@UNC_TrackField Has Final Tune Up Before Big Sky Championships

Saturday, May 7

USAF Academy, Colo.

All Day

University of Northern Colorado

Air Force Invite

Photo by: Ed Navarro

5/7/2016 10:23:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field, Track & Field

By: UNCBears.com

FINAL RESULTS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Northern Colorado track and field had its regular season tune up before the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships next week. The Bears competed in the Air Force Open over the weekend and walked away with a handful of conference qualifying marks.

The sprints were particularly good on the men's side, posting season-bests across the board.

In the 100m dash, Alex Mead sprinted to a season-best of 10.80 seconds, just missing out on the conference standard of 10.75. However, his time pushes him in to the Top 15 in the league standings and he now stands a strong chance of competing next week in the championships in Greeley.

Mead continued his rampage in the 200m dash, finishing in 21.81 seconds, good for first place at the meet. The time was another season-best for the junior.

It was a straight sweep for UNC in the 400m dash, taking first, second and third place overall. Alex Wesley took the top honors with his second sub-47 second time of the year. Wesley finished in 46.90 seconds, taking first by over half a second.

Jordan Medina clinched second for the Bears. Median also crossed the line in a season-best 47.52 seconds.

Chris Sterling rounded out the sweep for the team, coming in third overall with a time of 47.70 seconds. Sterling's time officially qualified him for a spot in the Big Sky Championships and ranks in the Top 8 fastest times in the conference.

In the 110m hurdles, freshman Isaiah Brown sealed a second place finish in the event, clocking in at 15.23 seconds. Though it wasn't his fastest time of the 2016 season, He too remains in the Top 20 in the league standings and has a strong shot at competing next week.

Scott Dickinson officially qualified for the conference meet in the 400m hurdles in his last go around of the regular season. Dickinson broke the tape in 54.25 seconds, putting him in the Top 10 in the Big Sky standings in the event.

In the field events, Rolyce Boston cleared his season-best and then some. Boston hit the sand at an impressive 7.21 meters. The new marks stands as the third best in the Big Sky.

Francisco Au also came in first in his respected event, the triple jump. Au cleared 14.21m, taking first overall by nearly a full meter.

It was more of the same for the women's sprints. Moriah Zachary improved on her 100m dash time with another sub-12 second finish. Zachary crossed the finish line in 11.69 seconds, which stands as the fastest time in the league before conversions.

Brianna Pardner also sealed a season-best finish in the event of 12.14 seconds, she finished in in third overall at the meet, while Zachary took second.

In the distance events, Rikki Gonzales earned a first place finish for UNC in the 1,500m run. Gonzales wrapped up the event in 4:48.53, taking first by over 12 seconds.

Claire Harris and Jordan Burton had strong outings in the 100m hurdles. Harris took first place with a finish of 14.38 seconds, while Burton claimed third overall with a time of 14.70 seconds. Burton's time pushes her into the Top 20 in the event in the Big Sky standings and now sits with a chance to continue her season into next week. Harris has already qualified for the championships in the 100m hurdles and is ranked sixth overall on the conference leaderboard.

The track and field team will now wait for the official qualifying list to be released by the Big Sky officials early next week as they prep to host the 2016 Championships at Nottingham Field May 11-14.