By BRIAN TYNES

Sports Writer

Tech's indoor track and field athletes Ayanna Alexander and David Phillips earned Western Athletic Conference Performer of the Week honors at the LSU Bayou Bengal Invitational last Friday.

Alexander, who entered the event ranked 11th in the country, won the triple jump with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 42-3. The jump fell one foot short of the school record, which Alexander holds.

The provisional mark was not enough to guarantee Alexander a berth in the NCAA tournament, but track and field coach Gary Stanley said he is confident she is in the top 15.

Phillips was the third leg for Tech in the men's distance relay medley, which Tech won with a time of 10 minutes, 16.79 seconds, 29 seconds ahead of the closest competition, and placed second in the 800.

Stefan Malmqvist opened the relay with a big lead, and the team never surrendered that lead.

"What makes that mark good is we got a lead early, and the other kids were basically running a time trial because there was no one else around them," Stanley said.

Another solid individual performance at the meet was given by Latonia Wilson, who won the 400 with a time of 55.68 seconds, a WAC season-best time.

Wilson also ran on the women's 1,600 meter relay team that won with a time of 3:47.46.

New additions to the men's team include football players Mark Dillard and Johnathan Holland.

Stanley said both are good sprinters, and their involvement is beneficial to both sports.

"It gives us two good kids that we don't have on scholarship, and that's what helps Arkansas win national titles," Stanley said.