DENVER - Idaho vaulter Lucas Pope has been announced as the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 25-31 after his school-record performance in the pole vault at the UW Invitational last weekend at Seattle.

Pope, a senior from Hayden, Idaho (Idaho State), won the men's pole vault at the UW Invitational on Saturday with a lifetime-best and school-record height of 5.32m (17-5.5). The performance is his third school-record jump in the last three weeks and ranks 11th in the NCAA and first in the WAC. It is also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

The honor is the first of Pope's career and the third this season for Idaho. Pope and the Vandals will be in action at home this weekend at the Vandal Indoor on Friday and the Runners Soul Open on Saturday, both at the Kibbie Dome.