LAS CRUCES, N.M.--  The New Mexico State women’s track and field squad is gearing up to compete in the 2008 WAC Conference Championships, Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17, at the Bronco Stadium, in Boise, Idaho.

NMSU has 18 student-athletes competing at the conference championships which include six sprinters, seven distance runners and the five athletes in the field events.

Assistant coach Paul Harkins that the coaching staff is excited and ready for the conference championships.

“We are about as prepared as we can possibly be at this point in time for the conference meet,” Harkins said.  “We are confidant in the team and am ready to get there and see what we can do.”

NMSU’s six sprinters are junior Isabel Chea, sophomores Leah Benton, Candyce Allen and Lekeah Durden and freshmen Devin Brooks and Derrhea McLiechey

Chea recorded her strongest mark in the 100-meter hurdlers at the Colorado State Ram Open (April 19), when she crossed the finish line with a time of 15.71.

On the field, Chea has competed in the long and triple jump, along with javelin throw throughout the season.  Both of her season-best jumps were set at the Don Kirby Memorial Invitational, in Albuquerque, N.M. (May 5).  In the long jump, Chea recorded a leap of 18-2.5 and in the triple jump she recorded a mark of 37-4.50. She recorded her season best throw, in the javelin at the Ram Open with a launch of 125-1.

Benton is one of NMSU’s strongest sprinters and currently ranks sixth in the WAC in both the 100-meter and the 200-meter dashes.  She recorded her season-best time in the 100-meter dash at the Willie Williams Classic, in Tucson, Ariz. (March 21) with a time of 12.14 and in the 200-meter dash she recorded a time of 24.81 at the UTEP Invitational, in El Paso, Texas (April 12). 

In the 400-meter open, Benton recorded a personal-best time of 56.11 at the Don Kirby Memorial Invitational.

Allen competes in both the sprints and the jumping events for the Aggies.  In Albuquerque, Allen recorded her fastest time in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.35 and in the 200-meter dash Allen clocked a season best time of 25.65 at the Willie Williams Classic.

In the high jump and in the triple jump Allen recorded season best marks at the UTEP Invitational.  In the high jump Allen leaped 5-1 and in the triple jump she recorded a mark of 35-3.75.

Durden competes in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash for NMSU.  In Albuquerque, Durden recorded a personal-best time of 12.40 in the 100-meter dash and also recorded a personal best in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.42 at the same meet.

Brooks has ran her way to ranking second on the NMSU all-time record list in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.29, which was set at the Springtime Invitational, in El Paso, Texas (March 29).

In the 100-meter dash, Brooks has posted a time of 12.29 which was set at the Don Kirby Memorial Invitational and in the 200-meter dash she recorded a time of 25.35, which was also set in the Albuquerque.

McLiechey has competed in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes throughout the season.  She posted a lifetime best in the 100-meter dash at the Willie Williams Classic with at time of 12.57.  She also recorded a season-best time in both the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash at the Springtime Invitational, with a time of 25.35 and 57.19, respectively.

The seven distance runners that are competing at the conference meet are senior Andrea Leitner, junior Christina Herrera, sophomores Caprice Bradshaw, Ingrid Flores and Brittany Hurtado and freshmen Amy Arenas and Brandi Gutierrez.

Leitner has competed in the 1500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run throughout the season.  She recorded a season best in the 1500-meter run at the UTEP Invitational with a time of 4:55.62.  In Albuquerque, Leitner set her season-best mark in the 5000-meter run with at time of 19:08.94.

In the 1500-meter run, Herrera recorded a personal best in El Paso when she crossed the finish line with a time of 4:45.35.  This time ranks her 10^th on the NMSU all-time record list.  In the 5000-meter run she clocked a lifetime-best mark of 18:22.71 in Fort Collins, Colo.

Bradshaw has competed in the 800-meter run, 1500-meter run and in the steeplechase for the Aggies.  At the Willie Williams Classic, Bradshaw stopped the clock at 2:22.50, which marks a personal best in the 800-meter run. 

In the 1500-meter run she recorded a time of 4:43.58, which was set at the Willie Williams and in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Bradshaw clocked a personal best time of 11:25.14.  This time places her fourth on the NMSU all-time record list.

Flores has competed in the 1500-meter and 5000-meter runs for the Aggies this season and recorded personal-bests in both at the UTEP Invitational. 

In the 1500-meter run Flores crossed the finish line with a time of 4:45.83 and in the 5000-meter run Flores posted a time of 18:01.24, which ranks sixth in the NMSU all-time record book.

Hurtado recorded both of her season-best marks in the 800-meter and the 1500-meter runs at the Willie Williams Invitational.  She recorded a time of 2:25.00, in the 800-meter run and a time of 4:56.61 in the 1500-meter run.

Arenas and Gutierrez have both competed in the 1500-meter and 5000-meter runs for the Crimson and White this season. 

Arenas recorded her strongest 1500-meter time at the UTEP Invitational as she stopped the clock at 4:55.62 and in the 5000-meter run she recorded a season-best time of 19:08.61 at the Willie Williams Classic.

Gutierrez’s best time in the 1500-meter run was set in Albuquerque with a time of 4:52.92.  Her best 5000-meter time was set at the Willie Williams Classic as she stopped the clock at 18:47.27.

The remaining student-athletes are going to be competing in the field events are junior Randi Grimes, sophomores Jordan Veney, Jennifer McConnell and Michelle Barnard, along with freshman Tara Blanco.

Grimes holds a fifth and sixth-place rank in the javelin and the hammer throw throughout the conference, respectively.  In the hammer she recorded a mark of 179-1 which was set at the Ram Open and is a regional qualifying mark that ranks her third on the NMSU all-time record list.  In the javelin throw, Grimes threw for 142-5 in Tucson, Ariz.

Leading the way in the WAC for NMSU is Veney, who holds ranks first in the discus.  Veney’s regional qualifying mark of 168-8 is not only her personal-best but also shatters the NMSU all-time record by almost 10 feet. 

Veney also ranks eighth in the shot put with a throw of 44-8.25.  Both of the marks were set at the Ram Open.

McConnell has recorded three personal-best marks this season and they were all set in El Paso, Texas.  In the discus throw, McConnell recorded a launch of 133.5, in the shot put she threw for a mark of 35-10 and in the hammer throw she recorded a toss of 152-3.

Bernard has posted personal-best marks in two different events this season.  The first was in the discus throw with a launch of 123-00 and the second was in the hammer throw with a mark of 152-3.

Blanco is the lone Aggie to compete at the WAC Championships in the pole vault.  In Albuquerque, she recorded a personal-best leap of 11-01.75.  This mark ranks her second on NMSU’s all-time record list.

Last season, Louisiana Tech won its third consecutive WAC Outdoor Track and Field title with 162 points, followed by Nevada in second with 123 and Idaho in third with 121 points. Boise State finished fourth with 116.5 points, followed by Utah State with 97.5 points. Hawai'i came in sixth place with 97 points, Fresno State was seventh with 82 points and New Mexico State finished eighth with 20 points.

Live results of the meet can be found at www.wacsports.com.  Fans can also find recaps and overall daily marks at www.nmstatesports.com following the conclusion of each day.