LARAMIE, Wyo. – With the clock ticking on the 2017 outdoor track & field campaign, the University of Wyoming track & field team will head to Fort Collins, Colo., for the third time this season to compete against Colorado State in a dual meet on Friday. The meet will serve as the final tune-up for the Pokes before the 2017 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Last season, the Cowgirls fell to the Rams 92-63, while the Cowboys lost the matchup 83-53. Jordan Charles clocked a time of 13.82 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles at last season’s meet, which stood as his personal record until he tied the program record with a time of 13.81 at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate on April 13 of this year. Audra DeStefano clocked the No. 6 time on the UW all-time list for the women’s 1,500 meters at last year’s dual against Colorado State, crossing the finish line in 4:29.55.
Due to the cancellation of the 7220 Invite on April 28 because of inclement weather, Wyoming has not competed since its last trip to Fort Collins for the Jack Christiansen Invite on April 22. As the only true dual meet of the 2017 outdoor season for Wyoming, the showdown with Colorado State will prepare the Pokes for the head-to-head setup of the conference championship meet. Friday’s action begins at 11 a.m. MT with the women’s hammer throw, women’s high jump and men’s shot put in the field as well as the women’s 5,000-meter steeplechase on the track. The meet will follow a rolling schedule and will come to a close with the women’s and men’s 4x400-meter relays.
UW Athletes Near the Top of the MW in Many Events
As the conference championships near, Wyoming athletes sit near the top of the league in a number of events. In the 100 meters, Sam Kirkeide is fifth in the league on the men’s side at 10.67 while Jerayah Davis is third on the women’s side at 11.42. The Cowboys have the No. 2 and No. 3 runners in the 800 meters, with Ricky Faure at 1:48.89 and Bryce Ailshie at 1:49.78. Megan Brunette is the other distance athlete ranked in the top five in the league, as she is currently fourth for the women’s 10,000 meters with a time of 34:48.85.
Jordan Charles is one of the Cowboys’ two conference leaders, as he currently holds a commanding lead in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.81, while Scott Carter is fourth at 14.30. Charles and fellow sprinters Kevin Blackett, Jace Marx and Kirkeide are ranked second in the conference for the men’s 4x100-meter relay with their time of 40.60, while the women’s 4x100 squad of Davis, Ja'la Henderson, Melina Harris and Jordan Edmonds is third at 45.51. Meanwhile, the men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Faure, Ailshie, Blackett and Marx ranks fifth in the MW at 3:12.25. Carter ranks third in the MW for the long jump at 24-1.75 and second for the triple jump at 52-3.75. Garrett Lynch is the fifth-ranked athlete in the men’s discus at 169-6, while Damon Unland is the Cowboys’ other conference leader, holding the top mark in the league by over eight feet at 198-0.
Next Up
The Pokes head to Logan, Utah for the 2017 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 10-13.
