ISU Men Win Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championship :: Bengals win first championships since 1998

Feb. 26, 2005

Pocatello, ID--It was a big day for Idaho State track and field, as the Big Sky Indoor Championships concluded Saturday at Holt Arena. The Idaho State men's track and field team won the Big Sky championship for the first time since 1998, finishing with a total of 141 points, the most ever by Idaho State in an indoor meet. The next closest to the Bengals was Montana State at 89.50. The Idaho State women's team also did well, finishing in fourth with 98.50 points.

ISU's Dan Lai

Dan Lai was named Big Sky Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet with his performance in the championships, winning three gold medals and one bronze. Along with yesterday's third place finish in the long jump, Lai took first in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.31 seconds, first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.63, and was part of the men's 4x400 relay team that placed first, crossing the finish line in 3:15.51.

"This was just great," said ISU head coach Dave Nielsen. "I'm so proud of both our men and women today. This was a lot of fun. It was exciting to be a part of."

Other medal winners in Saturday's events include Matt Brown, who took first in the 400 meters in 48.56 seconds, just ahead of teammate Dean Connett, who took second with a time of 48.66. Branko Teodorovic just missed a medal with a fourth place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 48.81. Saheed Khan and Matt Tyrell took second and third in the mile run with times of 4:18.42 and 4:19.28, respectively. Phillip Bettis also took home a bronze medal Saturday, finishing third in the pole vault with a mark of 15-02.75.

Tiffany Anderson sprints to the finish of the 400-meter dash. Anderson took the title with a time of 55.86.

Tiffany Anderson led the Bengals on the women's side, finishing with one gold medal, a silver and a bronze medal on the day. Her gold medal came in the 400-meters where she finished in a time of 55.86 seconds. Her second place finish came in the 4x400 meter relay, where her team was just edged by Weber State. Weber finished in 3:50.47, with the Bengals just behind at 3:50.66 seconds. Rounding out Anderson's medals was her bronze medal finish in the 200-meter dash, where she timed in at 25.16, the same as Tyreina Henley-Henderson of Sacramento State but decided by a photo-finish.

ISU's Gemma Maini wins the Big Sky 800-meter title Saturday.

Freshman Gemma Maini took first place in the 800 meters after placing just fifth in the prelims yesterday. She finished in 2:13.51 seconds. The other medal winners on the day were Monica Jensen, who finished in second in the triple jump with a mark of 39-08.00, and freshman Linzy Morgan, who took second in the high jump with a leap of 5-06 feet.

With the indoor season now in the books, the Bengals will turn their attention to the outdoor season, which will begin March 19 at the CS Northridge Invitational in California.

NOTES: Dan Lai's time of 6.31 seconds in the 55-meter dash is a career-best and fourth best in Idaho State history. His time in the 200-meter dash is the sixth best in school history in indoor competition. Lai's total of 26 individual points is a record for Idaho State in Big Sky Indoor Championships...Matt Brown's time in the 400 meters is a season-best...Tiffany Anderson's time in the 400 meter dash is a season-best, as was her time of 25.16 in the 200 meter dash...Monica Jensen's mark in the triple jump of 39-08.00 eclipses her previous season-best of 38-1.25. She came into the event as the seventh qualifier and finished second...Freshman Linzy Morgan's jump of 5-06 in the high jump is a career-best. She finished second despite being the last qualifier of 14.