Mountain West Indoor Championships: Website | Final Standings | Final Results

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV track & field team used a second-place finish in the 4x400m relay to surpass in-state rival Nevada, Reno for sixth overall at the 2016 Mountain West Indoor Championships Saturday afternoon. The Rebel quartet of Drea Austin, Auzsane Crowe-Carter, Mandy Chitwood and Laura Anuakpado ran a season-best time of 3:41.79; that, not only, garnered eight points, but erased a four-point deficit in the standings.

By virtue of its higher finish at the Conference meet, the Scarlet & Gray claimed the three points for indoor track & field towards the standings of the 2015-16 Governor's Series. UNLV leads the head-to-head athletic and academic competition, which is sponsored by NV Energy and Barrick Gold, by three points, 10.5 to 7.5.

UNLV entered the day in 11th with a total of five points, four of which came from Stella Clemens' fifth-place showing in Thursday's pentathlon. The squad racked up 51 points Saturday alone behind four second-place finishes, two sevenths, one third, one fourth, one sixth and one eighth.

"We are disappointed in our overall performance this weekend," said head coach Yvonne Wade. "Although we had a few highlights, the team didn't fight for the points like they should have. We have to do better when the pressure is on."

Colorado State won the league title with 115 total points, five more than second-place San Diego State's 110. Boise State (71.50), New Mexico (65), Wyoming (59), UNLV (56), UNR (52), Fresno State (49), Utah State (33), Air Force (30.50) and San Jose State (27) rounded out third through 11th in the final standings.

Heading into the relay -- the three-day meet's final event, the Wolf Pack led the Rebels by four points, 52-48. UNR's foursome ran in the first heat and held a lead until one of its runners dropped the baton, as a USU runner was about to pull even. The mishap eventually cost the squad from up north to the tune of a final time of 3:56.79, which was well behind USU's and San Jose State's efforts.

UNLV, on the other hand, ran in the second heat with five other teams and finished 3.74 seconds behind event-winner Fresno State (3:38.05).

The Rebels' second-place finish marks the fifth straight year that their 4x400m relay has been either first or second at the annual indoor championships.

All four members of the relay also chipped in individually, as they combined to add 26 points to the team's haul. Austin produced 11 points with eight coming from a second-place finish in the 200m (23.78) and three more from a sixth-place outing in the 60m (7.56). Crowe-Carter and Chitwood claimed 13 total points in the 800m with their second- (2:09.59) and fourth-place efforts (2:09.83), respectively. Anuakpado added two points from her finish in the 200m (seventh place: 24.54).

Asia Cooper also ran the 60m and scored six points when she finished third in a season-best 7.44.

In the high jump, Kaysee Pilgrim tied CSU's Isobel Brown for first with a measurement of 5-10 (1.78m), but due to the fact that the latter achieved that height first, she is awarded first place and 10 points. Pilgrim took second and eight points.

In the 60m hurdles, Taylor Pegram was seventh (8.64) and Joniece Ervin was eighth (8.85).