FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Wyoming men are fifth and the women are sixth heading into the final day of the Mountain West Conference track and field championships at Colorado State.

The UW men now have 30 points after a strong showing in Friday's field events. Both the men and the women will have more chances to score points today in the finals of the sprints and middle distances. UW athletes ran the fastest times in four of Friday's preliminary races.

In the finals of the men's field events, the Cowboys scored 14 points in the hammer as seniors Kyle Herl and Zach Schaefer finished second and third, respectively. Herl also finished fifth in the discus. The Cowboys scored 12 points in the high jump as Saratoga native Tom Hall, Phillip Thomas and Lovell native Jared Grant finished fourth, fifth and sixth.

In the men's prelims, junior Laramie native Jeremiah Johnson ran the fastest time in the 800-meters in 1 minute, 52.13 seconds.

On the women's side, senior Sheridan native Shauna Smith and senior Burns native Jessica Fox had blistering days on the track. Fox ran a 23.22 in the 200 and ran the 400 in 53 seconds to notch the fastest time in both events. Smith ran a 57.74 in the 400 hurdles, the fastest time in that event.

Fox's time in the 200 was the fastest in the Mountain West this season and also Fox's personal best in the event.

Sophomore Kelly Walsh graduate Amanda Hopper and freshman Sharon Larrier followed Fox at second and third in the 400.

Smith ran the fourth-best time in her other specialty event, the 100 hurdles, but still qualified for the event's finals today.

Evanston native Bryce Bergen, who attends Brigham Young, finished second in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 10.75 inches.

Colorado State's Loree Smith had perhaps the best day of anybody at the MWC championships. She broke the NCAA record in the hammer throw with a heave of 229-9. The throw was a full eight inches longer than the previous record, which was held by Candice Scott of Florida. Smith had already broken the MWC record earlier this season.

The former MWC championships record in the hammer was held by UW's Robin Lyons, who threw the hammer 204-10 at the meet in 2000.