April 30, 2010

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV women's track and field team will split up its team this weekend, with the majority of the Rebels traveling to the Steve Scott Invitational in Irvine, Calif., while a trio of throwers will head up to the Southern Utah Invitational.

The two meets represent the close to the regular season for the Rebels, who will use these competitions as a tune-up to get ready for the postseason, which starts with the 2010 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in two weeks.

"This is the last competition before our conference championship, so it is a great way for us to get mentally prepared to compete at the level we need to compete at in a few weeks," UNLV head coach Yvonne Scott said. "Every opportunity we have to line up with other athletes gets us ready for the big day."

The Steve Scott Invitational is a two-day meet that gets underway Saturday at UC Irvine's Anteater Stadium, with the first event the women's hammer throw at 2:00 p.m., while the first running event is the women's 5,000 meters at 6:00 p.m. There will only be seven field events and four running events during the first day, with the majority of the action taking place on Sunday.

Scott said athletes to watch at the Steve Scott Invitational include Emily Blok in the 100 and 200 meters, Kelsey Williamson in the 200 and 400 meters, Bailey Kuestermeyer and Sarah Muniz in the 1,500 meters, Candise Maxwell in the 100-meter hurdles and Deja Edwards in the long and triple jumps.

Meanwhile the trio of Rebel throwers headed to the SUU Invitational includes Amanda Bingson, LaShante' Ellison and Danielle Rios, and they will compete in the meet that will take place on Saturday. Bingson will be looking to add to her school record in the hammer throw, which she set at the Mt. SAC Relays two weeks ago with a distance of 193-1.00. The first event of the day is the women's hammer throw at 1:00 p.m. (PT).