July 5, 2000

DENTON, Texas - UNLV freshman Chantel Yates (Chattanooga, Tenn.) has qualified for the U.S. Junior National team after finishing second in the heptathlon at the USA Track and Field Junior National Championships on June 24.

Yates scored a personal best 5,242 points and finished more than 200 points ahead of Diana Pickler of the Texas Express Track Club in third place. Jamie Walker, a freshman at the University of Arkansas, won the event with 5,380 points after a fourth-place finish at last year's junior nationals.

"This is an impressive accomplishment for Chantel to add to her resume," said UNLV track head coach Karen Dennis. "She has continued to both improve and excel since joining our program last year. This is a big honor for both her and the school and is an indication of the type of career she will have here."

As a part of the Junior National team, Yates will compete in at least one event internationally and could possibly be selected to participate in the World Junior Championships, set for Oct. 17-22 in Santiago, Chile.