Vandals women second at WAC indoor finals

The Idaho Vandals women finished second at the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Nampa, Idaho.

The Vandals men didn’t fare as well – placing last.

Idaho’s women totaled 90 points to finish five ahead of Utah State. Louisiana Tech won the team title with 131 points.

Dee Olson led the way for the Vandals with a first-place effort in the women’s 3,000 meters – clocking 9 minutes, 45.67 seconds to finish 10 seconds clear of the field. Teammate Bevin Kennelly was third in 10:03.46.

Olson also had a second-place finish in the mile run with a time of 4:45.95, just 1.9 seconds behind winner Kali Baker of Nevada.

Idaho’s Mary Kamau was third in the 800 with a time of 2:12.63 and fifth in the mile at 4:56.45. Teammate Alisha Murdoch was fifth in the 800 (2:13.61).

In the men’s half of the meet, Boise State cruised to the team title by a 154-106 margin over runner-up Cal State Northridge. Louisiana Tech (104) was third, followed by Utah State (86) and Idaho (75).

Idaho’s Driss Yousfi won the 800 with a time of 1:50.8.

Also for Idaho, Kevin Friesen was third in the 3,000 (8:36.72); Matthew Wauters finished second in the weight throw (64 feet, 31/4 inches); and Jason Giuffre was fourth in the 400 (49.1).

Bonners Ferry High graduate Forest Braden, running for Boise State, placed second in the mile with a time of 4:12.92.

•The Washington Huskies men won their first indoor track and field title at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Track and Field Championships at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle.

Washington slipped past runner-up Stanford 107-100 for the team title. UCLA was third with 88 points. Washington State finished last with 42 points.

WSU’s James McSwain was the 60-meter champion with a time of 6.77 seconds. Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback was second at 6.80, followed by the Cougars’ Jaycee Robertson (6.81).

Three Huskies earned individual titles in the two-day meet, which serves as the indoor championships for Pacific-10 and Big West conference schools.

Ryan Brown won the 800 with a time of 1:50.35. Norris Frederick won the long jump with a leap of 25 feet, 21/2 inches and Martin Bingisser finished first in the weight throw with a toss of 64-83/4. Frederick cleared 7-3/4 to place second in the high jump.

The Huskies’ Jordan Boase finished second in the 200 with a time of 21.26, followed by Robertson (21.46) and McSwain (21.51).

Washington’s Austin Abbott was second in the mile with a time of 4:02.72.

In the women’s half of the meet, Stanford breezed to the team title 161-115 over runner-up Arizona State. California was third at 109. Washington (60.5) placed fifth, while Washington State (38.5) was eighth.

WSU’s Julie Pickler capped a second-place showing in the pentathlon on Friday with a second-place finish in the high jump, clearing 5-71/4.

Former Rogers High standout Becca Noble, now competing for Oregon, won the 800 meters with an NCAA qualifying time of 2:05.16. Noble was also a member of the Ducks distance medley team that placed second.

WSU’s Tamara Diles cleared 13-9 to finish second in the pole vault, while teammate La Shawnda Porter (24.58) was fifth in the 200.

Washington’s Ashley Lodree won the 60-meter hurdles (8.17) and finished third in the 60 dash (7.39).

•The Eastern Washington men placed fourth and the EWU women finished last at the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Idaho State won the men’s team title with 126.5 points, just two points ahead of runner-up Northern Arizona. Weber State was third at 111.

EWU posted a school-record 78 points and earned its best finish in the meet.

EWU’s Alex Moon set a school record in winning the 400. Moon clocked a 47.61 to best Brian Talbott’s 47.9 effort in 1992. The Eagles’ Chad Butorac (48.16) and Marcus Whitehead (48.49) finished fourth and seventh.

EWU’s David Paul followed up his second-place finish in the weight throw with a second-place showing in the shot put with a toss of 54-91/2.

In the women’s portion of the meet, Northern Arizona romped to the team title by piling up 189 points. Portland State (91) was a distant second, followed by Idaho State (81). Eastern totaled just 22 points.

Eastern’s Sarah Hegna finished second in the pole vault, clearing a school-record 12-10.

Teanna Meinhold finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 39-7, second best in school history.

Carolee Geaudreau placed fourth in the weight throw with a distance of 60-4, also second best in school history.

Freshman Sara Frey placed sixth in the 60 dash with a time of 7.79.

• Central Valley High graduate David Pendergrass, competing for Brigham Young University, won the high jump at 6-113/4 at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

Softball

Lori Setbacken had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a pair to lead the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders to a 4-2, 9-6 season-opening doubleheader sweep over the Whitworth Pirates at Franklin Park.

Heather Case had three hits, including a solo home run, and Mandee Edwards also hit a solo homer for the Pirates on the day.

Swimming

Washington State’s women notched their highest points total since 2002 with 399, but still finished last at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships in Long Beach, Calf.

Erin McCleave paced the Cougars with a third-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:31.87).