BOULDER, Colo. – Cowgirl junior Ja'la Henderson stole the show once again as the UW track & field team wrapped up the Potts Indoor Invitational in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday. Henderson was one of Wyoming's three event winners on the day, demolishing the UW program record for the women's indoor triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 1.5 inches. Freshman William Nolan and senior Kerry White were the other event winners for Wyoming, taking home victories in the men's triple jump and women's mile, respectively.
"Ja'la (Henderson) is a very talented athlete who's in a really good spot right now," UW head coach Bryan Berryhill said on Saturday. "She's focused and doing all the right things."
Amazingly, Henderson's appearance in the triple jump was the first of her collegiate career. She leapt 41-1.5 on her sixth and final attempt of the day, breaking the previous school record of 40-2.25 set by Day Timberman in 2016. Teammate Allegra Carson took fifth in the event on Saturday, jumping 37-11.5. UW swept the triple jump events, as Nolan posted a mark of 47-6.25 to squeak out a one-inch win on the men's side. Kyle Alexander took fifth at 45-7.75.
In other field event action on Saturday, freshman Addison Henry had a solid performance in the women's shot put with a throw of 45-2.25 for third place. Hannah Carr took fifth at 44-2.75, while Tori Sleep was sixth at 42-11.5.
On the track, Kerry White was a winner in the women's mile with a converted time of 4 minutes, 57.42 seconds, a personal best that is good for sixth on the UW all-time list for the event. Teammate Lauren Hamilton finished just a fraction of a second behind White, taking second with a converted time of 4:57.77. In the men's mile, Ricky Faure came away with second place with a converted time of 4:11.05. Fellow distance runner Michael Downey placed fourth in the men's 3,000 meters, clocking in with an adjusted time of 8:23.80.
"Coach (Amanda) Clower has been doing a good job with those two," Berryhill said about White and Hamilton. "Kerry (White) hasn't competed in a lot of miles in her career. For her to get the No. 6 time all-time is pretty impressive and says a lot about what this season has in store for her."
Cowboy sprints duo Jace Marx and Jackson Wood took third and fourth, respectively, in the men's 200 meters on Saturday. Marx clocked in at 21.94, while Wood's time of 21.95 moved him into the No. 10 spot on the UW all-time list for the event. Makayla Pzinski had the highlight performance for the women's sprints squad on Saturday, taking second in the 60 meters with a time of 7.72. Heidi Pfoor turned in a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.91.
After a solid meet following the holiday break, a handful of Pokes may travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Invite on Jan. 19-20. The full team will be back in action on Jan. 27, when Wyoming hosts the Powder River Dual in Gillette, Wyo., against Montana State. Stay tuned to GoWyo.com and @wyo_track on twitter for information about UW's upcoming meets.
