Women's Track & Field 5/11/2012 3:13:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

SUU T&F Takes Home Three Individual Titles on Day One

FARGO, N.D. - Southern Utah University track & field garnered three individual titles on day one of the Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday with the men in third place and women in second place overall.

Diana Medina-Mitchell defended her 2011 title in the 10k with a first-place finishing time of 36:41.98, crossing the line close to 16 seconds faster than the nearest competitor. Teammate Sylvia Bedford also collected points for the T-Birds during the race, finishing in fourth place with a finishing time of 37:38.36.

Cameron Levins also took home the 10k title on the men's side, finishing the race in 31:38.18 more than eight seconds faster than the 2011 champion, UMKC's Cosmas Ayabei (31:46.91).

In the field events, Southern Utah's women gathered ten points via a first-place finish by Kayla Kovar in the hammer throw as the sophomore threw 186 feet eight inches.

In the men's field events, Cody Olsen missed on a chance to defend his 2011 javelin title as he tallied a mark of 193 feet six inches on his first attempt, but faulted on his final five attempts. The mark was still good enough for a podium finish as the senior finished in third place behind North Dakota State's Nikola Mijailovic (200-9) and Western Illinois' Jordan Liles (194-5).

The finishes have the women in second place with 30 points, trailing South Dakota with 38 points. The men are currently in third with 16 points, trailing North Dakota State (38) and Western Illinois (26).

Wade Nielson finished the opening day of the decathlon with 3751 points over the first five events. Nielson recorded first-place finishes in the long jump (22-6.5) and high jump (6-8) en route to his first-place total. Teammate Stephen Wilson is also poised for a strong finish with 3205 points, for third place, after top five finishes in all but one event.

The decathlon will wrap up tomorrow with finals also being held in the long jump, high jump, shot put and 3,000-meter steeplechase. Prelims in the 100 through 800-meter races will also be held with qualifying heats in the 100/110-meter and 400-meter hurdles also on tap.

Fans can continue to follow the action of the outdoor track & field championships via a live stat link that is available online at www.suutbirds.com.

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