Mountain T's Invitational: Schedule | Entries | Live Stats

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV track & field program had some strong performances on the first day of its 2015 indoor season, but none were bigger than freshman MacKenna Howard's first-place finish in the shot put Friday at the Mountain T's Invitational in Flagstaff, Ariz. Not only did Howard's event-winning third attempt sail 50-10 (15.49m) through the Walkup Skydome's rarified air, but it also penciled her name into second place in the Rebels' all-time indoor performance chart.

Currently, Howard's mark sits second in the Mountain West's 2015 indoor performance list.

Joining Howard in the shot put was teammate Vanessa Sierra, who tossed a personal-best distance of 44-7.5 (13.60m) for fifth place.

"This was a good opener for us," said head coach Yvonne Wade. "We had a lot of personal bests, and the team really competed well. They are going into tomorrow with confidence, so we anticipate more great marks."

A quintet of Rebels finished eighth or better in the 600m with Mandy Chitwood leading the way with her first-place finish and a time of 1:32.36. Auzsane Crowe-Carter (1:35.90) and Laura Anuakpado (1:36.11) finished back-to-back in third and fourth, respectively. Joniece Ervin (seventh/1:39.26) and Miranda Menzies (eighth/1:39.55) rounded out the five entrants in the race.

With their times, Chitwood moves into second in the program's indoor performance list in the 600m and Crowe-Carter claims the fifth spot.

In the invite portion of the long jump, Ayana Gales took first collegiately (19-4/5.89m), while Krystal Wharton was one spot behind in second (18-7/5.68m).

Kylee Vandenberg claimed third in the indoor pentathlon with 3,453 points - fourth in UNLV indoor performances. Vandenberg shined in the 800m with a time of 2:23.65, which was tops in the discipline. She was first among college competitors in the shot put with a measurement of 36-9 (11.20m).

Day two of the Mountain T's starts at 10:00 am MT (9:00 am PT) with the weight throw and triple jump. The 3000m kicks off the festivities on the track 10 minutes later at 10:10 am MT (9:10 am PT). In all, UNLV will compete in eight events with the 4x400m relay closing down action at 1:50 pm MT (12:50 pm PT).