By Lindsey Johnson
After competing in last weekend”s Olympic Oval Invitational, BYU will return to Nampa, Idaho this weekend to compete in the third track and field meet of the indoor season, The Bodybuilding.com Invite.
This will be the third meet Boise State has hosted in the Jacksons Indoor Track at the Idaho Sports Center.
“It will be exciting to see the level of competition the teams bring this weekend,” Boise State head track coach Mike Maynard said.
BYU women distance runners Michaela Mannova, Kassi Anderson and Nan Kennard will make their first track appearance of the indoor season.
Last year, Mannova placed eighth in the nation in the 3,000-meter, while Anderson earned All-American honors in the 1,500-meter. Kennard also earned a fourth-place finish last year in the mile at the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships.
The women”s track team has a powerful squad and is off to a successful start this indoor season, with many athletes reaching their personal bests.
Last Saturday at the Olympic Oval Invitational in Kearns, junior thrower Malita Bingham accomplished her personal best, throwing a distance of 55-04 1/4 in the 20-lb. weight throw.
“I”m excited for this weekend to see where I”m at,” Bingham said. “Last week I was able to set a personal best.”
Sophomore Kip Kangogo led the men”s distance runners the last time the Cougars were in Boise with his first-place finish in the mile. The Cougars took the top four places in the mile at the meet.
“Kip”s time of 4:09 was a very good time indoors,” men”s head coach Mark Robison said, “especially on the short 200-meter track in Boise.”
The other distance runners also had strong performances in the 800-meter race by taking the top six places overall. Sophomore Scott Adams won the 800-meter race last time the Cougars were in Boise.
This week will be the first time the pole vaulters compete in Boise. The pole vaulters were at the Pole Vaulters Summit in Reno, Nev. while the rest of the team competed at the Bandanna Invitational.
Senior Mark Barry leads the Cougar vaulters so far this season. He cleared the 17-foot mark in Reno and looks to improve on that height this week. Three other Cougars, senior Jeremy Kemp, junior Eric Rasmussen and senior Trent Powell, approached the 17-foot mark last week.
“BYU has a very strong team all the way around,” Mike Maynard said. “They are young, but a very good team.”
Jacksons Indoor Track at the Idaho Sports Center has been used in recent years at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., for the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The track stretches 200 meters long and includes six lanes on a Mondo synthetic surface.
The meet will start at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to finish around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
