May 25, 2007

Eugene, OR--Six Idaho State track and field athletes competed on the first day of competition at the NCAA West Regional Track and Field Championships Friday at Hayward Field. Jessica Hillam was the top overall finisher of the day for ISU, breaking a 25-year-old ISU school record in the shot put, giving her a seventh place finish.

Hillam led the Bengal women with a seventh place finish in the shot put. Hillam recorded a mark of 49-00.75, good for a pair of team points for ISU. With the throw, Hillam sets a new ISU all-time record in the outdoor shot put, breaking Sue Ducette's record set in 1982 Cassie Merkley also competed in a field event Friday, placing 15th in the javelin with a heave of 141-00.

Three Bengal women competed in track event prelims. Brittany Rozier placed 11th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12 seconds flat. Tiffany Andersen finished 13th in the 400-meter run with a 55.67 time, while Melissa McLimore placed 21st in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.18. Only the top eight in each track event qualified for Saturday's finals.

Levi Keller was the top Bengal men's finisher of the day, placing eighth in the pole vault.

Keller reached a mark of 17-01, which actually tied for the third-best mark of the competition, but placed the junior eighth because of attempts taken. The performance was good enough to get the ISU men in the team scoring column with .50 points.

Nine Bengals will compete on the final day of competition at the Regional on Saturday. Kasie Scott and Katie Williams will start the day of for ISU, competing in the women's pole vault competition.

Idaho State's women's 4x100-meter relay team will compete Saturday. The team includes Jessica Johnson, Audra Smith, Andersen, and Rozier.

John Danielson will compete in the shot put, while John Ricardi and Lois Ricardi will each compete in the men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Complete live results are located at the website www.goducks.com.