Wyoming Track & Field to Host Power Meet on Friday

Wyoming Track & Field to Host Power Meet on Friday

LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming track & field team officially begins its 2016-17 indoor season on Friday, hosting the Power Meet at the Hager-LeBar Indoor Track in War Memorial Fieldhouse.

The meet will feature an abbreviated schedule of events, with throws, jumps and short sprints highlighting the competition docket. Athletes from Colorado, Colorado State and Northern Colorado will compete against the Cowboys and Cowgirls in Laramie.

After winning the conference title in the weight throw last season, Cowgirl sophomore Emelda Malm-Annan returns to the ring where she launched a school record throw of 64 feet, 3.25 inches in her collegiate track & field debut at last season’s Power Meet.

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Fellow sophomore Ja’la Henderson joins Malm-Annan as the other returning sophomore to win an indoor conference championship in her freshman season. Henderson looks to begin a successful sophomore campaign Friday after winning the long jump at the 2016 MW indoor championships with a mark of 19-4.75. At last season’s Power Meet, Henderson took the long jump victory with a leap of 19-6.75.

Sophomore Jerayah Davis is another athlete to watch for the Cowgirls after earning runner-up honors in the 60-meter dash at the 2016 MW indoor championships. Davis’ personal best of 7.36 seconds in the event ranks second all-time at the University of Wyoming.

A pair of seniors will lead the Cowboys into the season opener on Friday. Senior hurdler Jordan Charles finished as the runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2016 MW indoor championships and will start his final quest for a conference championship in the event at Friday’s Power Meet. Charles’ mark of 7.68 in the event, accomplished on his home track at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Classic, stands as the Cowboy record.

Fellow senior Scott Carter begins his final season in a Cowboy uniform on Friday with hopes of repeating as conference champion in the triple jump. He earned All-Mountain West honors in two events last season, taking the conference crown in the triple jump at 51-8.5 while finishing third in the long jump at 23-10.75. Carter just missed the medal podium in the 60-meter hurdles, taking fourth at the 2016 MW indoor championships with a time of 8.05. As a fifth-year senior, Carter will offer veteran leadership in his final campaign for the Brown and Gold. 

Wyoming track & field head coach Bryan Berryhill sees the Power Meet as a chance for the Cowboys and Cowgirls to carry momentum into the holiday break. “It gives us a starting point and something to use as motivation,” he said Wednesday. “It gets difficult to train all fall without a competition. It’s just a good way for the kids to get out there, put the uniform on and compete. With it being the first meet, we don’t necessarily set huge expectations. We expect them to out there and be focused and compete as hard as they can.”

The 2016 Power Meet begins at 4 p.m. MT with the weight throw, long jump, high jump and pole vault. The shot put will follow after the weight throw, while the triple jump will take place after the conclusion of the long jump. Track events begin at 5:30 p.m. with the 55-meter hurdles prelims, followed by the 55-meter dash prelims, 400-meter dash, 55-meter hurdles finals, 55-meter dash finals and 4×400-meter relay. 

Admission is free to the public. Stay tuned to @wyo_track on Twitter for additional updates.


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