Colorado State Women Capture 2022 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championship

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Projected to win and won was the Colorado State women's track and field team Saturday to capture the 2022 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championship at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

The Rams entered the day with a nine-point lead and never relinquished it. The women compiled 151 points, finishing well ahead of San Diego State (112.50) and New Mexico (99). For CSU, it marked its fifth-ever MW Indoor title and fourth since 2016. The CSU men placed second, but it was a battle that went down to the final two events. The Falcons led going into the day and lost it briefly to CSU before reclaiming the lead and eventual championship. Air Force won the title with 180 points, while CSU had 171 points.

Head coach Brian Bedard was named MW Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year – now an award he has received three times (2016, 2019). In all, Bedard has 13 MW Coach of the Year honors.

Receiving the Mountain West Women's Outstanding Performer of the Meet was Lauren Gale who compiled 20 points for the Rams with her first-place finishes in the 200-meter and 400-meter races. It wasn't just the fact that she won her races, but how – in dominant fashion. She clocked 51.78 in the 400 to set a MW Championship meet record. It also marked her third straight MW indoor title and fifth MW 400 victory overall when you factor in the outdoor. She is the first student-athlete in either gender to win five titles in the event. Approximately an hour later, she crossed the 200 with a time of 23-flat, shaving .08 seconds off her already-held school record. Gale became the third female to sweep the two events in the conference meet, but it hasn't been accomplished since 2005.

Aside from Gale, surprisingly there was only one other Saturday individual champion on the women's side, which is a credit to the balance of the team. That's not to say there was a shortage of podium visits as the women racked up five of those plus the 4x400-meter relay to cap the meet. The other title earner was Gabi McDonald in the shot put with a toss of 53'3.5''. Since 2014, CSU has won the event seven of the possible nine times with this being the third in a row.

McDonald dethroned her teammate Tarynn Sieg (Bown) who was aiming for a three-peat in the event, however the senior served as a mentor handing the torch to the freshman and casually got second place. Other runner-up finishes that earned eight points towards the team score was Janyah Jasper (60m), Megan Mooney (Mile) and the 4x4 squad (Yolonda Johnson, Makayla Williams, Bailee Carr, Grace Goldsworthy). Also reaching the podium in third place was Anna Petr (Mile) and Celyn Stermer (Pole Vault).

Entering the day, the men had a slim chance at catching Air Force, which held a 40-point lead. However, the Rams gained ground and did so quick, winning the day's second event – the shot put (Mariano Kis) – and then sweeping the 60-meter hurdle event (Germain Barnes, Kamal-Craig Golaube, Andrew Doctor). Two more individual titles – Tom Willems (200) and Allam Bushara (Triple Jump) – put the Rams in front 158-151 with 15 of 17 events completed. The 3,000 and 4x400 was all that was left on the docket. Unfortunately, Air Force proceeded to put three Falcons in the top five including a 1-2 finish led by the eventual men's Performer of the Meet, Ryan Ioanidis, who also won the 5K on Friday.

After the 3K, the Falcons led by 14. With the ability to just score once and at a maximum of 10 points in the 4x4, the Rams were mathematically out of defending their past two indoor MW titles and overall, the last four MW championships. Instead of pouting, CSU's foursome of Adam Stark, Barnes, DeVon Washington and Willems busted out a 3:11.81, capturing the program's first-ever men's conference championship in the event during the school's time in the MW and the Western Athletic Conference, which dates to the 1950s.

The other podium visits that helped make the men's comeback possible included runner-up finishes from Willems (200), Cameron Ross (800), Eldridge Harris (Pole Vault), and Jackson Morris (Shot Put) along with third-place finishes from Adam Stark (400) and Dawson LaRance (800).

Since the start of the 2019 indoor track season, the Rams have taken seven of the possible nine trophies overall when counting both genders.

MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
*Full Results including Individuals Attached

WOMEN
1. Colorado St., 151
2. San Diego St., 112.50
3. New Mexico, 99
4. Boise State, 73
5. Nevada, 40
6. Utah State, 38.50
7. San Jose St., 38
8. Fresno State, 36
9. UNLV, 29
10. Air Force, 25
11. Wyoming, 20

MEN
1. Air Force, 180
2. Colorado St., 171
3. Utah State, 73
4. Wyoming, 70
5. San Jose St., 67
6. New Mexico, 66
7. Boise State, 28

For More on Colorado State Track & Field and Cross Country follow: Twitter – CSUTrackFieldXC | Instagram – csutrackfieldXC | Facebook – Colorado State Track & Field/Cross Country

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Colorado State Women Capture 2022 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championship

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Players Mentioned

Germain Barnes

Allam Bushara

Bailee Carr

Andrew Doctor

Lauren Gale

Kamal-Craig Golaube

Grace Goldsworthy

Eldridge Harris

Janyah Jasper

Yolonda Johnson

Mariano Kis

Dawson LaRance

Megan Mooney

Gabi Morris

Jackson Morris

Anna Petr

Cameron Ross

Tarynn Sieg

Adam Stark

Celyn Stermer

DeVon Washington

Tom Willems

Makayla Williams