CLOVIS, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV track & field team finished third overall at the 2019 Mountain West Outdoor Championships Saturday. The Rebels hauled in 67.5 points on the fourth and final day of the conference meet – 99.5 total, which was held at Veteran's Memorial Stadium, and won by Colorado State (159.5 points).
The Scarlet & Gray has notched its best three-year run in the 20-year history of the MW Outdoors with two third-place finishes (2017 and 2019) and a runner-up showing (2018).
The Scarlet & Gray's 67.5 points were a result of 15 top-eight finishes, with 10 coming off
Avi'Tal Wilson-Perteete's 800m win (2:03.56) – a repeat performance from 2018 – and five more from her efforts overcoming a handoff mishap in the 4x400m relay.
Jasmyne Graham provided six points Friday with a third-place showing in the long jump and added 13 more from the 100m hurdles (second place/eight points) and 400m hurdles (fourth place/five: 1:02.14), and five from running the third leg of the 4x100m relay (fourth place: 45.30).
More impressively, Graham ran a personal-best time of 13.07 in the 100m hurdles to not only shave .02 off her previous mark, but also improve her program record in UNLV's all-time outdoor performance records.
Jonon Young and
Jada Hicks combined for 14 points with the former finishing second in the triple jump (40-8.75/12.41m) to the latter's third in the 100m hurdles (13.13).
Kaysha Love battled through injuries to capture 11 points for the Rebels, taking fifth in the 100m (11.71) and sixth in the 200m (24.12).
QUOTABLE: "I am disappointed that we didn't finish as strong as we should have," said head coach
Yvonne Wade. "We knew it was going to be a hard fight for that top spot, but we made a lot of mistakes that we shouldn't have made. We have a young team and we have to learn how to compete under pressure. I am proud of the successes we had and the handful of athletes that held it down and put everything they had out there for the team. We can do better and we will build from here."
MEET RESULTS: Colorado State won the 2019 MW Outdoor title with 159.5 points with San Diego State (121 points) taking second. UNLV's third-place finish was followed by UNR in fourth (78.5) and Boise State in fifth (75). The 11-team field was rounded out by Utah State (70), Fresno State (64), Wyoming (64), New Mexico (47.5), Air Force (30) and San Jose State (9).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING: The Rebels has six student-athletes ranking in the top 40 of four events in the NCAA after Saturday's competition. Wilson-Perteete is first nationally in the 800m (2:02.41), while teammates Graham (19th) Hicks (26th) and
Taylor Pegram (32nd) are seeded in the 100m hurdles.
Kaysha Love is 36th in the 100m, and
Stella Clemens is 38th in the heptathlon.
REBEL NOTES:
- UNLV claimed seven medals at the 2019 MW Outdoors: Graham won silver (100m hurdles) and bronze (long jump); Wilson-Perteete won gold (800m);
Stella Clemens won silver (heptathlon);
Mackenna Howard won silver (shot put); Young won silver (triple jump/40-8.75/12.41m) and
Jada Hicks won bronze (100m hurdles/13.13).
-
Drea Austin (sixth/11.85) and
Emerald Bowens (eighth/12.03) scored four points in the 100m.
- Amari Prude (sixth/55.30) scored three points in the 400m.
-
Elisa Rovere (seventh/2:10.55) scored two points in the 800m.
- The 4x100m relay (fourth) scored five points, and was run by Hicks, Love, Graham and Bowens.
- The 4x400m relay (fourth/3:43.66) scored five points, and was run by
Alexis Surrell, Wilson-Perteete,
Jade Lewis and Prude).
-
Jaela Williams (eighth: 13.96) scored one point in the 100m hurdles.
-
Jartierra Grissom (fifth/5-7.25/1.71m) scored 3.5 points in the high jump.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Rebels will send some of their student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary in two weeks (May 23-25); however, the team will have to wait until the NCAA announces regional qualifiers next week.
