USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – In the final weekend of competition before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships, the BYU women’s track and field team found success at the Air Force Invitational and Washington Husky Classic.

"We had a lot of personal records at our meets this weekend," BYU head coach Patrick Shane said. "There were a lot of great performances from a variety of athletes. Both of our meets were good preparation for the conference meet." 

Senior Diana Blauer led the Cougars at the Invitational with a second-place finish in the high jump. Blauer cleared 1.75m (5-8.75) to take second, while teammate Ada Robinson placed fourth with a mark of 1.70m (5-7.00).

In the pole vault, senior Diane McAllister Perry finished third with a season-best jump of 3.90m (12-9.50). Sophomore Elizabeth Portanova finished fourth in the event by clearing 3.70m (12-1.50).

Fatima Makakala led the way on the track with a fourth place finish in the 60m hurdles in 8.67. Senior Diane Stewart came in just behind Makakala and finished seventh with 8.73.

Stewart also competed in the 400m alongside teammate Angela Shields. Stewart crossed the line at 57.74 to finish fifth, while Shields snagged sixth at 57.87.

Two Cougars placed in the top eight in the triple jump, with Melissa Keltner leading the way with a season best mark of 11.92m (39-1.25) and a fifth place finish. Elizabeth Wilson finished seventh with a jump of 11.74m (38-6.25).

In Washington, the distance runners competed against top competition in the Husky Classic. Andrea Nelson had a strong performance in the 3000m with a sixth place finish in 10:07.46.

Amy Thornton competed in the 800m and finished 35th in 2:14.86. In the 5000m, Kendra Christensen led the way for BYU in 17:44.67, while Kathryn Vidmar finished in 18:09.48 and Nicole Nielsen crossed the line in 18:10.81.

The Cougars will not compete again until the MPSF championships on February 24-25. It will mark the first time the BYU has competed in the MPSF championships after 12 seasons in the Mountain West Conference. 

CLICK HERE for complete results from the Air Force Invitational. 

CLICK HERE for complete results from the Husky Classic.

PROVO, Utah—For the second time this season, the BYU track and field teams will split their squads over the weekend, sending the short distance runners and field athletes to the Air Force Invitational, while the distance runners will participate in the Flotrack Husky Classic.

“There is kind of a sense of urgency because for a lot of our athletes this could be their last indoor meet,” men’s head coach Mark Robison said. “If they don’t do well here, than they won’t qualify for nationals, so it’s an important weekend for the kids.”

BYU will see familiar competition at the Air Force Invitational, as some teams from the Mountain West Conference will be in attendance including Colorado State, Air Force and Wyoming.  Other participating schools include Colorado, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Adams State and Colorado Mesa.

BYU will be the only Division I ranked team in attendance and for the first time, the Air Force Invitational will be a non-scoring meet. 

The Flotrack Husky Classic has become a centerpiece for the NCAA indoor track season and an event that is often home to many of the fastest times of the year.

The women’s team is looking to improve upon their No. 7 national ranking this weekend.  They will be competing against eight other ranked teams, including No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Clemson and No. 10 Arizona.

The men’s competition will also be fierce, as they compete against No. 2 Florida, No. 5 Arizona, No. 7 Stanford and No. 10 Minnesota.

Both the Husky Classic and the Air Force Invitational are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.  Results from both meets will be posted following the conclusion of the events.