Chase Selected MW Men's Field Athlete of the Week
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Senior Ryan Chase has been selected as the Mountain West Men’s Field Athlete of the Week as announced by the conference on Tuesday.
It is the first weekly conference award for the Olympia, Wash., native, although Chase was named to All-Mountain West Team in 2017 in the heptathlon.
Chase’s selection is UNM’s first men’s indoor athlete of the week for a field event since Allan Hamilton was selected on Jan. 26, 2016.
The honor comes after a busy opening weekend at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational in which Chase competed in four events and set a personal best in two of them.
On Friday night, the senior won the long jump with a personal-best 24-3.50 (7.40m) that he achieved on his third attempt. The mark also signified the first time that Chase had surpassed a mark of 24 feet indoors as a Lobo, resulting in his first collegiate win in the event. Currently, Chase has the second-best mark in the Mountain West Conference, sitting just 0.01 meters and 0.25′ behind the conference leader.
The next day, Chase competed in three more events: the 60-meter hurdles, the 400-meter dash and the shot put, setting another personal best in the hurdles. After running an 8.58 (8.60 altitude conversion) in the preliminary round, which tied his personal best, Chase improved on his time by .08 seconds to set a new best with an altitude-converted 8.52, finishing fifth in the final. The time also put him in the all-time top 10, tying for the eighth-fastest individual time in UNM history. In the conference, Chase produced the 13th-fastest time to date.
In the 400m, Chase ran a 52.29 (52.40 converted) in his heat to place 15th overall and finished the meet with a ninth-place finish in the shot put, throwing 41-7.75 (12.69m) on his third throw for his best mark in the event. His shot put mark places him 15th in the Mountain West.
Chase and the Lobos return to the Albuquerque Convention Center this Saturday as they host the New Mexico Collegiate Team Invitational.
Fans can attend UNM home track meets using their New Mexico Mutual Pride Pass, which can be purchased for $50, and includes admission to all indoor track, baseball and softball home events. Tickets at the door will be $5 per day, and UNM students can get into the meet for free with their student ID.
To purchase your 2018-19 New Mexico Mutual Lobo Pride Pass click here.
You may also call 925-LOBO or visit the Lobo Ticket Office located in Dreamstyle Arena for more information.