-7 1/4 in the triple jump. Scott qualified for the Big Sky Championships in both events and will compete in both as well as the heptathlon at the Championships in Missoula. Scott’s honor is the seventh for the ISU women this season. Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) was named field athlete of the week, March 26, April 9 and April 16. Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) received the honor in back-to-back weeks, April 23 and April 30. Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) was named Big Sky track athlete of the week on April 16. The ISU men and women are competing in the Big Sky Championships, Wednesday
through Saturday in Missoula, MT. The men are looking to better last year’s
fourth-place team finish, while the women will look to improve on last
year’s third-place mark.
Wednesday, May 15, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISU Track Signs 10 Athletes for 2002-03 Season Pocatello, ID---Idaho State University has added 10 individuals to its 2002-03 track rosters through spring signings. Seven men and three women have signed national letter of intents to compete in track and field at ISU. The new recuits hail from four different states. Four are Idaho products, two are from Colorado, three come from Montana and one prepped in Wyoming. The signees will also add talent to a variety of event areas. Skylar Stevenson (Wendell, ID/Wendell HS) and Aaron Arnold (Casper, WY/Natrona County HS) will build up the Bengal sprint and hurdling corps. Stevenson specializes in the 100 and 200m, while Arnold has shown success in the 110 and 300m hurdles in addition to the 100 and 200 meter dash events. The Bengals will see help in the throwing area from Erik Whitsitt (Pueblo, CO/Pueblo South HS) and Troy Wassink (Kalispell, MT/Flathead County HS). Whitsitt brings experience in the weight events to ISU, as one of the top 20 high school shot putters in the nation and as a successful discus thrower. Wassink will double dip for the Bengals as a javelin thrower, having received high school All-America honors, and in the high jump where he boasts a best of 6-9, which would rank him among the ISU all-time top 10. The other three men will add depth to the ISU distance/middle distance ranks. Andrew Kjellsen (Englewood, CO/Cherry Creek HS) specializes in the quarter and half mile events and has also run on very successful relay teams. Nick Bradley (Lewiston, ID/Lewiston HS) ranks among the top 10 in the state of Idaho in the mile and two mile, while Matt Nelson (Colstrip, MT/Colstrip HS) is a three-time all-state cross country runner who can also aid the Bengals in the 800m and mile. The ISU women will see reinforcements in the jumping area as well as the middle distance/distance corps with the addition of Kari Brown (Filer, ID/Filer HS), Britni Garz (Ashton, ID/North Fremont HS) and Kala Reid (Colstrip, MT/Colstrip HS). Brown will contribute in the long jump and on relay teams, while Garz brings long and triple jump skills to the Bengals. Reid, who was the state runner-up in the 800 and mile last year, may also run cross country for the Bengals. Below are capsulated bios of each of the 10 ISU signees. They are listed in the order of mention from above. Skylar Stevenson
Aaron Arnold
Erik Whitsitt
Troy Wassink
Nick Bradley
Matt Nelson
Andrew Kjellsen
Kari Brown
Britni Garz
Kala Reid
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISU Track Teams to Compete at Big Sky Championships Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track teams will try to add some more conference titles to the school’s tally at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships Wednesday through Saturday in Missoula, MT. The ISU women will look to improve on last year’s third place finish with help from 2001 conference hammer champion Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) and 2001 all-conference honoree Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID). Griffin currently leads the conference in the hammer with a toss of 207-0 at the Weber State Invitational, April 13, a mark more than 20 feet better than her closest competitor. Frazier is the conference leader in the 200m (23.74) and 400m (54.84) entering the championships, after finishing second in the 200 and third in the 400 at last year’s Big Sky meet. Joining the Pocatello natives as a title contender will be Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID). Poulson, who set the school record in the heptathlon this season and leads the her nearest Big Sky competitor by nearly 400 points, will look to bring home ISU’s third consecutive heptathlon title. In addition to the heptathlon, Poulson will compete in five other events: the long jump, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, high jump and javelin. She boasts the third fastest time in the 400 hurdles (1:01.41), third best high jump (5-6) and fourth best javelin throw (140-7) in the conference. On the men’s side, the Bengal lineup will feature three all-conference finishers from 2001 and a former conference champion. Senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary), who took second in the javelin at the Big Sky meet and competed at the NCAA Championships, will headline the group. Hajdu, who set the ISU school record in the javelin (244-5) at last week’s ISU Twilight meet, currently leads the conference in the event with a 24-foot margin over his closest competitor. The ISU pole vaulting corps make up the other all-conference participants led by Paul Litchfield (So., Auburn, CA), who is tied for the conference lead in the event (16-10 3/4) and was the conference runner-up in 2001. Twin brothers Eric and Kevin Bell (Sr., Eugene, OR) have also fared well at the Big Sky Championships. Eric won the 1996 pole vault title, while Kevin finished third in the conference in 2001. Sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) could also be a contender in the 1500m. Hoffman is just .69 seconds off of a provisional qualifying mark in the event and trails only Montana’s Scott McGowan in the event. Others who could help the ISU men better last year’s fourth place team finish are Andy Wilke (Jr., Grand Junction, CO) in the throws and Dan Lai (So., Casper, WY) in the sprints and long jump. Wilke is currently third in the Big Sky in the discus and will also compete in the hammer. Lai boasts the third best long jump mark in the conference and will also run the 100 and 200-meter dashes for ISU. Aiming for Baton Rouge
ISU’s Big Sky Lineup
Women
Wednesday, May 8, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hajdu Shatters ISU Javelin Record at Twilight Meet Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track and field teams played host to Ricks College at the ISU Twilight meet Wednesday night at Davis Field. Senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) shattered his own school record in the javelin by more than 11 feet, with an NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 244-5. His previous record was 233-9 set at the Penn Relays April 27. The mark ties him for third place in the national rankings with Bill Neumann (So., Iowa). Eastern Illinois's Ron White is the NCAA javelin leader with a throw of 248-10. Hajdu is joined in the national rankings by fellow automatic qualifier Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID), who won the hammer throw at the Twilight meet. Griffin is currently fourth in the NCAA rankings with a mark of 207-0 recorded at the Weber State Invitational, April 13. Nebraska senior Melissa Price is the nation's current leader in the hammer with a heave of 217-8. Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID), who tallied wins in the 100 and 400 Hurdles and the long jump at the Twilight meet, is also among the top of the nation in the heptathlon. Poulson, who provisionally qualified in the heptathlon after a school record performance at the ISU Springfest meet, April 25-26, is ranked 10th in the nation with 5365 points. Washington State junior Ellannee Richardson is the No.1 ranked individual in the heptathlon with a tally of 5820. The ISU squad will now prepare for the Big Sky Outdoor Track Championships
in Missoula, MT, May 15-18. Seven women have reached Big Sky qualifying
marks in 12 different events, while14 men have qualified in 14 events.
Friday, April 24, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bengal Tracksters to Play Host to Twilight Meet Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track teams will play host to the ISU Twilight meet, Wednesday, May 8 at Davis Field. The meet, originally scheduled for May 9, was moved to accomodate the Bennion Awards Banquet which will take place that night. The meet schedule is as follows. Please note that this is a rolling schedule and the times will be moved up if we do not get any entries in certain events. Wednesday, May 8
Field Events
Saturday, May 4, 2002 For Immediate Release Bengal Track Teams Compete at BYU Invitational Provo, UT--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams ventured down the road to Provo, UT, to compete in the BYU Robison Invitational meet Friday and Saturday. Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) won both the 200m and 400m titles to lead the Bengals. Frazier clocked a 24.18 in the 200m and a 55.75 in the 400 meter. Donilyn Rowland (Montpelier, ID) was runner-up in the 1500m, registering a season-best time of 4:53.93 (4:48.96 altitude-adjusted). Michelle Railsback (So., Lincoln, NE) cleared a career-best height of 11-11 3/4 in the pole vault to claim third place and tie her for the third-best mark in ISU history, while the 4x100-meter relay team clocked a season-best 46.55, the third-fastest in ISU history. The ISU men were led by third-place finishes by Dan Lai (So., Casper, WY), Kevin Bell (Sr., Eugene, OR) and Casey Crumrine (Sr., Hazelton, ID). Lai leaped a season-best wind-aided 23-9 in the long jump, while Bell cleared 15-7 in the pole vault. Crumrine finished third in the 1500m, clocking a season-best 4:03.24 (3:58.99 altitude-adjusted). Krystal Saling (Fr., Fairview, OR) qualified for the Big Sky Championships in the pole vault, clearing 11-5 3/4. Dave Schroeder (Fr., Salmon, ID) and freshman Branko Teodorovic (Belgrade, Yugoslavia) improved their previous Big Sky qualifying marks in the 110 Hurdles (15.04) and the 400m (47.89) respectively. Schroeder also reached a conference qualifying time of 54.33 in the 400m Hurdles. In other action, sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) narrowly missed the NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 3:45.00 in the 1500m, clocking a 3:45.69 in the event at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, CA, Friday night to finish 18th out of 60 competitors. Next up, the Bengal tracksters will play host to the ISU Twilight meet, beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Davis Field. May 3-4 BYU Robison Invitational
Women
April 30, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Poulson Named Big Sky Field Athlete of Week Ogden, UT---Idaho State junior Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) earned her second-straight Field Athlete of the Week award after winning the heptathlon at the ISU Springfest in Pocatello, Idaho, last week. The junior improved on her provisional qualifying point total and set an Idaho State school record with 5,365 points, and also ranks 13th in the nation this year. Poulson improved her previous bests in four of the seven events, including bettering her javelin mark by more than 18 feet. She registered Big Sky qualifying marks in the 100-hurdles (14.43), high jump (5-6) and 200-meters (24.90). Poulson also qualified for the conference championship in the 400-hurdles with a conference-leading time of 1:01.41. The honor is the fifth of the season for the ISU women as Poulson also earned AOW honors last week and Maureen Griffin received the accolade three times earlier in the season. The ISU men have also recorded two AOW honors, including Paul Litchfield's pole vault performance last week.
Saturday, April 27, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hajdu Breaks ISU Javelin Record at Penn Relays,
Pocatello, ID---Senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) continued to raise the bar for Bengal javelin throwers to come, as he broke his own school record in the event yet against, this time by more than two feet. Hajdu won the javelin title at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA with a provisional qualifying throw of 233-9 Saturday, bettering his previous record of 231-5 1/2. Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) also competed at the Relays, taking second in the hammer throw with a toss of 203-11. The rest of the Bengal squad competed in the final day of the ISU Springfest meet at Davis Field posting several top marks. Norah Parkinson (Sr., Regina, Saskatchewan) won the women's steeplechase event, clocking a 11:47.98 in her first effort of the season, while Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) snagged the 200 and400-meter titles with times of 24.55 and 55.02 respectively. Mattie Mulick (Jr., Pocatello, ID) performed well in front of her hometown crowd, winning the 800m (2:18.59), while Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) continued her Springfest success with a 400-meter hurdles victory (1:01.41). The ISU 4x400 team also won its event clocking a 3:50.44. Donilyn Rowland (So., Montpelier, ID) was the runner-up in the 1500 (4:55.42), while junior Alena Munger (Boise, ID) was second in the 100m (12.02) and 200m (24.79). Kimberlee Scott (So., Kennewick, WA) was runner-up in the triple jump, with a leap of 36-8. The ISU men picked up victories in all of the running events from 100m to 800m and the long jump. Dan Lai (So., Casper, WY) won the 100 and 200 meter with clockings of 10.79 and 21.86, while Branko Teodorovic (Fr., Belgrade, Yugoslavia) took the 400m title with a season best mark of 47.97. Paul Hoffman (So., Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) rounded out the Bengal short distance sweep with a 1:54.61 win in the 800m. Lai also snagged the long jump title for ISU with a leap of 23-2, while the 4x400-relay team registered a first-place time of 3:15.63. Sophomore Paul Litchfield (So., Auburn, CA) was the lone runner-up for the Bengals, taking second in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-6. The Bengals will be back in action at theBYU Invitational, May 3-4 in
Provo, UT. Paul Hoffman will trek to Palo Alto, CA for the Stanford Invitational,
Friday.
Friday, April 26, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Poulson Breaks ISU Heptathlon Record
Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track and field teams played host to Springfest, the first of two outdoor home meets, beginning Thursday at David Field and have already started rewriting the record books. Junior Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID) improved her already provisional qualifying point total in the heptathlon with a school record tally of 5365 points. The total tops the old record of 5,320 set by Hillary Merkley in 2001. Poulson improved her bests in four of the seven events including bettering her javelin mark by more than 18 feet. She registered Big Sky qualifying marks in the 100-hurdles (14.43), high jump (5-6) and 200 meters (24.90). Sophomore Kimberlee Scott (Kennewick, WA) finished sixth in the two-day event. On the men's side, Dave Schroeder (Fr., Salmon, ID) and Adam Matthews (So., Paris, ID) recorded Big Sky qualifying marks in the decathlon, scoring 6128 and 6088 respectively. In other Springfest action Friday, Andy Wilke (Jr., Grand Junction, CO) placed second in the discus with a toss of 162-6 and third in the hammer with a heave of 153-5. Michelle Railsback (So., Lincoln, NE) finished third in the pole vault with a season-best clearance of 11-6, while Solana Kline (Fr., Minnetonka, MN), Krystal Saling (Fr., Fairview, OR) and Melissa Griffiths (Fr., Idaho Falls, ID) cleared 11-0 to place third, fourth and fifth respectively in the vault. Bengal distance runner Casey Crumrine (Sr., Hazelton, ID) was busy making an impact of his own in Philadelphia, PA, at the Penn Relays. Crumrine clocked a 30:14.55 in the 10,000 meter at the Relays to place 17th overall, a time which is well under the Big Sky qualifying mark. Day three of Springfest will continue on Saturday at Davis Field.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Litchfield, Poulson Earn Big Sky Athlete of the Week Honors Pocatello, ID--- Idaho State track and field athletes Paul Litchfield (So., Auburn, CA) and Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID) were named Big Sky Field Athletes of the Week for their performances last weekend. Litchfield finished seventh in the pole vault at the Mt. SAC Relays, clearing 16-10 3/4, his career-best outdoor mark. The mark, which leads the conference and ties him for 20th in the nation, tied heights with the third place finisher, but finished seventh on misses. Poulson won the heptathlon at the California Invitational with a provisional qualifying point total of 5,218. She improved her previous bests in six of the seven events including a Big Sky qualifying mark of 14.55 in the 100-meter hurdles. The junior’s point total, which leads the Big Sky and ranks her 13th in the nation, is over 500 points better than her nearest conference competitor. The Bengals will be back in action Thursday-Saturday when they play
host to the ISU Springfest meet at Davis Field.
Saturday, April 20, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Track Competes at Boise State Triangular Boise, ID--- The ISU men’s and women’s track teams travelled across the state to Boise for a two-day triangular meet with Boise State, the University of Washington. Idaho joined in the action on the women’s side. The Bengal men went 1-1 on the weekend, falling 103-82 to Boise State and topping the Washington Huskies 94-86. The men were led by winning performances by sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) and seniors Van Gunnell (Soda Springs, ID) and Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary). Hoffman won the 1500m with a time of 3:52.68, adding to his second-place finish in the 800m on day one. Gunnell took the 5000m title with a clocking of 15:27.14 (converted hand time), while Hajdu added another javelin title to his tally, with a toss of 213-2. Men’s basketball player turned trackster, Ray Munyagi (Jr., Tanzania, Africa) tallied a second-place finish in the 100m dash for the Bengals, clocking a season-best mark of 11.26. Sophomore Ben Allen (Filer, ID) was the runner-up in the pole vault, as was the 4x100m relay team. Senior Norah Parkinson (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) registered the highest placing of the weekend for the ISU women, which competed without the aid of junior standouts Maureen Griffin and Selena Frazier who are competing at the Mt. SAC Relays. Parkinson was the runner-up in the 5000m with a time of 18:37.52. Alena Munger (Jr., Boise, ID) clocked a 12.12 in the 100m for third place in front of her hometown crowd. The ISU women finished the weekend 0-3 in dual meets, falling 110-87 to Boise State, 125-69 to Washington and 102-84 to Idaho. Next up, the Bengals will play host to the first of two home meets during the outdoor season, the ISU Springfest meet, Thursday through Saturday at Davis Field. A select few ISU athletes may compete at the Penn Relays that weekend as well. April 20, Boise State Triangular
Women
Friday, April 19, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Track Finishes Day One at Boise State Meet Boise, ID--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams competed in the first day of action at the Boise State Triangular meet with the Broncos, the University of Washington and the University of Idaho on the women’s side. Day one brought two first-place finishes for the ISU men led by senior Travis Ricks (Tetonia, ID), who won the steeplechase with a season-best clocking of 9:20.94. Sophomore Dan Lai (Casper, WY) snagged the long jump title with a wind-aided leap of 23-5 1/2. Paul Hoffman (So., Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) tallied a season-best 1:54.14 in the 800m, while Andy Wilke recorded a season-best toss of 169-3 in the hammer throw. The ISU women earned a pair of third-place finishes in the 200m and
800m
Day two of the Boise State Triangular will take place Saturday. April 19, Boise State Triangular
Women
Friday, April 19, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Poulson Wins Heptathlon at California Invitational,
Azusa, CA--- Idaho State junior Jackie Poulson (American Falls, ID) won the heptathlon at the California Invitational track meet, which took place at Azusa Pacific University Stadium in Azusa, Calif., Thursday and Friday. Poulson claimed the victory with a NCAA provisional qualifying point total of 5218. (The provisional mark is 5175.) The junior improved upon her previous season-best total of 4960 set at the Occidental Heptathlon , March 15-16. Poulson recorded season-bests in six of the seven events. She registered a 14.55 in the 100m hurdles, topping her previous best of 14.99, tied her best in the high jump with a clearance of 5-4 1/2 and improved her shot put mark by nearly two-and-a-half feet to 35-0 1/4. Poulson clocked a 25.24 in the 200m (previous best 26.25), threw the javelin 122-5, two feet farther than her season best, and registered a 2:22.89 in the 800 (improved from 2:26.88). She also leaped 17-11 3/4 in the long jump en route to the victory. Poulson finished first out of 27 women in the competition. The remainder of the ISU track team will be competing Saturday in the
Boise State Triangular meet which will pit the Bengals in dual meets with
Boise State and the University of Washington.
Saturday, April 13, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Tracksters Set Records at Weber State Invite;
Ogden, UT--- The ISU women rewrote the record books en route to a second-place team finish at the Weber State Invitational track meet, while the Bengal men brought home third-place honors. Alena Munger (Jr., Boise, ID) and Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) led the ISU women by registering school record times in the 100m and 200m respectively. Frazier won the 200m besting her own record of 24.33 set in 2001, with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.43. Munger topped her own school record of 11.96, set in 2000, with a race winning clocking of 11.80 in the 100m. Frazier also won the 400m with a time of 54.60. Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) won the hammer throw with another NCAA automatic qualifying mark with a toss of 207-0, nearly three feet better than her previous season best. Griffin also took home the shot put title with a winning throw of 46-6 1/2. The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams also earned first-place honors. On the men’s side, sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) claimed the 1500m title in a hand-timed clocking of 3:52.17, while junior Paul Litchfield (Auburn, CA) took the pole vault with a clearance of 16-9. Weber State edged out the competition to earn both team titles. The Wildcats won the women’s title with 113 points. ISU was second with 106, followed by Montana State (3rd with 84), Utah State (4th with 65), Ricks College (5th with 63.5) and Utah Valley State (6th with 52.5). The Weber men finished with 118 points, just ahead of second-place Utah State, which tallied 99. The ISU men claimed third place (75 points), followed by Montana State (4th with 64), Southern Utah (5th with 59), Utah Valley State (6th with 53) and Ricks College (7th with 45). Next week, the ISU teams will compete in split squads at both the Utah State Mark Faldmo Open in Logan, UT, and at the Boise State Triangular meet, where ISU will take on Boise State and the University of Washington in dual meets. April 13 Weber State Invitational
Women
Saturday, April 6, 2002 For Immediate Release Bengal Tracksters Qualify Two for NCAAs,
Missoula, MT--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams travelled to Missoula, Mont., for the Al Manuel Invitational meet and came home with nine event titles and two national qualifiers. On the women’s side, Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) led the way with an NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 204-1 in the hammer, guaranteeing herself a spot at the NCAA meet and also gaining the Al Manuel meet record and the Dornblaser Stadium record in the event. Joining Griffin with first-place finishes were Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID), Alena Munger (Jr., Boise, ID) and Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls, ID). Frazier won both the 200m (24.87) and 400m (meet record of 55.39) titles. Munger took the 100m title (12.15), while Poulson claimed the 400m Hurdles victory for ISU (1:01.57). Griffin added a second-place finish in the shot put and a third place in the discus to her tally her for the day. The 4x400 relay team also claimed a victory for the Bengals. On the men’s side, senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) recorded a provisional qualifying mark of 218-10 1/2 to win the javelin throw title. Kevin Bell (Sr., Eugene, Ore.) won the pole vault (16-2 1/2), while Casey Crumrine (Sr., Hazelton, ID) took the 5000m title. Sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) also claimed a victory for ISU in the 1500m with a time of 3:54.47). The women went 0-3 in dual meets, while the men went 1-2 on the day. Full meet results can be found at www.montanagrizzlies.com. Dual meet scores were as follows.
Women
The next competition for the Bengals will be the Weber State Invitational, Saturday, April 13, in Ogden, Utah. April 6 Al Manuel Invitational
Women
Saturday, March 16, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Tracksters Open Outdoor Season at UNLV;
Las Vegas, NV--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams kicked off the 2001-02 outdoor campaign at the UNLV Invitational Friday and Saturday. On the men’s side, senior Gabor Hajdu (Szekszard, Hungary) broke the Idaho State school record when he registered a provisional qualifying mark of 231-5 1/2 to win the javelin Saturday. Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) took the 1500m title with a time of 3:50.85. Andy Wilke (Jr., Grand Junction, CO) won the hammer throw with a toss of 168-7 on Friday evening and followed it up with a fourth-place finish in the discus Saturday. Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) highlighted the Bengal performances with a provisional qualifying throw of 181-1 in the hammer, good enough for a second place finish. Griffin, the ISU record holder in the hammer, also placed third in the shot put with a Big Sky qualifying toss of 46-6 1/4 on Friday. Event winners for the Bengals were Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) with a time of 24.11w in the 200m and Michelle Railsback (So., Lincoln, NE) with a clearance of 11-5 3/4 in the pole vault. Seven men and five women reached Big Sky qualifying marks, making them eligible to compete at the Big Sky Championships May 15-18 in Missoula, Montana. Hajdu, Hoffman, Wilke as well as Kevin Bell (pole vault), Dan Lai (Long jump) and Paul Litchfield (pole vault) qualified on the men’s side. Frazier, Railsback, Griffin and Alena Munger (200m) reached qualifying standards for the Bengal women. The next competition for the Bengals will be April 6 at the Montana Multi-Duals in Missoula, Mont. March 15-16, Rebel Invitational
Women
Friday, March 8, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Griffin Earns All-America Honors
Pocatello, Idaho---Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) earned national acclaim for Idaho State by recording a fourth-place finish in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Friday morning. Griffin, who is in her second year at ISU after transferring from Arizona, threw a season-best 67-8 3/4, just four inches off her personal best in Walker Pavilion Friday. The toss earned Griffin fourth-place as well as All-America honors, while besting her 11-place finish from the 2001 indoor meet. Florida sophomore Candice Scott won the NCAA weight throw title with a new collegiate, NCAA meet and Randall Tyson Track Center record throw of 75-7 1/2. Clemson senior Jamine Moton was second with a toss of 73-10, while Florida junior Jukina Dickerson finished third with a heave of 69-9 3/4. The ISU and Big Sky record holder in the event, Griffin secured herself a spot at the NCAA meet with an automatic qualifying toss of 64-10 1/2 at the ISU Quintuple Dual meet, February 9. Her personal best throw was 68-0 1/4 during the 2001 season. Griffin, who won both the weight throw and shot put titles at the Big Sky Championships, topped her season-best throw by nearly three feet. The junior entered the NCAA meet ranked 13th out of 17 competitors in the weight. The fourth-place finish gives ISU five points for the final team total, as Griffin was the lone Bengal representative at the NCAAs. The Bengals will begin the outdoor campaign with the Occidental College meet in Eagle Rock, Calif., March 15-16. Griffin’s 2001-02 Marks
Tuesday, March 5, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Griffin to Make Trek to NCAA Indoor Track Meet Pocatello, Idaho---Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) will be the lone Idaho State representative at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday and Saturday, as announced by the NCAA. Griffin, who is in her second year at ISU after transferring from Arizona, will compete at the national meet in the weight throw, an event she placed 11th in at last year’s NCAAs. The junior also competed in the weight at the U.S. Indoor Championships last mark, finishing eighth. The ISU and Big Sky record holder in the event, Griffin secured herself a spot at the NCAA meet with an automatic qualifying toss of 64-10 1/2 at the ISU Quintuple Dual meet, February 9. Her personal best throw was 68-0 1/4 during the 2001 season. The weight throw competition is set to take place at noon on Friday at Walker Pavilion. Griffin is currently ranked 13th out of 17 competitors in the event. Griffin’s 2001-02 Marks
Saturday, March 2, 2002 For Immediate Release BYU’s Mannova Qualifies in the 3000m;
Intermountain
Results Day 2
BYU’s Michaela Mannova secured herself a spot at the NCAA Championships next weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., with a mark of 9:27.97 in the 3000m. Her altitude adjusted time (9:16.51) ranks her fourth in the nation at this time. Also taking center stage was ISU assistant coach Steve Deming’s record-breaking 18-2 clearance. The mark set a new Holt Arena record, breaking Deming’s own record of 18-1 set earlier in the season. Sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) won the men’s mile competition with a clocking of 4:16.78, while a handful of other ISU men claimed runner-up finishes. On the women’s side, Kimberlee Scott (So., Kennewick, WA) captured the 55m hurdles title with a clocking of 8.43. Taralyn Summers (So., Payson, UT) won the mile in a career-best time of 5:15.99, while junior Selena Frazier (Pocatello, ID) won the 200m with a mark of 24.32. Daniella Fleischman (Fr., Austria) ran the second fastest 3000m in ISU history with a clocking of 10:01.23 to finish fourth in the event. Fleischman, since coming to ISU from Austria earlier this year, has led the team in the mile and now the 3000m. NCAA competitiors will be announced this week. Idaho State’s Maureen Griffin is guaranteed a spot in the weight throw with her automatic qualifying mark in the event at the ISU Quad meet, February 9. March 2, 2002
Women
Friday, March 1, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BYU Distance Medley Qualifies for NCAAs;
Intermountain
Championships Day 1 Results
The evening was highlighted by BYU’s distance medley relay “A” team’s automatic qualifying performance in the event. The women ran a time of 11:24.23 (11:18.93 altitude adjusted) to ensure themselves a spot at the NCAA meet next weekend. Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, Idaho) topped her one-week old school record by one hundredth of a second to earn the runner-up spot in the 400m for ISU with a clocking of 54.38. Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, Idaho) won the weight throw with a toss of 61-0. Griffin had already guaranteed herself a spot in the weight throw at the NCAA meet with a toss of 64-10 1/2 at the Idaho State Quad meet February 9. On the men’s side, Branko Teodorovic (Fr., Belgrade, Yugoslavia) captured the men’s 400m title over former ISU standout Bryce Knight with a time of 49.12. Jared Tracy and Adam Matthews (So., Paris, Idaho) earned runner-up spots for the Bengals in the high jump and long jump respectively. Matthews leaped a career-best 22-4 to snag the second place honors. Day two of the Intermountain Championships begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with the men’s weight throw competition. Results are posted on the Idaho State track website at www.isu.edu/athletic. March 1, 2002 Intermountain Championships
Women
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bengal Tracksters Finish Indoor Season
Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track teams will play host to the Intermountain Championships track meet this Friday and Saturday (March 1-2) in Holt Arena. The meet is a last chance qualifier for the NCAA Championships, which are scheduled to take place March 8-9 in Fayetteville, Ark. The meet schedule is as follows: Friday, March 1
Field Events
Saturday, March 2
Field Events
Friday, February 22, 2002 For Immediate Release Griffin Wins Shot Put, Munger,
Pocatello, ID---Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) earned a conference championship in the shot put with a toss of 47-7 1/2, besting Northern Arizona’s Halee Prickett by a foot-and-a-half. Montana State leads the conference on the women’s side after the first day with 61 points, nearly doubling second place Weber State’s 34 points, although the Wildcats have the potential to get a lot of points in the running finals on Saturday. ISU’s women are fifth with 18 points. On the men’s side, sophomore Dan Lai (Casper, WY) earned All-Conference honors with a third place finish in the long jump, leaping a personal-best 24-1 1/2, the third best mark in ISU history. The Bengal men also sit in fifth place with 12 points, trailing Montana and Weber State, who are tied for first with 44 points. On the women’s side, ISU had a strong showing in the sprints, with junior Alena Munger (Boise, ID) tying the ISU school record with a 7.02 to qualify first in the 55-meter dash. The 7.02 tied Yolanda Frazier’s mark, set in 1991. In the 200, Selena Frazier (Sr, Pocatello, ID) earned the top qualifying spot with a 24.30 mark. Munger qualified in the fourth slot in the 200. For the men, Paul Hoffman (So, Urunga, New South Wales) had the
top qualifying mark, finishing fourth in the 800. Dan Lai qualified
fifth in the 55, and freshman Branko Teodorovic (Belgrade, Yugoslavia)
qualified in the 400.
Saturday, February 9, 2002 For Immediate Release Selena Frazier sets school record in 200-meter
Pocatello, ID---Paced by a school record time in the 200-meter dash by Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) and Casey Crumrine’s (Sr., Hazelton, ID) personal and ISU season-best 8:36.93 first-place finish in the 3000 meter, Idaho State saw both the men’s and women’s track teams fare well in their five-way dual meet with Boise State, Montana State, Utah, Utah State, and Weber State. The women went 3-2 and the men went 2-3, with two of the men’s loses by five points, and one women’s loss by three. A host of top marks were scored by Bengals on the afternoon, highlighted by Frazier’s school record 24.19 time in the 200-meter dash. Running in the last section, Frazier was pushed hard by Montana State’s Lacy Hinzpeter, who ran a 24.35 to take second. Junior thrower Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) won her fourth straight meet title, tossing a season-best mark of 64-5 3/4, putting her in the top 10 nationally. Griffin’s toss topped Boise State’s Abby Elsberry, who was second at 63-2 3/4, narrowly missing an automatic qualifying mark. Idaho State’s 4x400 women’s relay time posted the second fastest time
in school history as the team of Jackie Poulson (Jr., American Falls,
ID), Mattie Mulick (Jr., Pocatello, ID), Alena Munger (Jr., Boise,
ID), and Frazier turned out a 3:48.33 in their second-place run.
Munger earned a second place finish in the 55-meter dash with a time of
7.12. Other second place finishers included Jackie Poulson, who qualified
for the Big Sky meet with a 57.68 in the 400m and Kim Scott (So., Kennewick,
WA) in the triple jump (35-7 3/4). Mattie Mulick set a personal
best in the 800 with a 2:13.00 run, good for third.
Team Scores—Men
Team Standings Weber State 4-1, Utah State 4-1, Montana
State 4-1, Idaho State 2-3, Boise State 1-4, Utah 0-5.
Team Scores—Women
Team Records
Saturday, February 2, 2002 For Immediate Release Griffin Takes Home Weight Throw Title for Third Time This Season, Scott Second in Triple Jump Pocatello, ID--- Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) picked up her third win of the year in the weight throw, tosses her implement 63- 0 1/2 for her second win at the Mountain States Games. Griffin earned the women’s open shot put title with a toss of 43-11 1/2 on Friday. Sophomore Kim Scott (Kennewick, WA) also had a solid day, competing in several event, but finishing second in the triple jump with a leap of 37-8 3/4. Justin Wickard of Utah State had the best day of any athlete on Saturday, picking up wins in the men’s long jump, as well as the 55-meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles. His three wins were tops on the men’s side. For the Bengals, other top finishers on the women’s side included Norah Parkinson’s (Jr., Regina, Saskatchewan) third place finish in the open 3000 (10:36.47); Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) finished third in the 200 (24.71) On the men’s side, Andy Wilke (Jr., Grand Junction, CO) finished second in the open weight throw (51-0 3/4), Paul Litchfield (So., Auburn, CA) finished third in the pole vault (16-6). In the invitational mile, Travis Ricks (Sr., Tetonia, ID) and Paul Hoffman (So., Urunga, New South Wales) finished 2-3, with Ricks running a 4:13.12, and Hoffman at 4:15.39. In the men’s 4 x 400 relay, Idaho State finished second with a 3:19.25 mark. Results can be accessed at the ISU website at www.isu.edu/athletic/track.html -ISU-
Friday, February 1, 2002 For Immediate Release Bengals Fare Well in Day One of Mountain State Games: Griffin Earns Title in Shot Put, Munger Clocks Top 55, 200 Meter Time Pocatello, ID--- Holt Arena was buzzing with action on Friday night as the Mountain States Games opened with a flurry of activity. The Mountain States Games is an open event with no team scores kept. Alena Munger (Jr., Boise, ID) was the early shining star for Idaho State, clocking the top time in the women’s 55-meter dash prelims with a 7.12, just .02 off her personal best. Just over an hour later, Munger again clocked the top time in a preliminary race, this the 200, with a time of 24.70, missing Julie Briggs’ school record by .06 seconds. Selena Frazier (Jr., Pocatello, ID) qualified fourth and third respectively in both events. Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) picked up another title, earning the women’s open shot put title with a toss of 43-11 1/2, nipping Weber State’s Venessa Wynne by an inch and a half. On the men’s side, Casey Crumrine (Sr., Hazelton, ID) picked up a third place finish in the men’s open 5000 with a time of 15:06 The competition at the Mountain States Games resumes on Saturday with action starting at 9:00 am, and continuing until approximately 4:00 pm. Thursday, January 31, 2002 For Immediate Release Large Field Slated for 2002 Mountain States Games printable
version of this release
The meet kicks off at noon on Friday with the first event of the pentathlon, the men’s 55-meter hurdles. Men’s pentathlon events also include the long jump, shot put, high jump, and the 1000-meter dash. The women’s pentathlon begins at 5:30 with the 55m hurdles, and continues on with the high jump, shot put, long jump, and 800-meter dash. Field event finals begin in earnest at 5:30 pm on Friday with the women’s pole vault, and the open shot put for men and for women. The final event on Friday is the women’s 400-meter open dash. The Mountain State’s games resume on Saturday morning at 9:00 am with semifinal action in the men’s and women’s 55 meter hurdles, and the men’s open weight throw. The afternoon session, starting at 12:30 pm, features all championship flight invitational events, including the men’s 800 at 2:30, the women’s 800 at 2:40, and the men’s and women’s 4x400 relays, which are the final two events of the Games, scheduled for 3:35 and 3:50 pm respectively. All eyes should be on the women’s weight throw at 12:30 pm on Saturday, as Idaho State’s Maureen Griffin (Jr., Pocatello, ID) is the reigning Big Sky Female Field Athlete of the Week after automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a mark of 64-5 3/4 at the Montana State Double Dual. Griffin’s toss of 68-0 1/2 last year is an Idaho State and Big Sky Conference record. ISU’s Paul Hoffman (So., Uranga, New South Wales, Australia) will also look improve his NCAA provisional mile mark of 4:04.37 from last week. Two competitors that made headlines last year at the Mountain States Games were seniors, Idaho State’s Hillary Merkley, who broke the school record in the shot put twice while also setting a pentathlon record, and Weber State’s Charles Clinger, who high jumps a Holt Arena record 7-feet, 6 1/4 inches. Clinger also raced to the other side of the arena and won the long jump with a 24-1 3/4 leap. Results from the Mountain State Games can be accessed at the Idaho State track website at http://www.isu.edu/athletic/track1.html, or a request for emailed results can be made to ISU Sports Information Director Frank Mercogliano at [email protected]. Results are tentatively set to be posted by 10:00 pm on Friday, and by 6:30 pm on Saturday. -ISU- Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2002 Griffin Dubbed Big Sky Track Athlete of the Week Pocatello, ID--- Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) earned her Big Sky Track Athlete of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the weight throw with a mark of 64-5 3/4 in the weight throw at the Montana State Double Dual meet last weekend The junior, who met the provisional qualifying standard in the event, with a toss of 60-5 1/2 at the Snake River Open January 19, is the current Big Sky conference and ISU record holder in the event with a mark of 68-0 1/2 set last year. The Bengals have qualified another individual for the NCAA meet, as sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) reached the provisional standard in the mile with an altitude adjusted clocking of 4:04.37 at the Montana State meet Saturday. Next up, Idaho State will play host
to the Mountain States Games, February 1-2. The meet will kick off at 12:30
p.m. on Friday with the first heat of the women’s 55 meters for the pentathlon.
The first event on Saturday will be the men’s weight throw and the semi-finals
of the women’s 55-meter hurdles at 9 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 26, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Track Competes
at Montana State Triangular,
Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams saw their first dual meet action of the year at the Montana State Triangular meet in Bozeman, MT, Friday evening. The Bengal women split the weekend, taking the dual with Montana 81-67, but falling 82-68 to Montana State. Junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, ID) ensured herself a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a winning weight throw toss of 64-5 3/4, surpassing the automatic qualifying standard of 63-11 3/4. Other event winners for the ISU women were junior Alena Munger (Boise, ID) in the 55m dash with a season-best 7.13 clocking, junior Mattie Mulick (Pocatello, ID) in the mile with a time of 2:18.36, and junior Selena Frazier (Pocatello, ID) with a Big Sky conference qualifying mark of 24.47 in the 200m dash. Frazier also reached the Big Sky standard in the 400m with a runner-up clocking of 56.35. Sophomore Kim Scott (Kennewick, WA) qualified for the Big Sky meet in the triple jump with a leap of 36-10 1/4. On the men’s side, ISU was edged out by Montana State, 73-72 and also lost to Monatana 84-63. Sophomore Paul Hoffman (Urunga, New South Wales, Australia) met the NCAA provisional standard in the mile with an altitude adjustedmark of 4:04.48. Sophomore Dan Lai (Casper, WY) won the long jump with a career-best leap of 23-5 1/2 an improvement on his already Big Sky qualifying mark, while sophomore Ben Allen (Filer, ID) took the triple jump with a Big Sky qualifying and career-best jump of 46-0 3/4. Lai also qualified for the Big Sky meet in the 55m dash with a clocking of 6.48. The next competition for the Bengals is at the Mountain States Games, February 1-2 in Holt Arena. Jan. 25, Montana State Triangular
Women
Saturday, Jan. 19, 2002 For Immediate Release ISU Tracksters Play
Host to Snake River Open,
Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State men’s and women’s track teams kicked off the 2001-02 indoor campaign by playing host to area schools with the Snake River Open in Holt Arena Saturday. Non-collegians took the spot light in the meet, with former Bengal pole vaulter and current ISU assistant coach Steve Deming tying the Holt Arena record in the vault with a winning clearance of 18-0 1/2. World record holder Stacy Dragila won the women’s pole vault with a mark of 15-0. ISU squad members also posted top performances, with sophomore Dan Lai (Casper, WY) winning the men’s long jump with a leap of 22-5 to open the season. On the women’s side, ISU school record holder in the weight throw, junior Maureen Griffin (Pocatello, Idaho) took the event title with a provisional qualifying toss of 60-5 1/2. Red-shirt sophomore Alena Munger (Boise, Idaho) also had a successful day for the Bengals, finishing as the runner-up in the 200m and fourth in the 55-meter dash. Munger qualified for the Big Sky meet in both the 55m and 200m as did Lai in the long jump and freshman Branko Teodorovic (Belgrade, Yugoslavia) in the 400m. Sophomore Brooke Benedetti (Pocatello, Idaho) also reached the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 5,000m. The Bengals’ next meet is the Montana State Triangular meet (ISU, Montana, Montana State) in Bozeman, Mont., on Jan.25. Top Finishers
Women
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bengals to Play
Host to Snake River Open
Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track teams as well as several school from around the region will compete in ISU’s Snake River Open indoor track meet in Holt Arena Saturday. Competing schools are: Southern Utah, Utah State, Boise State, Utah, Weber State, BYU, Northwest Nazarene, Ricks College, and Treasure Valley Community College. The meet will also feature competitors from NIKE and the Greater Boise Running Club in addition to some unattached athletes. The meet schedule is as follows:
Field Events
Saturday, Dec. 15, 2001 For Immediate Release ISU Tracksters Kick Off Season With Annual Tye Dye Meet Pocatello, ID--- The Idaho State track teams competed in their annual intrasquad Tye Dye meet Saturday to kick off the 2001-02 track season. The meet offers a glimpse of who to watch when the actual season begins in mid-January. Last year’s leaders, All-America thrower Maureen Griffin, sophomore sprinter Selena Frazier and sprinter/jumper Daniel Lai as well as a crop of newcomers proved that this will be an exciting year for the Bengals. On the women’s side, Frazier captured the 55-meter dash and 300-meter run titles in the meet for the second-straight year, with times of 7.21 and 39.39 respectively. Junior Mattie Mulick won the 1000-meter run in 3:04.61, while junior Norah Parkinson nabbed the 3200-meter title in 11:39.40. Sophomore Jackie Poulson, who will take on sprinting, hurdling and multi event duties this season, is off to a good start, earning three event titles--the 55-meter hurdles (8.69), the high jump (5-0) and the long jump (17-1 3/4 ). Triple jump/multi eventer Kim Scott won the triple with a leap of 35-5 3/4, just one inch further than freshman Melissa Griffiths, out of Snake River High School, who will tackle jumping and pole vaulting duties for the Bengals this year. Griffin continued to reign over the throwing areas, winning the weight throw, an event she holds the school record in, with a toss of 56-1 1/2. Griffin finished second in the shot put to former ISU standout, Hillary Merkley, with a heave of 41-9 1/2. Transfer Rachel Squires, out of North Idaho Community College, finished second in the weight throw to Griffin. Sophomore Echo Schneider, who boosted herself into the ISU top 10 last year, won the javelin with an 171-6 effort. On the men’s side, Lai won the 55-meter dash (6.58) and long jump (22-4 3/4) to kick off the year. Branko Teodorovic, the European junior champion in the 400 meter, started his Bengal career with a 500-meter win (1:07.88). Paul Hoffman, who was third on the ISU squad in the mile last year, took the 3200-meter title (9:12.50), while Kevin Bell, who only has outdoor eligibility left, took the 55-meter hurdles in 8.56. Blaise Burns, a freshman out of Preston, Idaho, looks to step up in the high jump for the Bengals, winning the event with a 6-0 clearance in his first ISU competition. Andy Wilke was a two-event winner, nabbing the shot put (40-1 1/2 ) and weight throw titles (48-1 3/4) to open the 2001 indoor campaign. NCAA competitor Gabor Hajdu won the javelin title with a toss of 257-0, while sophomore Ben Allen, last year’s top triple jumper, continued his success in the event with a winning leap of 43-10. Multi-eventer Paul Litchfield, who specializes in the pole vault, finished second to assistant coach Steve Deming in the event with a clearance of 16-6. The Bengals first competitive
meet of the 2001-02 season comes January 19 when they play host to the
Snake River Open in Holt Arena.
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 For Immediate Release Bengal Track Teams Sign Three Runners for 2002-03 Season Pocatello, ID---The Bengals have signed three sprinters to national letters of intent, as announced by head track and field coach Dave Nielsen. Larnie Boyd, Tiffany Anderson and Melissa McLimore have all signed letters of intent to run for Idaho State during the 2002-03 season. Boyd, of Vallejo HS in Vallejo, CA, was a two-event participant at the California State track meet. She ran a 24.83 in the 200- meter dash and a 55.89 in the 400 meters, which would both be Idaho State records. Boyd, the daughter of Allen G. Boyd and Yvonne Cooley, also ran on the sixth-fastest 4x400-meter relay team in the nation last year. She also earned the African- American Academic award during her high school career. Boyd plans to major in either computer science or engineering at ISU. Anderson, of Burley HS in Burley, ID, was the Class 1A Division II State champion in the 100-meter dash during the 2001 season. The honor student was also runnerup in the 200 meter at the state meet and ran on the 4x200-meter relay team that finished second at state. Anderson, the daughter of Wayne and Ronda Anderson, is undecided about her major at ISU. McLimore, of Jerome HS in Jerome, ID, is the reigning Class 1A Division II state champion in the 200 and 400-meter events She was also the runnerup to Anderson in the 100 meter at last year’s state meet, while also running on the state champion sprint medley relay team. McLimore, daughter of Walt and Elaine McLimore, is a national honor society member that plans to be a pre-med major at ISU. The Bengal tracksters
first meet of the 2001-02 season is the intrasquad Tye Dye meet, Dec. 14-15
in Holt Arena.
For Immediate Release Sept. 12, 2001 Former ISU Track Standouts Knight & Carr Still Running Pocatello, Ida. - Former Idaho State University Track & Field standouts Bryce Knight and Emry Carr, who both completed their eligibility at ISU in May, are both still making noise in running circles. Knight, who competed in the Can-Am High Performance Series early this summer, is currently back in Pocatello, after spending late summer in Europe, competing in middle-distance races and rabbitting several developmental longer-distance races. He finished fifth (in 1:50.26) in the 800 meters in the Gala in Malmo, Sweden, and paced four other races - the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland; the 25th Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium; and two Italian meets. In his final two pacing assignments, Knight led the field to meet records. Knight hopes to return to compete next summer as well, after competing in the US indoor circuit starting in January. Carr has joined a running
club in Michigan, and competed in his first 10-mile race last week. He
finished 14th, but his final five miles were faster than his first five
miles. Carr will be continuing to train, with an important cross country
race looming in the future. Carr is planning to return to Pocatello next
year.
For Immediate Release Sept. 12, 2001 ISU Tracksters Emily Mulick and Gabor Hajdu Earn Academic Honors Pocatello - Former Idaho State track standouts Emily Mulick, a senior last year, and freshman Gabor Hajdu, who competed in the outdoor season last year, have both earned all-academic nods from the United States Track Coaches Association. To qualify, individuals had to post a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and to have participated in the NCAA Championships. Mulick and Gabor were two of the 302 individuals nationwide to earn the honor. Mulick finished with a 3.5 GPA, while Hajdu has a 3.3 GPA. Hajdu, from Hungary, is the Idaho State University school record-holder in the javelin and finished second in the Big Sky Championships in the event. He was 17th in the NCAA Championships. Mulick, from Pocatello,
is the school record-holder in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, and
competed in the Olympic Trials in the event.
ISU’s Maureen Griffin Finishes 18th at World University Games Beijing, China - Idaho State University’s Track & Field standout Maureen Griffin threw 191’-10” to finish 18th in qualifying in the women’s hammer throw at the 21st annual World University Games that today, missing the cut for the finals. Griffin was 18th, and the top 12 marks made the finals. Griffin won both the
Big Sky weight throw and hammer throw titles last year, setting conference
records in each event. Griffin was the 1997, 1998 & 1999 USA Junior
champion. She also still holds the national prep records for the Hammer
Throw and the Weight Throw, both accomplished at Pocatello High School
before she graduated in 1998. She then went to the University of Arizona,
where in 1999 she won the Pac-10 title in the hammer as a freshman and
went on to place eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She transferred
to Idaho State for the 2001 season, earning her second NCAA All-American
award by finishing fourth at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The 20-year-old
Griffin (she turns 21 on October 6) has already competed in seven USA National
Championships, five USA Junior Championships and three NCAA Championships.
ISU’s Maureen Griffin
to Compete
Pocatello, ID - Idaho State University’s Track & Field standout Maureen Griffin will be one of only two collegians representing the United States in the women’s hammer throw at the 21st annual World University Games that start today in Beijing, China. Griffin will compete in the event preliminaries on August 28, and if she advances, the finals on August 30. Griffin, who finished fourth in the women’s hammer throw in the recent USA Outdoor National Championships with a personal-best toss of 211’-2”, was invited to the women’s hammer competition along with Melissa Price, who finished six feet and one place ahead of Griffin at the USA Nationals. Griffin won both the
Big Sky weight throw and hammer throw titles last year, setting conference
records in each event. Griffin was the 1997, 1998 & 1999 USA Junior
champion. She also still holds the national prep records for the Hammer
Throw and the Weight Throw, both accomplished at Pocatello High School
before she graduated in 1998. She then went to the University of Arizona,
where in 1999 she won the Pac-10 title in the hammer as a freshman and
went on to place eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She transferred
to Idaho State for the 2001 season, earning her second NCAA All-American
award by finishing fourth at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The 20-year-old
Griffin (she turns 21 on October 6) has already competed in seven USA National
Championships, five USA Junior Championships and three NCAA Championships.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 9, 2001 Area Standouts Join Idaho State Track & Field for 2001-02 season Pocatello, Ida. - Several area high school and junior college standouts are set to join the Idaho State University track & field program for the upcoming 2001-02 season, head coach Dave Nielsen announced. Chief among the new recruits are a bevy of Idaho high school products, such as Snake River High School’s Melissa Griffiths. The former Panther won both the pole vault and triple jump at the 2001 A2 State High School Championships, also finishing fourth in the long jump. As a junior she also won the triple jump, whilke finishing second in the state in the pole vault, third in the long jump and fifth in the high jump. Firth’s Candie Clayson is also set to join the ranks, after finishing ninth and eighth, respectivelty, in the last two A3 State Cross Country Championships. In her senior season she also finished third in the State A3 3,200 meters and fourth in the 1,600 meters. Also set to suit up for the women is Troutdale, Oregon’s Krystal Saling, who was State runner-up in the girl’s pole vault last year. Another major acquisition will be Rachel Squires, a Blackfoot grad a few years back who has spent the past two years at North Idaho College. As a freshman, Squires was third in the hammer, fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the conference championships, and last year she was second in both the hammer and discus and third in the shot put. She then finished third in the weight throw and fourth in the shot put at the 2001 NJCAA Indoor Championships, and sixth in the hammer at the 2001 National Outdoor JC Championships. On the men’s side, on of the top local talents will be Preston’s Blaise Burns. He won the A2 State boys high jump and triple jump championships as a senior and finished sixth in the long jump. As a junior he finished fourth in the triple jump. Sprinters Brian Scott of Malad, Josh Hansen of Idaho Falls, Tim Maxfield of Minico, and Highland’s Jacob Chandler will also be wearing the orange and black next season. Scott was fifth in the 200 and ninth in the 100 at the State A3 track championships, while Hansen was third in the 200 and seventh on the A1 level. Maxfield was 10th in the 400 at the A12 championships, and Chandler was 16th in the A1 200. Grant Baron of Snake River finished second in the State A2 3,200 meters as a senior and third in the State Cross Country Championships. He also was sixth in this year’s 1,600, and ran 11th in the 1999 A2 boys Cross Country championships. Pocatello High School’s Ben Layman will also sign on, as he finished as the State A1 runner-up in the high jump and was ninth in the long jump. Joining former high school teammate Maxfield is Minico’s T.J. Anderson, who finished 15th in last year’s A1 triple jump. From Battle Mountain comes last year’s Nevada High Schol 2A 800 meter runner-up Jacob Gunter, and transferring over from Southern Oregon University is the two-time Cascade Collegiate Conference javelin champion Jeff Bentley, who also finished third and seventhth in the last two NAIA National Meets. Bentley was an NAIA All-American for the third-place effort two years ago. Bentley is a great all-around athlete who, in addition to finishing second in the State of Oregon in the javelin as a senior in high school, was also an All-State football player both offensively and defensively and played football collegiately at Willamette University.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 2001 Idaho State Track & Field Lands European Junior Elite Pocatello, Ida. - The Idaho State University Track & Field Program has signed Ivan Luchianov for the upcoming season. Luchianov, from Moldova, will have four full years of collegiate competition, and is expected to compete in the middle distance and 3,000-meter steeplechase for ISU. The 20-year-old Luchianov
(d.o.b. 1/31/81) is a veteran of European Junior elite competitions, having
placed 11th in the steeplechase last October in the IAAF World Junior Championshiops.
He also recorded the best European Junior time in 2000 in the steeplechase,
8:34.5 in Chisinau, Moldova. that time is 13 seconds faster than the existing
ISU school record in the event. Luchianov has risen as high as #4 on the
World Junior lists for the event. In 1999, he recorded the seventh-best
European Junior time, 8:50.76.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2001 Griffin to Compete in World University Games in Late August Pocatello, Ida. - Idaho State University’s Track & Field standout Maureen Griffin will be one of only two collegians representing the United States in the women’s hammer throw at the 21st annual World University Games August 21-Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. Griffin, who finished fourth in the women’s hammer throw in the recent USA Outdoor National Championships with a personal-best toss of 211’-2”, was invited to the women’s hammer competition along with Melissa Price, who finished six feet and one place ahead of Griffin at the USA Nationals. Two other regional collegiate athletes, Boise State’s Jarred Rome and Utah State’s James Parker, may also participate in the World University Games in the men’s strength events. Parker will compete in the men’s hammer, where he finished third in the USA Outdoor Nationals, and Rome in the discus, where he finished fifth at those USA Nationals. Griffin won both the Big Sky weight throw and hammer throw titles last year, setting conference records in each event. Griffin was the 1997 & 1998 USA Junior champion. She also still holds the national prep records for the Hammer Throw and the Weight Throw, both accomplished at Pocatello High School before she graduated in 1998. She then went to the University of Arizona, where in 1999 she won the Pac-10 title in the hammer as a freshman and went on to place eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She transferred to Idaho State for the 2001 season, earning her second NCAA All-American award by finishing fourth at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The 20-year-old Griffin (she turns 21 on October 6) has already competed in seven USA National Championships, four USA Junior Championships and three NCAA Championships. Archived news items |