LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming track & field team will begin its busiest weekend of the 2016-17 season on Thursday, first heading to Long Beach, Calif., for the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate at Long Beach State University.
Meanwhile, senior distance athletes Megan Brunette and Audra DeStefano will compete down the road at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif., with Brunette scheduled to compete in the women’s 10,000 meters on Thursday while DeStefano is slated to run in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday.
The UW throws squad will get things started for the Pokes at the Mark Faldmo Invite in Logan, Utah on Friday, while the athletes competing Thursday in Long Beach will join the throwers in Logan on Saturday for the remainder of the meet. While the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate will give the Brown and Gold a chance to compete in a warm environment and a great outdoor facility in Jack Rose Track, the Mark Faldmo Invite will give the Pokes a solid look at the site of the 2017 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Heading into the busy weekend, the Cowboys currently lead the conference in five events. Senior Scott Carter won the long jump at the CU Invite with a new outdoor personal best of 24 feet, 1.75 inches and now leads the Mountain West in both lateral jumps events after posting a mark of 52-1 in the triple jump the weekend prior. Fellow senior Jordan Charles continues to hold a hefty lead over conference opponents in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. His time of 13.92 seconds is more than four tenths of a second better than any other male athlete in the MW so far this season.
Meanwhile, middle distance stars Ricky Faure and Bryce Ailshie have a hold on the top two conference positions for the men’s 800 meters. The two Pokes are the only athletes in the conference to run sub-1:50 times in the event so far this outdoor season. Junior Damon Unland leads the Mountain West in the men’s hammer throw after accomplishing yet another personal best in Boulder, Colo., at the CU Invite, tossing 194-11.
Emelda Malm-Annan’s season is following a similar narrative to Unland’s. The Wyoming sophomore will have a chance for two more successful marks this weekend on the women’s side of the hammer throw after her 194-1 mark in Boulder moved her to No. 5 on the UW all-time list for the event. Malm-Annan currently sits third in the league for the event. Sophomore Ja’la Henderson is the other Cowgirl near the top of the conference standings for a field event, currently sitting fourth in the long jump at 19-5.5. Jerayah Davis is the highest-ranked Cowgirl on the track, with her altitude-adjusted time of 11.59 seconds in the 100 meters currently ranked fourth in the conference.
The busy weekend will provide many UW athletes with the chance to record multiple marks in their events with the goal of moving up in the conference standings and qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Stay tuned to GoWyo.com and @wyo_track on Twitter for updates throughout Wyoming’s busy weekend.
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