BYU looks for a big day on track

The Mountain West Conference track and field championship is set to kick into full gear today, as point projections and strategizing give way to on-track performances.

With the pentathlon and heptathlon wrapping up Thursday afternoon, the main bulk of the events kick off today at the San Diego State Sports Deck.

BYU enters as the favorite in both the men's and women's competition, with each team looking to defend respective conference crowns from a year ago.

According to point projections calculated using athletes' seeded positions, the Cougar men could come out on top by nearly 70 points, with BYU's women equaling the 70-point margin over second place.

"The bottom line is, we're going to have to perform," said BYU men's coach Mark Robison. "As long as we do that, we'll win it. But it's like anything else; you've got to show up, and nobody's going to let you win."

The Cougars got off to a good start Thursday, as freshman Lance Walker turned heads with his third-place finish in the decathlon, scoring 6,686 points.

"The kid is unbelievable," Robison said. "It's the first one (decathlon) he's ever done. We didn't decide to use him until last week, so he's had about three to prepare."

Senior Kevin Keys also turned in a lifetime best for BYU, finishing fifth with 5,597 points.

Utah's women also got an early lift, as senior Amanda Feigt triumphed in the heptathlon with 5,328 points. Feigt's high-point events were the 100-meter hurdles and the 800, two of her specialty events. BYU's Sarah Lacy and Kathryn Beck were sixth and eighth, respectively.

Feigt, a Sandy native, is the undisputed leader for Utah this weekend as one of the conference's best hurdlers. She could also score well in the long jump.

Utah's Lauren Endersen and Kellie Anderson have a chance to score in the 10,000-meter run, with Jennifer Cutrer (100 hurdles) and Becky Riddle (hammer throw) among the other Ute hopefuls.

BYU's loaded squad is headlined as always by the distance events. The Cougars have four of the top six times in the conference at 800 meters, led by Michelle Turner and Heidi Houle. Heidi Magill and Amy Fowler headline the 1,500-meter crew, with Whitney McDonald and Amber Duffin holding top seeds in the 5,000 and 10,000m, respectively. Fowler, Katie Bowen and Tawny Bybee are seeded 1-3 in the steeplechase.