BOISE, Idaho - Louisiana Tech’s men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to win six gold medals and 30 all-conference honors on the final day of the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Jackson Track Complex in Boise.
Louisiana Tech’s women’s team finished fourth with 89 points while the men’s team finished third with 77 points. This marks only the second time since 2005 that Tech’s women’s program has not won a WAC title. Utah State claimed the women’s title while Idaho won the men’s team championship.
A native of New Orleans, La., Chelsea Hayes Hayes was named the WAC Female Field Athlete of the Year and High Point Scorer as she accumulated 33 points in the meet. Ruston, La. product Trey Hadnot was named the WAC Male Track Athlete of the Year.
Hayes continued to shine for Tech, claiming gold medals in the 60m and 200m and finished sixth in the triple jump after winning the long jump on Friday. Her wins in both the 60m and 200m marked the eighth consecutive year a Lady Techster has won those events at the WAC Championships.
Kim Francis also shone on the track with a gold medal won in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.44. She also finished sixth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.69.
The women’s success wasn’t confined to the track as Micara Vassell set a personal record by more than 19 inches in the shot put with a second place throw of 50-10 (15.49m). That mark ranks sixth in school history as she claimed first team all-WAC honors.
On the men’s side, Trey Hadnot led the men’s team with gold medals in the 200m and 400m dashes while finishing second in the 4x400m relay. His time of 21.21 ranks third in school history. Just a sophomore, Hadnot owns the four fastest indoor 200m times in school history. His 47.84 time in the 400m topped a personal best time by one-hundredth of a second.
Dennis Richardson was effective on the track for the Bulldogs, winning the 60m dash with a time of 6.79. Richardson also finished third in the 200m with a time of 21.64.
In the 60m hurdles, Kendall Hayes was barely edged at the finish line for the gold medal by Idaho’s Andrew Blaser. Hayes ran 8.08 to finish second and claim the silver medal in the hurdles while Yusuf Muhammad finished fourth with a time of 8.50.
Chelsea Hayes will return to the Jacksons Track Facility in Boise in two weeks to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, set for March 9-10. Hayes has automatically qualified in the long jump and is expected to qualify in the 60m dash having ran the nation’s fourth-fastest time this weekend.
Following the NCAA Indoor Championships, Louisiana Tech will turn its attention to the outdoor track and field season which begins on March 17 with an appearance at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, La. The outdoor season runs through June with the WAC Outdoor Championships slated for May 8-11 in Moscow, Idaho. The Lady Techsters have won seven consecutive outdoor titles and look to extend that streak in 2012.
For complete coverage of Tech Track and Field, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech at LATechSports.com.