ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV track & field program moved into a three-way tie with Boise State and New Mexico for sixth place through two days of action at the 2019 Mountain West Indoor Championships. The Rebels picked up 10 points from top-eight finishes in the long jump and weight throw, and placed three student-athletes into the finals of four different track events after their performances in qualifying rounds contested Friday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
 
Jasmyne Graham's third-place finish in the long jump (19-5.50/5.93m) produced six of Friday's 10-point haul, while four more came from Mackenna Howard and Cassidy Osborne-Butler's performances in the weight throw. Howard was sixth (60-1/18.31m) in the event; Osborne-Butler was eighth (57-4.25/17.48m).
 
Colorado State sits atop the standings with a total of 60 points. San Diego State (31 points), Utah State (25), Wyoming (22) and Fresno State (17) make up second through fifth place, respectively. The sixth-place trio is followed by Air Force (11), UNR (10) and San Jose State (1) who are ninth, 10th and 11th.
 
The Scarlet & Gray's Destiny Smith-Barnett not only ran the fastest 60m time – 7.15 – in UNLV program history, but also that of the 20-year-old MW – overall and championships' lore. Smith-Barnett's previous best of 7.17 was recorded in January and it placed her then in a three-way tie for first in the conference record book; however, she sits all alone in first now.
 
By virtue of her finish, Smith-Barnett qualified first overall for Saturday's 60m final, while teammates Kaysha Love (7.42) and Emerald Bowen (7.53 personal-best time) will be seeded fifth and eighth, respectively. Moreover, Love, Smith-Barnett and Najia Hudspeth will run in the 200m final. Love ran the fourth-fastest time (23.95) in the event's qualifying rounds; Smith-Barnett was fifth (24.00) and Najia Hudpseth was seventh (24.01 PB).
 
The Rebels will also send three each to the finals of the 800m – Avi'Tal Wilson-Perteete (first/2:11.00), Elisa Rovere (seventh/2:11.89) and Kara Smith (10th/2:16.04 PB) – and 60m hurdles – Jada Hicks (second/8.31 PB), Taylor Pegram (third/8.31) and Graham (fourth/8.34).
 
UNLV will look to score big Saturday in the finals of the aforementioned events as well as the 4x400m relay, shot put, high jump and triple jump.
 
NOTES:
- UNLV is looking for its second straight indoor conference title after it won the MW meet in Albuquerque one year ago.
- The Rebels have 15 student-athletes ranked a total of 23 times in the top 10 of 11 events.
- Hicks' time of 8.31 in the 60m hurdles moved her into second place in the program's all-time indoor performance list for the event.
- Najia Hudspeth (7.59) and Jade Lewis (7.69) ran personal-best times in the 60m qualifying rounds.
- The 4x400m relay (Gizelle Reid, Wilson-Perteete, Amari Prude and Najia Hudspeth) enters the MW Championships first overall with a time of 3:41.98.
- Jonon Young enters the MW Championships third in the triple jump (40-6.75/12.36m).
- Mackenna Howard enters the MW Championships second in the weight throw (63-0/19.20m) and fifth in the shot put (50-10.75/15.51m).
- Cassidy Osborne-Butler enters the MW Championships fourth in the shot put (50-11.5/15.53m).