Wyoming to Compete at Tom Benich Invite on Saturday

Wyoming to Compete at Tom Benich Invite on Saturday
Photo from Wyoming Track & Field

LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming men’s and women’s track and field teams will stay in the Front Range this weekend at Northern Colorado’s Tom Benich Invite on Saturday in Greeley, Colo. Field events begin at 9 a.m. MT followed by running events at 10:30 a.m. at Nottingham Field.

Two distance runners will also represent Wyoming on the West Coast on Friday morning. Senior Aaron Derner and junior Megan Brunette will compete in the 10,000 meters at San Francisco State’s Distance Carnival in San Francisco, Calif. Fans can follow live results of both meets through GoWYO.com.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls have battled snowy weather in the region the last several weeks, but did open the outdoor season last Friday at Colorado State’s Fum McGraw Quadrangular in Fort Collins, Colo. Wyoming won 12 events at the meet, despite cold and windy conditions.

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“We’re on track. Sometimes the positive of having the weather we’ve had is it delays the training process a little bit. The kids will really then peak at the end of the season. In the end, this is probably going to be a good thing for us. Right now it is a little frustrating that we can’t get outside, but it really delays that peaking process to the conference championships, which is what we want.” – UW Head Coach Bryan Berryhill.

 

Senior McKenzie Brogan ran the ninth-fastest 400-meter hurdles in Cowgirl history, while sophomore Lauren Hamilton posted the 10th-fastest 1,500 meters. Junior Jordan Charles paced the Cowboys with wins in the 110-meter hurdles and the 200 meters.

 

Last Time Out: Brogan Impresses in 400 Hurdles 

Senior McKenzie Brogan notched an all-time top-10 time in the 400-meter hurdles to pace the University of Wyoming track and field teams at the Fum McGraw Quadrangular last Friday at Jack Christiansen Track. The Cowgirls and Cowboys combined to win 12 events despite cold and windy conditions during their first outdoor meet of the season.

In her first attempt ever at the event, Brogan ran 1.00.94 in the 400-meter hurdles to win on Friday and rank ninth in Cowgirl history. Her time is third fastest in the Mountain West so far this season and 18th in the NCAA. Sophomore Lauren Hamilton also added her name to Wyoming’s record books with an altitude-converted time of 4:36.32 in the 1,500 for 10th in Cowgirl history and second on Friday.

Freshman Ashley Snyder crossed the line first in the 200 meters in 24.95 and was runner-up in the 400 meters in 57.43. Senior Catherine Cloetta won the 5,000 meters in 17:51. Victories in the field events included Madison Seaman with a throw of 154-10 in the discus and Ja’la Henderson with a mark of 17-2 1/4 in the long jump.

Junior Jordan Charles led the Cowboys with two wins. He crossed the line first in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.07, just three hundredths of a second away from his personal best, and accomplished the same in the 200 meters in 21.48. Freshman Calil Burnett won the 100 meters in 10.92, while sophomore Clay Carlson did the same in the 400 meters in 49.08.

Freshman Bryce Ailshie was first in the 800 meters in an altitude-converted 1:56. In the field events, freshman Kyle Alexander bested the field in the long jump with a leap of 22-0 1/4.

 

Rewriting Wyoming’s All-Time Top 10

Wyoming notched two all-time top-10 performances at the Fum McGraw Quadrangular last Friday. Senior McKenzie Brogan ran 1:00.94 in the 400-meter hurdles for ninth in Cowgirl history, while sophomore Lauren Hamilton posted the 10th-fastest 1,500 meters in 4:36.32. The current Cowboy roster owns 13 individual top-10 marks in Wyoming’s outdoor history, while the current Cowgirls have 14. UW has 69 entrees between the two programs and the two seasons.

 

 

Outdoor National Rankings

Junior Jordan Charles is currently the only Cowboy or Cowgirl to rank in the NCAA’s top 50 of an event. His time of 14.07 in the 110-meter hurdles at last Friday’s Fum McGraw Quadrangular is 28th in the NCAA, while leading the Mountain West. Teamwise, the first USTFCCCA outdoor regional rankings come out on Monday.

 

Track & Field Earns 13 All-MW Honors

The University of Wyoming men’s and women’s track and field teams collected 13 All-Mountain West honors when the league office announced the all-conference teams on March 1. The 13 honors are the most the Cowboys and Cowgirls have won indoors since 15 in 2008. All-conference selections were awarded to the top-three finishers in each event at last weekend’s MW Indoor Championships.

Junior Audra DeStefano highlighted the eight honors for the Cowgirls with her fourth and fifth All-MW awards. She was a member of Wyoming’s distance medley relay that finished third and ran 11:31.66 to break the school record by 25 seconds, while individually she placed third in the 5,000 meters in a personal-best 16:35.84 to move up to second in UW history.

Sophomore Kim Robertson was also a member of the DMR to earn her second all-conference accolade, while junior Cassidy Meade and sophomore Lauren Hamilton earned their first nod for All-MW as members of the relay. Freshmen Emelda Malm-Annan and Ja’la Henderson won events to nab their first all-conference awards.

Malm-Annan topped the field in the weight throw with a toss of 62-10 1/2, while Henderson was first in the long jump with a leap of 19-4 3/4. Redshirt freshman Jerayah Davis was runner-up in the 60 meters for All-MW.

Senior Scott Carter garnered two of the five accolades for the Cowboys for the third and fourth of his career. He notched a personal-best 51-8 1/2 to win the triple jump and move up to fifth in Wyoming history in the event, while also placing third in the long jump at 23-10 3/4. Junior Jordan Charles was runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.89 for his fourth All-MW accolade. Senior Tyler Anderson and sophomore Ricky Faure both earned All-MW for the third time. Anderson won the weight throw in 63-6 1/4 and Faure was third in the 800 at 1:50.91.

Head coach Bryan Berryhill has guided the Cowboys and Cowgirls to 37 All-MW indoor honors during his four seasons at the helm for Wyoming.

 

Next Up

Wyoming heads to the Colorado Invite on April 8-9 in Boulder, Colo.