May 15, 2002

IRVINE, Calif. - Utah State's Brad Bair is in first place after one day of the decathlon at the Big West Conference Championships at Irvine, Calif. Teammates Jake Johnson and Dan Messick are third and fourth respectively.

On the women's side Katie Farner of the Aggies is in third after the first day of the Heptathlon while teammates Amber Bagby and Dayna Barrett are in fifth and eighth respectively.

Bair, who has finished as the conference runner-up in this event in both 1999 and last year and was fourth in 2000, owns a 393-point lead after five events. Bair, a senior from Blackfoot, Idaho, was the highest scorer in the 100-meters, long jump and shot put. He had the fourth-best high jump and second-best 400-meter time among the seven contestants. He has scored 3,800 points so far.

Johnson, a junior from Brigham City, Utah, has 3,388 points and is just 19 points out of second place. Messick, a sophomore from Firth, Idaho has 3,343 points in fourth place.

Katie Farner enters the final three events of the seven-event heptathlon just 29 points out of first place in a tightly bunched field. Idaho's Dacia Fernandez is in the lead with 3,041 points with UC Irvine's Jessica Stafford in second at 3,028. Farner, a junior from Tremonton, Utah, is third with 3,012 points.

Farner earned her most points (855) in the high jump. Bagby is in fifth with 2,815 points and Dayna Barrett is eighth with 2,553 in the 10-person field.

The men will conclude the decathlon with the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-meter run on Thursday. The women will compete in the long jump, javelin and the 800 on Thursday.

Running and field events will be held on Friday and Saturday.