Sports Briefs: January 18, 2011

Utah Valley picked to win indoor track and field titles.

NAPERVILLE, Ill – The Great West Conference track coaches have again selected Utah Valley as the favorite to capture both the men’s and the women’s 2011 GWC indoor track & field titles, the conference office announced last Thursday.

The Wolverines were chosen as the preseason favorites a year ago but South Dakota successfully defended its men’s and women’ titles in 2010 and enter this season as the No. 2 team in both the men’s and women’s polls.

Utah Valley, which has finished second in both the men’s and women’s conference meets the past two years, received six first-place votes on the men’s side for a total of 62 points. South Dakota, which is the only indoor men’s and women’s champions in the GWC’s short history, received the other two first-place votes, tallying 58 points.

Houston Baptist finished in third place at 47 points in the men’s voting, followed by North Dakota and Texas-Pan American with 33 points apiece. Rounding out the preseason voting on the men’s side were Seattle with 29 points, NJIT with 14 points and Chicago State with 12.

On the women’s side, Utah Valley received five first-place votes and edged out South Dakota with 60 points to 59 for the Coyotes, who received the other three first-place ballots.

Houston Baptist came in at third with 43 points, followed by Texas-Pan American with 37 points and North Dakota with 36 points. Seattle tallied 29 points followed by NJIT and Chicago State with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

The 2011 GWC indoor track and field champions will be determined February 27-28 when NJIT hosts the conference meet at Newark, N.J.