EUGENE, ORE. — University of Wyoming senior Daniel Reynolds and junior Ryker Holtzen both earned All-American honors Wednesday on the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
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Field Events
Reynolds, a native of Granby, Colorado, kicked off the national meet in the men’s hammer throw. Entering the event with the No. 9 qualifying mark in the country, he was positioned on the bubble for First-Team All-American status. As the final competitor in the second flight, Reynolds had the advantage of knowing exactly what he needed to qualify for the final.
He opened with a throw of 68.72 meters, which secured him a spot in the nine-man final. With three attempts remaining in his collegiate hammer career, Reynolds improved to 69.68 meters (228 feet, 7 inches) on his fourth throw, which held up for seventh place overall. The mark earned him First-Team All-American honors, making him the first Cowboy to do so since Colton Paller in 2021.
Reynolds also competed in the shot put later in the day. He opened with a fair mark of 17.82 meters (58 feet, 5 3/4 inches) but fouled on his next two attempts and did not advance to the final, placing 22nd.
Reynolds ends his collegiate career as an NCAA champion, a two-time All-American and a three-time Wyoming school record holder.
Track Events
Holtzen competed in the first heat of the 3,000-meter steeplechase, aiming for a top-five finish to secure an automatic berth to Friday’s final. After dropping from the lead group early, he worked his way back to fourth with four laps to go and remained close through laps five and six. As the race entered its final stretch, Holtzen sprinted to a seventh-place finish in 8:38.09 — just 0.04 seconds ahead of the next runner.
With only the top time qualifiers advancing beyond the automatic selections, Holtzen awaited the results of the second heat. That race produced five sub-8:30 performances, knocking Holtzen to 15th overall and out of the final. Despite missing the championship race, he earned Second-Team All-American honors.
Holtzen became the first Cowboy in program history to receive All-American honors in the steeplechase. He joins Cowgirls Audra DeStefano (2017, honorable mention) and Katelyn Mitchem (2023, Second-Team) as Wyoming’s only All-Americans in the event.
In his junior year, Holtzen competed at both the NCAA Cross Country and Outdoor Track and Field Championships and set two school records.
Up Next
Wyoming will wrap up its 2024-25 season on Friday when junior Jacob White competes in the 5,000-meter final. The race is scheduled to begin at 7:55 p.m. MT and will be the second-to-last event at the men’s NCAA Outdoor Championships.
