The Big Sky Conference head indoor track and field coaches have named the 2010 Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Meet.
The recipients were nominated and voted on by the league coaches for their efforts in the 2010 Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships in Bozeman, Montana.
Montana State junior Asa Staven was selected the men's Field Athlete of the Meet. Staven, from Georgetown, Texas placed second in the heptathlon, a marathon of seven events over the course of two days. He the went on to place third in the individual long jump, third in the high jump, and placed fourth in the pole vault. For the weekend he collected 27 points for the Bobcats, who were narrowly defeated by Northern Arizona for the men's team title.
“What Asa did over the weekend is truly inspiring,” Kennedy said. “He started competing at 9:00 in the morning Friday and didn't finish until 5:00 Saturday afternoon. He really motivated our kids.”
Staven has a provisional mark for the NCAA meet coming up in two weeks, but he is too far down on the national descending order to list to be invited to the meet. Nick Atwood and Patrick Casey will be competing at a Last Chance meet this weekend at Notre Dame. Casey is 12th on the national list in the mile that 14 get to qualify from and Atwood is outside the 14 automatic bids in the 3000 and needs to probably break eight miuutes to qualify.
“I know that Nick will take some risks and do whatever he can do to make that time,” coach Kennedy said.
Junior Ronald Brookins, of Sacramento State, was named men's Track Athlete of the Meet. Brookins, from San Diego, Calif. won the 55m-hurdles with a Brick Breeden Fieldhouse record time of 7.28 seconds. At the championship he turned in two NCAA provisional qualifying times the event. He was also part of a sweep of the medals by the Hornets in the 55m dash. Brookins finished third at 6.46 seconds, his teammates Andy White and A.J. Reed took first and second place. The junior also won the men's long jump on Friday.
Eastern Washington's Nicole Luckenbach received the honor of being named women's Field Athlete of the Meet. The senior from Snohomish Wash. had a career-best mark of 65-9 to win the weight throw. The toss broke the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse record of 62-6 set by Northern Arizona's Anna Soderburg in 1996. With her record setting throw she improved on her previous NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 61-11.5
Weber State sophomore Natalie Haws was rewarded for her stellar performance by being named women's Track Athlete of the Meet. Haws, from Kaysville, Utah won the 5,000m on Friday night in a time of 17:00.61 breaking the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse record of 17:05.05 set in 2007 by Olympian Lindsey Anderson. Then came back on Saturday to place second in the 3,000m with a time of 9:52.41.
