TULSA, Okla. - After the first full day of competition at the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Hawai`i stands in fifth place in the women's division with 25 points. The Rainbow Wahine are on pace to break their previous high finish with one day remaining at Tulsa's Hurricane Track and Soccer Stadium.

UH has never finished higher than eighth (2001) in its four previous WAC Championships. Its highest point total was 49 during the 2002 Championships in which the team placed ninth. Rice leads the women's division with 46 points followed by Louisiana Tech (42), Fresno State (40) and Nevada (32).

Two UH athletes earned medalist honors on Friday. Freshman Meghan Weaver finished second in the shot put with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 14.61m (47-11.25). Nevada's Jamie Martino won the event with a throw of 14.70m (48-2.75).

Participating in her first career 3000m steeplechase, sophomore Dana Buchanan earned the bronze with a time of 11:14.71. Fresno State's Andrea Buckner won in 10:30.89. UH's Chantelle Laan also competing in her first steeplechase, placed eighth helping the Rainbow Wahine score seven points in the event.

Senior Tasha Monroe qualified for her third NCAA Regional event with a time of 23.95 seconds in the 200m prelims. Her mark was a lifetime best and bettered her previous high of 24.06 set at last week's Occidental Invitational. Monroe also ran a Regional qualifying time of 53.96 seconds in the 400m prelims and will compete in both event finals on Saturday.

In the long jump finals on Friday, Monroe leaped 5.96m (19-6.75) to finish fourth and gain five points toward UH's team score. This season, Monroe has qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 200m, 400m, and long jump, joining sophomore Kelly Young as the team's only three-event qualifiers.

In the 400m hurdle prelims, Young and sophomore Jessica Rohr qualified for Saturday's finals. Rohr ran a lifetime-best time of 1:03.06 to place behind Young (1:01.45) as the top two finishers in their heat.

Sophomore Candace Rosenthal ran a season-best 12.94 seconds in the 100m prelims, but did not advance to Saturday's final.

All remaining event finals are scheduled for Saturday. The field events begin at 1:30 p.m. CDT while the running events start at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Junior Novelle Murray will be seeking her third consecutive WAC outdoor title in the discus. Her heat is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT. UH has qualified 18 athletes for nine event finals, including two relay teams.

A total of six UH athletes have qualified for 10 events at the NCAA West Regionals, May 27-28, in Eugene, Ore.

WAC Championships Day 3 Results

-uh-