LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV track & field program returns to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Albuquerque Convention Center this week for the 2020 Mountain West Indoor Championships. The Rebels are all too familiar with the site and location of this week's conference meet, as the program has already made two trips to the Land of Enchantment this month.
MW LINKS: Schedule | Live Results | Watch ($)
Delving deeper, the Albuquerque Convention Center has played host to the previous five MW Indoor Championships, which has seen the Scarlet & Gray finish fourth or better in four of those, with one team title in 2018 and runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2019.
"We have worked very hard as a team to put our best efforts together for the Mountain West Indoor Championships," said head coach
Yvonne Wade. "It's going to be a battle. It's not going to be easy, but we have the team to go to this championship ready to fight."
The Rebels enter the three-day meet with 14 student-athletes ranked a total of 22 times in the top eight of 11 events, while the 4x400m relay sits third overall.
UNLV has four of its own –
Cassondra Hall,
Kaysha Love,
Avi'Tal Wilson-Perteete and
Jazlynn Shearer – sitting atop the 60m, 200m, 800m and triple jump standings. Moreover, Hall, Love and Shearer are ranked highly in more than one event, with Hall fourth in the 200, Love second in the 60m and Shearer third in the 60m hurdles and fourth in the long jump.
The Rebels are also represented by four student-athletes that are either second, third or fourth in a total of five events.
Jonon Young sits second in the triple jump and third in the long jump,
Cassidy Osborne-Butler is third in the weight throw, and
DeAndra Greer (60m) and
Mackenna Howard (shot put) are fourth in their respective events.
The meet gets underway for UNLV with the women's Distance Medley Relay Thursday at 3:20 pm PT (4:20 pm PT).
Friday's slate begins with the women's long jump (trials & finals) at 12:00 pm PT (1:00 pm MT), while the track action gets underway at 12:30 pm PT (1:30 pm MT) with qualifying portions of the mile, 60m hurdles, 400m, 60m, 800m and 200m. The women's weight throw (trials & finals) will also be contested at 2:30 pm PT (3:30 pm MT).
Saturday will see the finals of the aforementioned qualifying events as well as the 4x400m relay contested on the track, while three field events – high jump, triple jump and shot put – will also be decided.
IN THE RANKINGS: In the latest USTFCCCA Top 25 Rating Index, New Mexico is ranked 23rd.
In the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings (Feb. 24), UNLV and San Diego State are eighth and 10th, respectively, in the West Region, while Colorado State (third), New Mexico (fifth) and UNR (seventh) are in the top 10 of the Mountain Region.
IN THE STANDINGS: Entering championship week, UNLV owns 22 top-eight spots in a total of 11 events in the MW standings.
-Shearer leads the MW and sits 22nd nationally in the triple jump (42-9/13.03m). She also ranks third in the 60m hurdles (8.34) and fourth in the long jump (19-6.25/5.95m).
-Hall leads the MW in the 60m (7.30) and sits fourth in the 200m (24.10).
-Love leads the MW in the 200m (23.91) and sits second in the 60m (7.33).
-Young sits second in the triple jump (42-5.25/12.93m) and third in the long jump (19-7/5.97m).
-In the 800m, Wilson-Perteete (2:08.07) and Rovere (2:10.35) rank first and fifth, respectively.
-In the 60m hurdles, Hicks sits second (8.32).
-In the shot put, Howard sits fourth (50-1.75/15.28m).
-Osborne-Butler sits third in the weight throw (61-2.75/18.66m) and sixth in the shot put (48-4/14.73m).
-In the 4x400m relay UNLV sits third (3:41.27).
