NAMPA, Idaho - The University of Hawai`i women's indoor track and field team narrowly missed out on its first Western Athletic Conference Championship after finishing second, one point behind champion Louisiana Tech, Saturday at Jackson's Track at the Idaho Sports Complex.

The Rainbow Wahine totaled a new school record 121 points and posted its highest finish ever at the championships. Its previous high finish was sixth last season. UH also collected 10 total medals - three golds, five silvers and two bronzes. Senior Mallory Gilbert was named the meet's High Point Winner after scoring 27 points with three silver medals during the three days of competition.

Hawai`i led the team standings heading into the final event, the 4x400-meter relay. The Lady Bulldogs placed second while the Rainbow Wahine took sixth, overtaking UH by one point in the final tally. What proved to be the difference for LaTech was its eighth place finish and one point in Friday's Distance Medley Relay in which they fielded the event just to score the point.

The Rainbow Wahine picked up six more medals on Saturday, including golds by Emily Sheppard in the high jump (5-8.75/1.75m) and Thalia Amanakis in the 800-meter run (2:10.07). In fact, the Rainbow Wahine swept the top three spots in the high jump as Gilbert placed second clearing the same height as Sheppard but doing so in more attempts and Annett Wichmann was third (5-7.75/1.72m).

Amanakis easily captured gold in the 800-meter race, outdistancing her closest competitor by more than three seconds and setting a new personal best. Also in that event, sophomore Sam Whitehall placed seventh with a personal best 2:18.80. In addition to the 800, Amanakis competed in the 60-meter hurdles and just missed out on the bronze by one-hundredth of a second to take fourth at 8.72 seconds. She also ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay team, which set a new school record of 3:52.49.

Senior Meghan Weaver captured silver in the shot put with an NCAA provisional throw and new school record 52-6.5 (16.01m). Wichmann placed sixth with a new personal best 47-1 (14.35m).

In the triple jump, Gilbert won silver and Sheppard was fourth with leaps of 39-9.25 (12.12m) and 39-3 (11.96m), respectively. Gilbert had never competed in the event until last week's Terry Albritton Invitational in Honolulu.

"I am so proud for the team, especially for Mallory," head coach Carmyn James said. "She couldn't have ended her career on a better note. She is a competitor and did everything she could to help this team win the WAC Championship."

WAC Indoor Championships Complete Results

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