With several of its athletes already on tap for Friday’s Big Sky Conference Championships, Sac State’s indoor track and field team used Saturday’s Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno, to either rest the wounded or fine-tune its skills.

In the end, the Hornets, consisting mostly of individuals who were still battling for a spot in the season finale in their respective events, left the Reno Livestock Events Center and padded their Big Sky Conference Championships roster.

Overall, the women’s team came out in seventh place out of 13 squads with 18 points. The men’s team finished last in a group of 14 clubs. Stanford topped both divisions with 111.50 points in the women’s competition, 87.50 on the men’s side.

“We were shorthanded for a scored meet, and it was kind of a surprise to me when I picked up the paper (Sunday) morning and saw team scores on there,” said Hornet coach Joe Neff, admitting that he was unaware that the meet was going to count team scores. “A lot of our best athletes were (absent) because they wanted to rest for the championships. “It doesn’t matter though. We’re more of an outdoor team.”

Nonetheless, Sac State was able to make some noise with the limited personnel that was present.

Jennifer Burkhalter led Sac State’s female qualifiers with a third place finish in the 400-meter dash, single-handedly earning a third of her team’s points with six. She crossed the finish line at 58.70 seconds.

“We were pleased with Burkhalter,” Neff said. “This was her first meet because we were waiting for (academic) eligibility; we were waiting for her transcripts from when she transferred. It was a nice opener for her.”

Shanita Bryant and Windi Selle had already made the cut for the championship meet, but they managed to improve their marks. Bryant, a freshman, out-jumped her season best of 18-feet, 8-inches, in the long jump with a 19-01.25 for fourth place. Bryant was just three inches off of her highest outdoor mark, which is a remarkable achievement, according to Neff.

“She might be able to jump 20 feet, which is great for indoors,” Neff said.Karen Trapini, competing in the triple jump on Friday, also participated in the long jump, in hopes of qualifying in two events. But her 17-11 leap may not be enough, albeit a season-best measurement in the event, to advance. Neff said that he will know if Trapini qualified for the conference meet later this week.

Selle surpassed her previous mark by two feet in the women’s weight throw. She finished with an impressive 51-07.25 toss for sixth place. Neff said that Selle’s performance was a personal record.

“It was a big meet for her; it moved her up to the top eight in the conference,” he said. “She’s been throwing better in every meet. She’s somebody that can pop a big one in conference.”

The Hornets’ men’s team was well represented in the 400-meter dash, an event that provided Sac State all three of its points. Brent Sims (50.50), who didn’t qualify, and Kenan Smith (50.67) took seventh and eighth, respectively. Smith earned a qualifying mark in the 400 last weekend in the McDonald’s Scoring Invitational, where he broke the 50-second barrier at 49.78.

Both Sims and Smith, along with Shawn Hooper and Gerald Franks, have qualified in the 4×400 relay.

Howard Story Jr. just fell short of adding to the Hornets’ team score in the ninth position in the 800-meter run. But more importantly, the sophomore’s 1:58.30 time was shy of advancing himself to the Big Sky meet. Stephen Gaitan also competed in the 800, finishing in 11th place in 1:59.70.

Making the trip to Bozeman, Mont., the home site of the Big Sky Conference Championships, are Charles Amey (55-meter high hurdles), Jonathon Davis (60-meter dash), Lloyd Jackson (60-meter dash), Dustin Diaz (800-meter run), and Rakeen Osby (high jump).

Myesha Kirtman will head the women’s squad in the 60-meter dash and the 4×400 relay. Nikkita Moorer, Sharita Reed, and Joni David will hook up with Kirtman in the relay. Melissa Madeson rounds out the team in the mile and 3,000-meter races.

“We’re not going to be counting points at (the conference championships),” Neff said. “We’re looking more for individual improvement and indoor experience. We’re also going to use this to evaluate other teams, to help us prepare for the outdoor season.”

Sac State will kick off the outdoor season on its own turf with the Bruce Drummond Invitational on March 10.